Here is an article about it. I also read some other articles. The dates are a little different but in the below article, it shows as far back as 2500bc that locks were used in the Vedas. Which is Hinduism scriptures. Egyptians also wore them. So it is kind of hard to tell where it started started. Here is an article from ebony magazine
https://www.ebony.com/style/history-dreadlocks/
Yup the Vedas are the oldest scriptures but it is true Egyptians we're the second group of people to wear after the Hindu Indians
But at the same time at this point in 2500bc what is called Hinduism was the only religion on the planet practiced in the whole earth. Its just other nations like African nations, European nations got conquered and invaded by Christianity and Islam where as the Indians were able to defeat them and kept Hinduism alive in India unlike the Africans, Europeans, South Americans
However within Hindu scripture it promises and states the whole world will practice Hinduism again when an incarnation of God returns back to earth destroys all evil and wicked people and restores Hinduism back on the entire earth and restores Godly laws and way of life such as banning on cow eating, dread lock wearing, marijuana smoking for meditation, worship of Krishna only, destruction of any other religion besides Hinduism, yoga practice, ban on alcohol and gambling