What Does a Loctician Actually Do? A Guide for New Zealand

A loctician is a hair professional who specialises in dreadlocks. That is the dictionary answer. But after 26 years, I can tell you it is only the beginning of the answer.

The services

The practical side of the work usually includes:

• Creating new dreadlocks from a person's own hair
• Dreadlocks with extensions, for more length or volume
• Maintenance, keeping existing dreadlocks healthy and neat as they grow
• Repairs, for dreadlocks that have thinned, broken or grown together
• Synthetic and mermaid dreadlocks, temporary styles for those who want to try
• Decoration with beads, wraps and threads
• Consultation and aftercare, helping clients understand and care for their hair

A good loctician can do all of this on any hair texture. I believe no one should be turned away because of the hair they were born with.

A day in the chair

A full head of new dreadlocks often takes eight to twelve hours. That means one client, one long day. You start with a conversation about what they see in their mind. You section the hair. Then you work, hour after hour, with breaks for food, stretching and rest.

By the end of the day, the person in the mirror often looks like someone they have been waiting to meet for a long time.

The part nobody talks about

When you spend a whole day with your hands in someone's hair, people open up. I have heard about separations and new loves, illness and recovery, the death of parents and the birth of children. For many clients, getting dreadlocks is a threshold moment, and they have chosen you to be there with them.

So a loctician also needs to be able to:

• listen without judging
• be present without trying to fix
• hold boundaries, gently
• let go of the day when it is over

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

The business side

Most locticians in New Zealand work for themselves. So the job also includes booking, pricing, photographing your work, social media, bookkeeping and tax. There is no licence for hairdressers in New Zealand, but there are still rules for your space and your business. Read Do You Need to Be a Hairdresser to Make Dreadlocks in New Zealand?

Taking care of yourself

Finally, a loctician who wants to do this for decades has to take care of their own body and energy. Good posture, good furniture, real rest. I learned this the hard way. Read How to Work as a Loctician in New Zealand Without Wrecking Your Body.

Loctician or dreadlock artist?

You will hear both words. I use them both. "Loctician" is the professional title many people search for. "Dreadlock artist" reminds us that this is a craft with creativity at its heart. Whatever you call yourself, what matters is how you do the work.

Could this be you?

If this description makes something in you light up, read How to Become a Loctician and Dreadlock Artist in New Zealand. And if you want to learn with me, I come to you in New Zealand for The Professional Loctician In-Person Training ($4,599 USD).

Read more about The Professional Loctician In-Person Training

Do you have questions about the work? 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