Dreadlocks, also locs, dreads, or in Sanskrit, Jata, are ropelike strands of hair formed by matting or braiding hair. While leaving hair to its own devices – foregoing brushing, combing or cutting the hair – will generally result in tangles and mats, the formation of evenly sized dreadlocks takes planning and maintenance. A common misconception is that those who have consciously formed dreadlocks do not wash their hair, but this is usually not the case; in fact many dreadlock care regimens require the wearer to wash their hair as regularly as non-locked hair.