Dreadlocks, or dreads, are a type of hairstyle in which your hair is locked together to produce rope-like strands. Dreadlocks have existed in Europe and Egypt since 1500 BCE, and they were popular throughout the Middle Ages, Iron Age, and Bronze Age.
This hairdo resembles braids, but it is not. While braids may be completed quickly, dreadlocks need time to mature, and they remain in the hair longer. Dreadlocks are suited for all hair types, and there are numerous techniques for getting and maintaining dreadlocks, which sometimes require treatments at hair salons.
There are several sites accessible online that provide advice on how to do your own dreadlocks. However, you have to be careful. Sometimes it’s better to have them done professionally.
There are hairstylists that can produce beautiful dreadlocks from any kind of hair. This article will provide you with some critical tips when determining whether or not to visit a salon when you get your dreadlocks done.
Will a salon do dreads?
Yes, indeed! In brief, if you have straight or wavy Caucasian hair, there is a good chance that it will not twist, which means that your hair will need to be treated before dreadlocks can be created. That is when the hairdresser or loctician enters the picture. After some effort and patience, a loctician can turn your Caucasian hair into dreadlocks. Salons utilize a method called “dread perm” to accomplish this.
Locticians at salons begin with a dread perm, which makes it easy to convert your hair to dreadlocks. Following that, they do a number of procedures to generate flawless dreadlocks from your hair. This procedure, which takes patience and persistence, might take up to a year to complete.
What is a dreadlock stylist called?
A loctician is the term used to describe a dreadlock stylist. A loctician’s task is to determine the kind of hair you have by analyzing it and designing an appropriate procedure for creating and maintaining dreadlocks with your hair. Around the world, both certified and self-taught non-certified locticians are available. In the United States, the need to get a certificate differs by state. It is preferable to consult a licensed loctician with reasonable expertise in the field.
What training is needed to become a loctician?
It is possible to create dreadlocks at home, but it won’t look professional, and there are always some disparities in this unprofessional way of doing it. That is why people go to locticians for to make sure the dread strands look good together, and locticians are trained for that.
For a loctician, it is possible to work without a certification, but, as with any profession, being a loctician without a diploma can create problems. To become a loctician, there are some online and in-person courses available.
The first step that you need to take is to create a sound knowledge base by watching some credible YouTube tutorials and other online resources. This will give you a good base before you continue.
The next step is to find a mentor. This part is crucial, as it will pave your way to getting the proper training for certification.
The final step is to register for an online or in-person course. Make sure that this course is designed by credible mentors and that it provides certifications that are recognized by the authorities.
The cost of good online courses ranges from $500 to $2,000, whereas in-person training can cost from $1,600 to $1,900.
Here are some of the things that you will learn in training:
- Up-to-date professional methods for producing dreads
- Techniques to produce well-formed dreads
- Techniques to properly maintain the dreads
- Techniques to section hair for locks
- The best and worst products to use for dreads
- Dreadlocks natural hair care methods
- Assisting clients in making hair decisions
- Techniques for conversation with clients
- Techniques for the business side of a loctician
What’s the advantages of seeing a loctician?
If you make your dreadlocks at home with the assistance of a friend and by following some easy YouTube instructions, there is a good probability that the completed dreads may have some differences. For example, the first dread might vary from the last one that you make. This discrepancy exists because you have not mastered the procedure, and your amateurism in creating dreads diminishes the outcome.
By visiting a loctician, particularly a skilled loctician, you have the benefit of having your dreadlocks styled by an expert in the field. In this manner, the loctician’s consistent approach will be used rather than a DIY trial and error process, and you will have no qualms about your dreads. This way, you’ll have more faith in the procedure, and they will last longer.
How long does it take to get dreadlocks done at a salon?
The time required to complete your dreadlocks at the salon varies according to the type and texture of your hair. Nonetheless, the majority of dreadlocks take between 8 and 12 hours on average to create. This period is shortened to around 4 to 8 hours in situations involving thicker dreadlocks, such as mohawks and undercuts.
This duration may exceed 12 hours if you have thick hair or desire a large number of dreadlocks. Again, as previously said, it all depends on the type and texture of your hair, as well as the number of dreadlocks desired.
Before embarking on your dreadlocks adventure, it is necessary to understand that dreadlocks are created in five stages: starter, blossoming, adolescent, matured, and rooted. Keeping this in mind, it might take between eight and twelve months to reach the mature stage of your dreadlocks.
How much does it cost for the first visit?
The locticians often begin with a procedure known as dread prem. Your hair is coiled on the rods during this procedure while a chemical solution is used to prepare it for the dreadlocks.
This is the fundamental procedure for generating dreadlocks, and it may cost between $200 and $300, with a maximum of $800. This pricing varies by loctician. Apart from that, because of the process’s intricacy and time limits, some locticians charge an hourly cost. This is dependent on the technique of dreading, the length of your hair, and your hair type.
You must locate a pleasant and helpful loctician in a hair salon, discuss the style you like, and then leave the rest to the hair stylist. The loctician may charge between $25 and $35 per hour, however this will guarantee that your hair is straight and neatly styled.
Additionally, hair professionals may recommend the dreaded synthetic hair extensions for your hair. As your hair grows, these dreadlocks will go farther up your head and must be maintained continually. This may prevent your hair from being damaged by a dread perm, which is a chemical technique.
The projected cost of dread creation is difficult to determine since it differs from every loctician, although it often ranges between $300 and $600, as described before in this section. As a result, before beginning this procedure in a salon, you must speak with a vendor or loctician to ascertain the appropriate cost for your hair type of hair and demands.
How often are follow up visits needed? How much do they cost?
Follow-up appointments are required to maintain dreadlocks. Dreadlocks may be high- or low-maintenance, depending on the technique used to create them. Younger dreadlocks need less upkeep, but adult dreadlocks require more. Nonetheless, you must keep up with your dreadlocks. If you want to do a low-maintenance strategy, you must use the free-form and crochet techniques.
The cost is decided on the place you choose and the rates agreed upon.
However, locticians often charge by the hour for dreadlock care or follow-ups. Given this, the hourly fee is between $25 and $35.
Is it hard to do your own dreadlocks at home?
Dreadlocks are not difficult to do at home. This is an age of information, when you can get hundreds of tutorials and help on YouTube and other websites based on different case studies. Given that, you just need a good, trusted friend, and a back-combing brush and some crochets, together with hours of training watching the tutorials. These resources can kickstart the process of starting the creation of dreadlocks at home.
There are many case studies available online in which people learned the dreadlocks technique online and used the methods to create their dreadlocks with significant success.
But there is a downside to it, and that is that you are an amateur. A loctician is trained in creating dreadlocks and has a significant amount of experience in this area. But, an amateur person at home can have a difficult time making the strands match, as he/she cannot match the skill of a loctician. You will have to be brave enough to get on with a process that is lengthy and complicated.
For example, there can be a problem with the consistency of the type and nature of dreadlocks that you create. As you start creating dreadlocks on a single person, your technique gets more mature with time. Following that, your first dreads will be less maturely done than the last one, and that will create discrepancies in the consistency of the dreadlocks.
