Do You Need to Be a Hairdresser to Make Dreadlocks?

The short answer is no. You don't need to be a hairdresser to learn to make dreadlocks, and you don't need to have worked with hair before.

"I've never worked with hair before" is the worry I hear most often from people thinking about becoming a loctician. It deserves a proper answer, so in this post I explain what really matters. If you want to know more about the profession in general, read the guide How to Become a Loctician and Dreadlock Artist in the UK.

Hairdressing training and dreadlocks are two different things

Standard hairdressing training focuses mostly on cutting, colouring and styling. It is thorough and valuable, but it teaches you very little about dreadlocks. A qualified hairdresser still has to learn the craft from the ground up when they start working with dreadlocks.

Sometimes experienced hairdressers even have to unlearn things, such as the habit of using products. In the Seienstyle process we use no wax, no gel and no glue. It is the hair itself that does the work, supported by skilled hands.

What really matters

After 26 years and more than a hundred trained locticians, I can see that it is completely different things from background that decide who succeeds:

• You love working with your hands. Craft, detail and patient work.
• You enjoy people. You will spend long, close hours with your clients, and many of them will tell you things they haven't told anyone else.
• You are patient. With the hair, with the client, and with yourself while you learn.
• You want to learn properly. Slowly, thoroughly and with respect for the craft.
• You love to create. Colours, shapes, and seeing a client's inner picture become real.

Why many of the best start from scratch

Many of the strongest dreadlock artists I have trained had never worked with hair before they came to me. One of them was a mother with no hair experience at all, who became a loctician and opened her own salon within a year of starting the training.

That is no coincidence. When you start from scratch, you have no habits to unlearn. You come with curiosity and openness, and you take in what you learn without comparing it to how you have "always done it".

My students often tell me it wasn't their background that mattered, but that they were finally following something they had felt for a long time. As Emelie put it: "Before I felt like a slave just working to get paid. Now I get to do something I love doing every day."

Already a hairdresser? That is a strength too

If you are already a hairdresser, you bring a lot with you: knowledge of hair and scalp, hygiene routines and experience of welcoming clients. That often makes the start easier.

What will be new is a different technique, a different rhythm with long appointments, and a different role with the client. You hold space for a person who is crossing a threshold in their life, through a whole day.

What about qualifications?

In the UK you don't need a qualification or a licence to work as a hairdresser or to start your own business. State registration with the Hair and Barber Council is voluntary. In England, though, you may have to register a hairdressing business with your local council, and hygiene rules apply wherever you work, including at home (GOV.UK). Always check with your local council. You will find more about this in the guide How to Become a Loctician and Dreadlock Artist in the UK.

How to get started with no experience

1. Check in with yourself. Do you enjoy working with your hands for many hours, and being close to other people?
2. Find a teacher you trust. Someone who sees your hands and corrects you early.
3. Practise the foundation technique. At your own pace, before you work on clients.
4. Work on real hair models. That is where confidence is built.
5. Get support afterwards. Coaching and a community make the first months easier.

If you want to know what two days with me look like in practice, read What Do You Learn on a 2-Day Loctician Course?

My training is made for beginners too

The Professional Loctician In-Person Training in London is built so you can start with no experience:

• a one-to-one video call before we meet, so I know where you are
• the online course, where you practise the foundation technique at your own pace
• 2 days one-to-one on real hair models, with me coming to you in London
• 5 one-to-one video coaching calls and guidance in the community afterwards
• 2 days in the salon with me every year after the training

The training costs €4,599, and payment plans are available through Klarna. Read more about the training in London

Frequently asked questions

Am I too old to start?

There is no age limit for learning this craft. What matters more is your body: Can you stand and work through long appointments? With the right furniture, good posture and real rest, you can work with dreadlocks for many years.

What if I've never had dreadlocks myself?

That is completely fine. What matters most is that you respect the hair and the people who wear it, and that you understand how much dreadlocks mean to your clients.

Can I combine it with another job at first?

Yes. Many people start alongside another job and build their client base gradually. Some of my students have gone on to work with dreadlocks full time.

The most important thing to take with you

You don't need a particular background. You need hands that want to learn, a heart for people, and the willingness to do this properly. The rest can be learned.

Wondering whether you have what it takes? Send me an email at [email protected]. I will answer honestly, even if I think the time is not right for you yet.

With love,
Ann-Marie