How to Start Your Own Dreadlock Salon

There is no right way to run a dreadlock salon. There is plenty of advice online saying you need commercial premises, a certain number of followers or a certain number of clients a week to succeed. That works for some people, and breaks others.

In this post I won't give you a template. I'll give you a way of thinking, so the choices you make come from your own clarity and not from someone else's checklist. If you are right at the beginning, start with the guide How to Become a Loctician and Dreadlock Artist in the UK.

Start with yourself

Before you decide where to work, you need to know how you want to work. Ask yourself a few questions:

• Do you get energy from lots of people, or do you need calm? Some people thrive in a busy salon. Others burn out there within a year.
• Do you want to be visible from the street, or have a private space? Both attract different clients.
• Do you want to be in one place, or travel?
• How many hours a day can you work and still be present? Not how many you can survive.
• What energy do you want in the room? Music or silence, plants or minimalism. These aren't decorating questions, they are questions about your nervous system.

Take a pen and write your answers down. Look at them again in a week.

Four shapes a dreadlock salon can take

1. A home salon

A dedicated room in your home, ideally with its own entrance. No rent, no commute, and full control over the environment. The challenge is keeping a healthy line between work and home. For many people this is the easiest and most affordable way to start.

2. Renting a chair in a salon

You pay a fixed fee for your own space in someone else's salon. It is often the safest way to get started, and you may pick up clients through the salon. But you don't fully control the environment, and the energy of other people in the room affects you, whether you like it or not.

3. Your own studio

Premises that are yours alone, built around your work. You decide the light, the music, the energy and the bookings. This is how I worked for many years in Stockholm. The challenge is the cost, and the responsibility of running a whole business.

4. A travelling practice

You travel between cities on a regular rhythm and see regular clients in each place. I do a version of this myself: from Provence I travel to Stockholm every three months to look after my clients there. This shape suits someone who has built a following over time, and it is easier to grow into than to start with.

Most experienced locticians end up with a mix, for example a fixed base and regular travel. None of these shapes is the "real" way. They just suit different lives.

The practical side before you open

Whichever shape you choose, there are a few things you need in place:

• Council registration. In England, you may have to register a hairdressing business with your local council so they can check you are following health and safety rules. They may inspect your premises, including a room at home (GOV.UK).
• Hygiene. Even where registration isn't required, you need to keep your premises clean, well lit and ventilated, and take precautions against infection, with clear routines for cleaning tools and washing hands.
• Your own business. Most people start as a sole trader, registered with HMRC for Self Assessment. You must register for VAT if your taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in any 12-month period.
• Furniture and lighting. A good saddle stool, a height-adjustable client chair and good lighting are part of the technique, not luxuries.

In How Much Does It Cost to Become a Loctician? I go through the costs in more detail. I am neither a lawyer nor an accountant, so always check the current rules with your local council and an accountant.

Set boundaries. Have rules.

I learned this the hard way, and I hope you can learn it the easy way.

For many years I had an open salon. People came and went as they pleased. Clients brought partners, children and friends. The room was full of people who weren't even having their hair done, who took photos without asking, and who brought in an energy that had nothing to do with our work. I told myself it was fine. The truth was I was exhausted.

The day I changed it, everything changed. I moved my salon to a private space with no sign outside. Only clients with an appointment knew where to find me. I stopped allowing guests. And the clients I most wanted to work with respected it straight away. The boundaries didn't cost me clients. They showed me which clients were mine.

You are allowed to set requirements. You are allowed to have rules in your salon. Running a business without clear boundaries isn't generosity, it is erasing yourself, a little at a time.

The rhythm of your week and your year

In most jobs, people assume more is better. For a loctician, that is almost never true. The work is physically demanding and asks you to be present, and there is a limit to how much of it one person can do well.

Think about:

• how many days a week you want to do hair
• how long your appointments should be
• how much time you have between clients, so your nervous system can settle
• when you take real time off, without messages and admin
• whether you take longer breaks during the year

Slow living isn't a mood. It is a structure you build into your week.

Charge what your work is worth

Not what feels comfortable. Not what the cheapest dreadlock artist in town charges. Charge for the years of skill behind your work, for the quality you deliver and for the transformation you hold space for. Those who charge too little have to work twice as much and burn out twice as fast.

And don't build your salon for who you are in your first year. Build it for who you want to be in your tenth.

Learn the craft first

A beautiful salon doesn't help much if the dreadlocks don't hold. The first foundation is the craft, and the second is a way of working that looks after your body.

In The Professional Loctician In-Person Training in London, I come to you, ideally to the room you will use as your salon. We work for two days one-to-one on real hair models, and we talk about furniture, posture, rhythm and how to build your business. Afterwards you get 5 coaching calls, guidance in the community, lifetime access to the online course and 2 days in the salon with me every year.

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

Frequently asked questions

Can I have a dreadlock salon at home?

Yes. Many people start with a room at home. Check with your local council whether you need to register, and remember that hygiene rules apply there too.

How do I get my first clients?

Start with hair models, document your work and share it on social media. People with dreadlocks travel to find a loctician they trust. When you show up clearly as who you are, they find you.

Which shape should I start with?

For most people, a home salon or a rented chair is the easiest start. Your own studio or a travelling practice is often something you grow into over time.

Build the salon that fits you

Your dreadlock salon shouldn't look like mine, or anyone else's. It should fit your nature, your energy and the life you want to live. That is how it lasts for many years.

Do you have questions about how to get started? 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