How to Work as a Loctician Without Wrecking Your Body

This is the topic most loctician courses skip. And it is the topic that decides whether you are still working with dreadlocks at sixty, or whether you have to stop at thirty-five with a ruined back and hands that won't cooperate.

I want to be direct with you. Being a loctician is one of the most physically demanding jobs in the hair industry. You are on your feet most of the day. You make the same small movements with your hands hour after hour. You hold your arms raised for longer than is natural, and your neck bent at angles it wasn't designed for. And you do it not for one week, but ideally for decades.

The body you start your career with is not the same body you finish it with. What happens in between is decided by how you treat it along the way. 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.

The honest question

This is the question I ask all my students: Can you, right now, stand and work for twelve hours and still be comfortable, alert and present for the person in the chair?

If the answer is yes, you have a good foundation to build on. If the answer is I'm not sure or no, it doesn't mean this work isn't for you. It means you have some preparation to do, and that preparation matters more than getting your first paying clients quickly.

If you already have a lot of pain in your back, hands, wrists or neck, I would ask you to take that seriously, and ideally speak to your GP or a physiotherapist before you decide. It is better to know now than after two years.

A technique designed to last

When I started, I learned a technique that made my hands bleed. I finished my working days with cuts and split skin on my fingers, and had to wait for them to heal before I could work again. I thought that came with the job. Everyone I knew who did this work had the same hands.

It took me years to understand that bleeding hands weren't a sign of dedication. They were a sign of a poorly designed technique.

The Seienstyle process is designed to protect the dreadlock artist's body from day one. The crochet technique is gentle on the hands. The movements are small and controlled, and the effort is spread so your hands can work for thirty years instead of five. How that is done in practice is something I teach when I can see your hands, because these are details that need to be felt, not just explained.

After twelve hours of work, your hands should be tired. That is honest. But they shouldn't be injured.

Furniture is part of the technique

I can't say this strongly enough. Your body can't do this work well without the right surroundings:

• A saddle stool that supports your pelvis and keeps your back straight is not optional equipment.
• A height-adjustable client chair is not a luxury. The client should sit so that your body is comfortable, not just theirs.
• Good lighting that lets you see without leaning forward is not just nice to have.
• Good tools that fit your hands make a big difference over thousands of hours.

Back straight, shoulders relaxed, head not bent at extreme angles for long periods. It is one of the first things I teach new students, and one of the things experienced locticians most often have to unlearn from previous training.

If you would like to see the tools I use myself, I have made a free guide: The Tools I Use as a Professional Loctician.

The life around the work carries the work

Over 26 years I have seen many locticians try to make up for the physical demands by working harder rather than living better. They take fewer breaks, squeeze in more clients, skip lunch and stay up late doing admin. It works for a while. It always stops working in the end, and often all at once.

The ones who last for many years have all learned the same thing: the work is carried by the life around it.

• Move your body outside work. Not to look a certain way, but because your body needs to be prepared for what you ask of it. For me, it is the garden. We are building a garden from scratch on our land in Provence, and my days off go on moving stones, digging beds and felling trees. The salon asks for small, precise movements. The garden asks for big, heavy, whole-body movements. They balance each other.
• Look after your hands. They are your instrument. Stretch them, warm them up before long appointments, and notice when they are tight. Don't wait until it hurts.
• Eat so you can last a long day. Notice what gives you steady energy through hour ten, and what makes you crash.
• Sleep enough. Almost no loctician I have met sleeps enough. Make it non-negotiable.
• Rest properly. Real rest isn't scrolling on your phone or doing admin in front of the TV. It is being in the moment, in your body, ideally out in nature. Bare feet on the earth, a tree to sit under, the sound of water.

You don't need a garden in Provence. You need something that asks your body to move in the opposite direction from how it moves at work.

Those who last, and those who burn out

The ones who don't last often share some patterns. They had no method that protected their body. They didn't take their own health seriously. They didn't build rest into their schedule. They tried to do everything at once, and they mistook being busy for being successful.

The ones who last share different patterns. They invested early in good furniture and tools. They learned a method that worked with their body, not against it. They built a slower, more deliberate rhythm into their week. And they treated their own body the way they wanted to treat their clients': with care, attention and respect.

You get to choose which group you belong to.

Learn a method that looks after you

In The Professional Loctician In-Person Training in London, your body is part of the teaching from the very first hour. We work for two days one-to-one on real hair models, with me coming to you. I see your hands, your posture and your workspace, and correct you before habits set in. We talk about furniture, tools, lighting, breaks and rhythm. Afterwards you get coaching, a community and lifetime access to the online course.

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

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal for your hands to hurt from making dreadlocks?

Tired, yes. Injured, no. Cuts, split skin and pain after a working day aren't a sign that you are working hard, but a sign that the technique or your working position isn't good enough. If you have ongoing pain, speak to your GP or a physiotherapist.

What furniture do I need to start?

Most important are a good saddle stool, a height-adjustable client chair and good lighting. It is an investment that pays you back over many years of work.

Can I work with dreadlocks if I have a bad back?

It depends on the cause and how much it bothers you. Speak to your GP or a physiotherapist before you decide. With the right working position, furniture and rhythm, a lot can be done, but some bodies can't sustain this work over time, and it is better to know that early.

Your body is your tool

This isn't the most glamorous part of the conversation about becoming a loctician. Almost nobody talks about it. But everyone who has done this for many years knows it is true. The career you want depends on it.

Do you have questions about how to work with dreadlocks without wearing out your body? 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