Do You Need to Be a Qualified Hairdresser to Make Dreadlocks in Australia?

This is one of the first questions I get from future locticians in Australia. And it is one where I want to be careful, because the answer depends on where you live.

I am not a lawyer, and rules change. Please read this as an overview to help you ask the right questions, not as legal advice.

The short answer

You don't need a hairdressing background to become a skilled dreadlock artist. But whether you need a formal qualification to charge for your work depends on your state. There is no national licence for hairdressers or locticians in Australia.

New South Wales and South Australia

These two states have laws about who may work as a hairdresser.

In New South Wales, the Hairdressers Act 2003 says that you must not act as a hairdresser for a fee, gain or reward unless you are qualified. In practice, that usually means a Certificate III in Hairdressing. NSW Fair Trading is responsible for the Act.

In South Australia, the Hairdressers Act 1988 similarly limits hairdressing to qualified people.

The honest difficulty is that these laws don't spell out whether dreadlock-only work counts as hairdressing. Official job descriptions for hairdressers do include styling hair into dreadlocks, so I would not assume you are outside the law. If you live in NSW or SA, ask NSW Fair Trading or the responsible body in South Australia directly before you take paying clients, and describe exactly what you will do.

The other states and territories

In Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory, there is generally no requirement for a personal hairdressing qualification. But there are often rules about the place where you work.

• Victoria. Hairdressing premises must be registered with the local council under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act. For businesses that only do hairdressing, councils can offer an ongoing, one-off registration.
• Western Australia. Local councils approve hairdressing premises.
• Elsewhere. Councils may have their own health, planning and home business rules.

How to check what applies to you

1. Start with your state. Search your state government's business website for hairdressing.
2. Call your council. Ask whether your premises need to be registered or inspected, including if you work from home.
3. Describe the work exactly. Creating, maintaining and extending dreadlocks with a crochet hook, with no chemicals, no cutting and no colouring.
4. Use the Australian Business Licence and Information Service. It lists licences and registrations by location and activity.

The rules that apply everywhere

• You need an ABN to run a business.
• If you trade under a name other than your own, register it with ASIC.
• Once your turnover reaches the GST threshold, you need to register for GST.
• Public liability insurance is strongly recommended.
• Good hygiene and clean tools matter wherever you work.

Where my training fits

The Professional Loctician In-Person Training teaches you the craft of making dreadlocks and how to build a practice around it. The Seienstyle certification shows you have learned my method to my standard. It is not a Certificate III in Hairdressing, and it does not replace one.

If you live in a state without a qualification requirement, my training can be your main path into the work. If you need a hairdressing qualification, you will still need to get it, and many people choose a dreadlock training too, because a general hairdressing course spends very little time on dreadlocks.

The training costs $4,599 USD, and I come to you in the capital of your state or territory.

Read more about The Professional Loctician In-Person Training

You can read the bigger picture in How to Become a Loctician and Dreadlock Artist in Australia, and about setting up your business in How to Start Your Own Dreadlock Salon in Australia.

Do you have questions about where you live? Send me an email at [email protected]. I can't give you legal advice, but I will answer honestly, even if I think the time is not right for you yet.

With love,
Ann-Marie