How to Become a Loctician and Dreadlock Artist in Australia

Perhaps you have been thinking about it for a long time. Perhaps for years. Every time you see a head of beautiful dreadlocks, you feel a small pull inside you, and a question that won't quite let go: Could I do this?

My name is Ann-Marie Christell, and I have been making dreadlocks for 26 years. Clients have travelled from all over the world to my salon in Stockholm, and I have trained more than a hundred locticians from many different countries. Many of them stood exactly where you are standing now, with a dream and a lot of questions.

In this guide I want to be honest with you about what it really means to become a loctician, or dreadlock artist, in Australia. What the work asks of you, what you need to know about the rules in your state, which paths there are to learning the craft, and how to build a practice that fits your life. Take your time. Read it at your own pace, the way I would want you to do this work: slowly, with care and with attention.

What does a loctician actually do?

Most people think a loctician makes dreadlocks. That is true, but it is only half the job.

As a loctician, you often spend between eight and twelve hours alone in a room with someone you may never have met before. Your hands are in their hair all day. You are closer to them than most of their colleagues, and closer than many of their friends. And in that closeness, something happens that I have seen thousands of times: people start to talk.

They tell you about a decision they are facing. A grief they are carrying. A version of themselves they have wanted to step into for a long time. For most people who sit in your chair, dreadlocks are something they have thought about for years. When they finally come, they are crossing a threshold in their life, and they have chosen you to hold the door open.

The hair is the doorway. The transformation is what they really came for.

This is the difference between a technician and a loctician. The technician can make good dreadlocks. The loctician makes good dreadlocks and holds space for the person in the chair at the same time. I write more about this in What Does a Loctician Actually Do? A Guide for Australia.

Do you need to be a qualified hairdresser?

You do not need a hairdressing background to become a skilled dreadlock artist. Many of the strongest locticians I have trained had never worked with hair before they came to me. What matters more is whether you love working with your hands, whether you genuinely enjoy being with people, and whether you are willing to learn something slowly and properly.

The legal side is a different question, and in Australia it depends on your state. There is no national licence for hairdressers or locticians. Most states don't require a personal hairdressing qualification. But New South Wales and South Australia have laws that say only qualified hairdressers, usually meaning a Certificate III in Hairdressing, may do hairdressing for a fee. Whether dreadlock-only work falls under those laws is not spelled out clearly, so if you live in NSW or SA, ask NSW Fair Trading or the responsible body in South Australia before you take paying clients.

In other states, the rules are more often about your premises. In Victoria, for example, hairdressing premises must be registered with the local council, and in Western Australia councils approve hairdressing premises. I am not a lawyer, so always check with your state and your council. I go through this more carefully in Do You Need to Be a Qualified Hairdresser to Make Dreadlocks in Australia?

What the work asks of you

Before you decide, I want you to know what this profession really asks of you. Not to frighten you, but because you deserve to go into it with your eyes open.

Your body

Being a loctician is one of the most physically demanding jobs in the hair industry. Long days, the same small hand movements hour after hour, arms raised and neck bent. And not for a week, but ideally for decades.

That is why I ask all my students the same question: Can you stand and work for twelve hours and still be present for the person in the chair? If the answer is no, it does not mean this work is not for you. It just means you have some preparation to do, with movement, sleep, rest and the right furniture and tools. I go into this in How to Work as a Loctician in Australia Without Wrecking Your Body.

Your inner capacity

The second part is the one nobody warns you about. When someone shares something heavy with you, you need to be able to:

• be present, not just pretend to be
• listen without trying to fix
• be comfortable with silence
• feel what is in the room without taking it home with you
• hold your own boundaries

None of these skills are inborn. All of them can be developed. I learned them the hard way myself, through a burnout that nearly took everything I had built. Afterwards I trained in breathwork and meditation, and today I weave them into everything I teach.

Three paths to becoming a loctician

1. Self-taught

You watch videos, read everything you can find, buy a crochet hook and practise on friends. It is possible, and some people have become good this way. But the price is often years of confusion, habits in technique and posture that later have to be unlearned, and no one to ask when you get stuck. Read more in Can You Teach Yourself to Make Dreadlocks? A Guide for Australia.

2. A mentor

You find an experienced dreadlock artist and learn by working alongside them. This is how crafts have been passed on for hundreds of years, and it can be beautiful. But the quality depends entirely on the person. Look at finished dreadlocks they have made, including some that are several years old. Speak to former students. And put the agreement in writing.

3. Formal training

You take a structured course with a clear plan, created by someone who has thought carefully about how to teach the craft. It is not a shortcut. You still have to practise, and you still have to find your own voice. But you get the right foundation from day one, a teacher who sees your hands and corrects you before bad habits set in, and a community to be part of.

A Certificate III in Hairdressing and a dreadlock training are two different things. The certificate is a broad hairdressing qualification with very little about dreadlocks. A craft training teaches you to make beautiful, lasting dreadlocks. Some people need both.

What to look for in a loctician course

• What do the teacher's finished dreadlocks look like? Not just new ones, but dreadlocks that are two, five or ten years old. That is where quality shows.
• Will you work on real hair models? A practice head is good to start on, but a living person with a scalp and a story is something else entirely.
• Does the method work on every hair texture? Otherwise you will have to turn clients away.
• Are wax, glue or other products used? Good dreadlocks do not need them.
• What happens after the course? Follow-up, feedback on your work and a community matter more than most people think.
• Will you also learn to build a business? Technique alone does not fill your calendar.

You will find a full checklist in Loctician Courses in Australia: How to Choose the Right Training.

The Seienstyle process: a holistic path

Everything I have learned in 26 years, every mistake and every breakthrough, has become what I call the Seienstyle process. It is a technique, but it is also a way of thinking about the hair, the client, your own body and your own life. It rests on five pillars:

1. Holistic by design. The technique, tools, furniture, posture, light and rhythm of the day are seen as one practice.
2. Inclusive across all hair textures. You can create, maintain and extend dreadlocks on anyone who walks through your door, and never have to say no because of their hair.
3. Gentle on both bodies. The crochet technique is gentle on your hands, and your client has less pain in the scalp.
4. Clean and product-free. No wax, no gel, no glue. Your client goes home with hair that feels like hair.
5. Working with the hair's own intelligence. The dreadlocks begin to mature within two to three months, without the long, awkward in-between stage so many people fear.

Each pillar matters on its own, but the strength lies in the whole. That is why I don't teach the method through free videos, but in a training where I can see your hands.

Your first hair models

• Start with people who already want dreadlocks. Friends, friends of friends and followers who have been waiting for a chance.
• Be honest that you are in training. The right models appreciate it, and expectations are right from the start.
• Agree clear terms. How long it takes, what it costs (often just materials), and that you will take photos and video.
• Document everything. Before, during and after. It becomes the foundation of your marketing.
• Ask for feedback. How did they experience the day, not just the hair?

Build a practice that fits you

• A home salon. No rent and full control, but check with your council about registration and planning rules first.
• Renting a chair in a salon. Very common in Australia, and often the safest way to start.
• Your own studio. Full control over light, sound and energy, but also higher costs and responsibility.
• A travelling practice. Australia is big, and many people with dreadlocks will happily wait for a loctician who visits their city a few times a year.

To go deeper, read How to Start Your Own Dreadlock Salon in Australia.

Live more slowly, in your calendar too. Rest is not a luxury, it is part of the job. And charge what your work is truly worth. Don't build your practice for who you are in your first year. Build it for who you want to be in your tenth.

How my training works in Australia

For those who want formal training, I offer The Professional Loctician In-Person Training. It is one-to-one, and I come to you in the capital of your state or territory. You can read more about that in Loctician Training in Australia: I Come to Your State Capital.

Before we meet, we have a personal video call. We go through the foundation technique you have practised in the online course, so we can spend our days together on what matters most.

During the two days, we work side by side on real hair models. You choose what you most want to learn, for example dreadlocks on natural hair, dreadlocks with extensions, maintenance, mermaid dreadlocks and synthetic dreadlocks. I take photos and video of you while you work, so you go home with a content library ready to use.

After the two days, you keep getting support:

• 5 one-to-one video coaching calls with me
• guidance in our private community
• lifetime access to The Professional Loctician Online Course and 6 bonus courses
• 2 days in the salon with me every year after the training
• the opportunity to become a certified loctician through Seienstyle

The training costs $4,599 USD. If you want to talk about payment options, send me an email.

Read more about The Professional Loctician In-Person Training

Frequently asked questions

Does your training give me a hairdressing qualification?

No. The Seienstyle certification shows that you have learned my method to my standard. It is not a Certificate III in Hairdressing, and it does not replace any qualification your state requires.

Where does the training take place?

In the capital of your state or territory. We agree on the exact place together when we plan your days.

Can I work from home?

In many places, yes. But councils have their own rules on registration and home businesses, so check with yours first.

The door is open

The world does not need more people who can simply make dreadlocks. It needs locticians who do this work with intention. Who understand that hands in another person's hair is something close to sacred. Who build a practice that fits their own nature, and who hold space for others as they become who they are becoming.

Perhaps you are not ready yet. That is completely fine. Some seeds need time. But if something in this guide touched you, it is worth listening to.

Do you have questions about becoming a loctician in Australia, or whether the training fits where you are right now? 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