The Vikings and Celts DID NOT have DREADLOCKS : Viking hair history myths and Burning Man
Channel: SnappyDragon
Date: 2022-09-02

Ancient Celtic and Viking hairstyles are NOT your excuse to get dreadlocks for Burning Man! This hair history myth is overdue for busting. Thank you to Wondrium for sponsoring today's video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/n5g450KwXzM

I cannot count the number of (white) Burners who've told me that their Burning Man festival hair plans involve dreadlocks, and that Viking dreadlocks were a thing so it's okay. As a professional hairstylist and fashion historian, I can confidently tell you that this is a historical myth. Everything we know about the history of Viking hair contradicts it. Did the Vikings have dreadlocks (or the Celts)? The answer is a resounding NO.  Did dreadlocks come from Vikings? Definitely no. Did Ragnar Lothbrok have dreadlocks, as shown in the Vikings TV show? All the historical facts say no. Dreadlocks are not a Viking hairstyle. If you're wondering how to do Viking hair, dreadlocks are not the answer.

We don't know as much as we'd like to about the history of Viking hair in the early middle ages, but we do know some about their historical hair techniques! Vikings hair routines involved daily combing, which is an important part of medieval hair care, and isn't how you care for locs. Hairstyles and grooming seemed very important to Viking age Norse history. So what hairstyles did the Vikings have? There were some very interesting Viking haircuts including the "reverse mullet", and probably some braids as well. The only reference we have to a Viking wearing matted hair is in a Saga that just emphasizes how important daily combing was to Norse culture! This is one of many Viking history myths that has been perpetuated in the modern day for unjust reasons.

So, if you're wondering how to do Viking dreadlocks . . . the answer is "don't". Just don't. Viking dreads did not exist. Choose a different Viking haricut or hairstyle, it will be far more historically accurate and not based in racism and cultural appropriation.  Look for Viking hairstyle tutorials that don't rip off African braiding techniques, and show respect for Black people by understanding the harm that this myth does today.

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Some further reading/watching!
@MuseAndDionysus have an excellent video where Muse discusses loc history while demonstrating their loc maintenance : https://youtu.be/9RN5oT5Ouec
NaturallyCurly on types of locs : https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/hairstyles/the-pros-cons-of-traditional-locs-sisterlocks-freeform-locs-si
Myths about loc care : https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/home/3-myths-about-maintaining-locs
Article on loc history that Muse cites : https://www.ebony.com/style/history-dreadlocks/
A white musician on allyship and cutting off her locs : https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/learn/i-cut-off-my-dreadlocks-once-i-understood-their-history-si
Cultural and spiritual significance of locs : https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/kinky-hair-type-4a/a-rasta-womans-take-on-the-natural-hair-movement-zendayas-comments

Chapters : 
0:00 Ugh, white people with "dreads".
1:06 Understanding what "locs" are
2:38 Some myths about locs
4:55 The Celts did not have "hair like snakes"
5:50 Ancient Celtic hairstyles
6:38 Renaissance Irish hair
8:09 A great Viking history course!
9:27 Actual Viking hairstyles
10:34 The historical evidence goes directly against Viking dreadlocks.
12:30 The Polish plait
13:41 This myth is pure cultural appropriation
15:06 The modern day impact matters more than history
16:05 Some better hairstyle options

Attributions : 

“Natty Dreads” by Michael Coghlan is lisenced CC BY-SA 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

“Burning Man 2010” by Christopher Michel and “Burning Man Piratess” by Steve Jurvetson are lisenced CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

“Demonstrator with megaphone at the Black Lives Matter demonstration in Rotterdam” by Wouter Engler is lisenced CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

“Dreadlocks waves created when three lock-strands are braided and left over night” by Veroniqueakin is lisenced CC BY 3.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Photo of Billy Idol on tour in 1990 by Carlos Aguilar is lisenced CC BY-SA 3.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

"Two Hindu Sadhus near Kathmandu, Nepal" by  Luca Galuzzi - www.galuzzi.it is lisenced CC BY-SA 2.5, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/