What Is a Loc Specialist? A Dreadlock Specialist Explains What the Title Really Means

By Ann-Marie Christell, Seienstyle

Many names for the same calling

Loc specialist. Loctician. Dreadlock artist. Dreadlock specialist. In Sweden, where I built my practice, we say dreadlocks frisör. "Loc" is simply a short word for a dreadlock, and different people and different places use different names for the same work.

I have been doing this work for over 26 years, and I usually call myself a loctician or a dreadlock specialist. I always say "dreadlocks" rather than "locs", because it is the word I have used since the very beginning. But whatever name you search for, the question underneath is the same: what is this person, and how do I know if they are good?

My name is Ann-Marie Christell, and I want to answer that from my own life.

What a loc specialist does

A loc specialist is someone whose craft is dreadlocks. Not as a side service, but as their focus. Their work usually includes:

• Creating new dreadlocks on any hair texture
• Maintenance, guiding in new growth and loose hair, firming roots and keeping dreadlocks healthy over the years
• Extensions, adding length or volume
• Repair, helping dreadlocks that were made in a way that did not suit the hair
• Synthetic dreadlocks and mermaid hair, for people who want to play, try the look or change their style
• Aftercare guidance, so clients know how to care for their hair at home

What the word "specialist" really means

Many salons offer dreadlocks as one service among many. Some do it beautifully. But there is a difference between someone who makes dreadlocks a few times a year and someone who has given their working life to it.

A specialist has spent thousands of hours with dreadlocks. They have seen how hair behaves after one year, five years, fifteen years. They know how fine, straight hair locks differently from tight coils, and how to work with both. They have repaired the results of other methods and learned from what went wrong.

I have spent more than 40,000 hours with my hands in people's hair. Some of my clients in Stockholm have been coming to me for ten, fifteen, even twenty years. People have travelled from Canada, the United States and all over Europe to sit in my chair. That kind of trust is only built by specialising, and by staying.

How I became one

I fell in love with dreadlocks as a teenager in Fagersta, a small town in Sweden, watching music videos and wishing I could have them. In 1996, a friend came home from London full of stories about the dreadlocks she had seen at Kensington Market. We found almost nothing in the library, tried anyway, and the result was not beautiful.

There was no one to teach me. I learned through years of trial and error, including a technique that made my hands bleed and days so long I wanted to lie down on the floor at the end of them. I seriously thought about quitting.

Instead, I went into every detail of how I worked, and slowly built a new way of working that protected my body, my clients' scalps and the hair itself. That became the Seienstyle process, and it is why I am still doing this work, without pain, 26 years later.

What I believe a good loc specialist offers

To me, a true specialist is defined by more than experience. They:

• Can say yes to every hair texture. No one should be told their hair is not right for dreadlocks.
• Work without wax, glue or heavy products, so the hair can breathe and mature naturally.
• Work gently, without painful tension on the client's scalp or strain on their own hands.
• Help dreadlocks mature well. With the Seienstyle process, dreadlocks begin to mature within two to three months, without the long awkward stage.
• Are honest about what to expect, from the first weeks to the years ahead.
• Take care of the person, not only the hair.

That last point matters most to me. When someone sits in your chair for eight to twelve hours, they often open up. Many have dreamed of their dreadlocks for years. They are stepping into a version of themselves they have pictured for a long time. I am also a breathwork and meditation teacher, and over the years I have come to see that holding space for that moment is part of the work. The hair is the doorway.

How to find a good loc specialist

• Look at their work over time, not only fresh dreadlocks but how they look years later
• Ask about their method. Do they use products? Does it work on your hair type?
• Ask how long the appointment takes and how they handle maintenance
• Notice how they listen. Do they ask what you are picturing, and what your hair is like?
• Ask what happens afterwards. A specialist stays with you after the first appointment

Today I work as a traveling loctician, between my home in Provence and my clients in Stockholm, and I begin with a video consultation with every new client. Locticians I have trained in the Seienstyle process can be found on my page of certified Seienstyle locticians.

See the certified Seienstyle locticians

How to become a loc specialist

You do not need to be a hairdresser to become a dreadlock specialist. Some of my students were. Many were not. What matters is the wish to learn, a method that protects you and your clients, and a teacher who can see your work and guide you.

If you are still wondering whether this path is for you, start with my free three-part online training.

Join the free training The Proven Path to Become a Loctician

When you are ready to learn, The Professional Loctician Online Course teaches the Seienstyle process step by step, with one-on-one video coaching calls with me. I also offer a two-day, one-on-one in-person training. And I keep supporting my students after they are certified.

The Professional Loctician Online Course

Frequently asked questions

Is a loc specialist the same as a loctician? Yes. Loc specialist, loctician, dreadlock artist and dreadlock specialist are different names for the same work.

Is a loc specialist the same as a hairdresser? No. A loc specialist focuses on dreadlocks. Some hairdressers also train in dreadlocks, but it is a separate craft.

Can a loc specialist work on any hair type? A good one can. Some methods only suit certain hair, so it is always worth asking.

Do I need a licence to work as a loc specialist? It depends on where you live. Rules differ between countries and regions, so check what applies before working with paying clients.

Whatever you call it

Loc specialist, loctician or dreadlock artist, the name matters less than the care behind it. If you are dreaming of dreadlocks of your own, or of doing this work yourself, I would love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] and tell me your story.

With love,

Ann-Marie