Many people choose to have their Dreadlocks "professionally" maintained. Doing so requires the aid of a loctician. But what exactly is a loctician? A loctician, like a beautician, is someone that is skilled in starting and maintaining dreadlocks through a variety of methods and techniques. Although a loctician may prefer a certain method, he/she should be skilled in others.

The problem is, many individuals who refer to themselves as locticians do not have licenses or credentials which allow them to practice in ANY form. Although some methods such as Sisterlocks require certification, traditional dreadlocks do not. Because of this, individuals that have no experience or training in dreadlocks can easily deem themselves "locticians." In fact, if you maintain your dreadlocks on your own and have done so for an extended period of time, there's little to stop you from acquiring the title yourself and going out and starting dreadlocks for others.


It doesn't take much to know how to begin dreadlocks, but the skills of your loctician are sure to be tested during those times when your hair is not performing at its best. Will your loctician be able to handle thinning dreadlocks, dryness, constant unraveling and breakage? Going to an inexperienced loctician today may leave you with horribly maintained dreadlocks tomorrow. Therefore, it's important that you thoroughly research dreadlocks and your loctician before allowing her/him to take care of your hair.

Hopefully you'll have your dreadlocks for years to come, so think of them as your children and your loctician as their babysitter. Just as you wouldn't leave your kids with an unstable, abusive individual, you want to protect your dreadlocks from anyone who could cause them harm. In addition, your loctician may not want to waste her time with any individual who chooses not to maintain his/her dreadlocks between visits, so you have to do your part too.

Even if your dreadlocks are "professionally" maintained, that doesn't mean that you have little or no responsibility towards their maintenance and upkeep. Clients have been known to show up for their appointments with half of their head unraveled and then they expect their loctician to do wonders in one setting. Even if this means more money for the loctician, you're basically a walking billboard that's bad for business.

Therefore when making that decision on whom to invest your money, you have to do your homework. Also keep in mind that the interview process of finding a loctician or a client is often mutual, so be on guard because as you're interviewing your loctician, she should also be interviewing you.