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dreadlock maintenance :: starting dreadlocks about me
hair dyeing :: spiking ("charged") hair rates & contact
last updated: 1-30-10
never let someone touch your hair
if you don't love their hair.
about me
i've worn dreads for over a decade of my life. i have exorbitant
amounts of experience & understanding about how hair tangles & what can be
done to facilitate & expediate the process without causing damage down the
road. i do not use wax, gel, hairspray, glue, or anything else that will
build up inside the dread. i do not flip dreads through their roots, or
otherwise do "quick fixes" that look nice today & create horrible weak spots
later. i do not use techniques like threading or root banding which destroy
the dread long-term & force the wearer to pay for maintenance as often as
monthly. most of my clients do not feel another maintenance session is
necessary for 8-12 months after seeing me. i also moderate a very popular
dreadlocks community, & you're welcome to join.
my MO is to create dreads where the parts i start blend seamlessly
into the new growth. i section so your placement looks naturally formed,
but is still intelligent. i maintain dreads in such a way that the work is
always invisible. i avoid performing processes your dreads aren't ready
for, which means i'd rather turn a customer away for a few months (or
more, sometimes) than take their money to harm their locks.
i am available for the following processes:
- starting new dreads
- including fixing half-started or poorly started sets (see anya, marley)
- performing maintenance on established dreads, including:
- root cleanup
- separation
- frizz reduction
- advanced procedures:
- combining two thin dreads invisibly into one thicker lock using a
method invented by me (see lish (set 2), matt s., loren, amber, joe,
marley, shamika)
- tip rounding (see kaitlin, katie, chrissy)
- tip softening (see lish (set 2), lish (set 4))
- resectioning mature dreads (see marley, shamika)
- filling original weak spots (see wilma)
- root band & other damage repair (see meghan, wilma, loren)
- upkeep:
- deep cleanings (see joe)
- deep protein conditioning
- bleaching &/or dyeing your dreads (or brushable hair!) in any manner of
different styles (read my text on the subject)
- & spiked styles (brushable hair ONLY)
i am also able to brush out even most well-established dreads if you're
moving to a different phase in your life. email me for details on this most
intense of processes.
i do not perform extensions, either creation or attachment. please see
this page for a recommendation on where you can go for this.
dreadlock maintenance
note that many of the people i've performed maintenance on are from sets
i originally started - all are linked appropriately.
photos of my dreadlock maintenance work - click on each name for full
size pictorial.
lish (myself): started new dreads (second set: dreadhawk), bleach/dye regularly,
combined thin locks into thicker, rounded the tips (to purposely
keep a soft end)
lish (myself): started new dreads (fourth set, current), bleach/dye regularly,
rounded the tips ((to purposely keep a soft/tapered end)
chrissy: separated very tangled year old locks, cleaned up each dread
of much loose hair, rounded the tips (to be completely round)
one year later: another full cleanup
wilma: started dreads on fine, soft hair
later: root maintenance, filled in weak spots from extensions,
evened out a thick spot due to extension weight
click here to read what wilma had to say about her session.
still later: full maintenance on 1.5 year old dreads
shamika: combined forked dreads, resectioned forward dreads, resectioned
sides to shave in a dreadhawk
kaitlin: separation & maintenance on two year old dreads, tip rounding
jenna: started medium thickness dreads in fine, soft hair
later: trimmed tips of eight month old locks, bleached some
tips & dyed others
still later: maintenance on year old locks
kat: cleaned up & separated mature dreads, special nape work
katie: started fat dreads on very short, fine, straight hair
one year later: full cleanup, some tip rounding
later: maintenance on three year old locks
anya: cleaned up a few self-started dreads, created the rest
later: maintenance on two year old locks
loren: combined 76 dreads into 51, saved six month old dreads from
future developmental problems
later: further combined 51 dreads into 36.
eight months later: full maintenance
katy: started fat dreads in fine, soft hair
seven months later: full cleanup with tips & bangs left loose
matt s.: cleaned up eight month old dreads of loose hair & other issues
marley: separated & resectioned highly merged 3 month old locks, started
17 fat new dreads
stephanie: started medium dreads on very thick hair
later: full maintenance on 1 year old dreads
amanda: started dreads on thick, asian hair
later: maintenance on fourteen month old dreads
ellen: separated very tangled six month old locks, sewed in large
clumps of loose hair from the scalp
irene: cleaned up loose hair on mature dreads
annie: cleaned up loose hair on mature dreads
joe: cleaned up loose root hair on mature dreads, bleached roots
& dyed full length of dreads, combined two dreads & fixed
other weak spots
later: maintenance on three year old locks
still later: deep cleaning
beth: started dreads on soft, normal hair
one year later: root maintenance
raven: started a medium-thin dreadhawk in thick, curly hair
later: maintenance on seven month old dreads, restarted three
kim: worked for a limited amount of time to separate very tangled
roots & clean up loose hair as much as possible
sarah: started dreads on very thin, fine hair
later: maintenance on ten month old locks
later: maintenance on year & a half old locks
matt: cleaned up year old dreads of much loose hair
amber: cleaned up loose hair on mature dreads, combined thin or split
locks
michael: cleaned up mature dreads of much loose hair
meghan: cured year old dreads of serious developmental problems,
bleached out bangs aiming for white
starting dreadlocks
people are surprised at how little it hurts when i start dreads on them.
backcombing isn't the most pleasant thing, but i don't leave your scalp sore
at the end of the appointment. a couple of clients have even dozed off during!
photos of dreadlocks i've started - click on each name for full size
pictorial.
lish (myself): started new dreads (second set: dreadhawk), bleach/dye regularly,
combined thin locks into thicker, rounded the tips (to purposely
keep a soft end)
lish (myself): started new dreads (fourth set, current), bleach/dye regularly
wilma: started dreads on fine, soft hair
later: root maintenance, filled in weak spots from extensions,
evened out a thick spot due to extension weight
still later: full maintenance on 1.5 year old dreads
jessy: started medium thickness dreads in soft hair
raven: started a medium-thin dreadhawk in thick, curly hair
later: maintenance on seven month old dreads, restarted two
amanda: started dreads on thick, asian hair
later: maintenance on fourteen month old dreads
stephanie: started medium dreads on very thick hair
cecilia: started medium thickness dreads in fine, soft hair
cecilia: (second set) started medium thickness dreads in fine, soft hair
marley: separated & resectioned highly merged 3 month old locks, started
17 fat new dreads
betsy: started dreads on soft, normal hair
jenna: started medium thickness dreads in fine, soft hair
later: trimmed tips of eight month old locks, bleached some
tips & dyed others
still later: maintenance on year old locks
robert: started very thick dreads in soft hair
beth: started dreads on soft, normal hair
one year later: root maintenance
katie: started fat dreads on very short, fine, straight hair
one year later: full cleanup, some tip rounding
later: maintenance on three year old locks
katy: started fat dreads in fine, soft hair
seven months later: full cleanup with tips & bangs left loose
anya: cleaned up a few self-started dreads, created the rest
later: maintenance on two year old locks
cat: started 77 pencil-thin dreads
jenny: started medium dreads in fine hair
sarah: started dreads on very thin, fine hair
later: maintenance on ten month old locks
later: maintenance on year & a half old locks
tanya: started medium-thin dreads on fine/normal hair
hair dyeing
as mentioned above, i am well versed with hair color (read my text on
the subject), & can bleach or dye your hair in any manner of different
styles.
photos of hair dye work - click on each name for full size pictorial.
lish (myself): regular dye upkeep, also custom work
chris: from dark brown to bright orange
chris: black & orange tips (& the "fluffhawk")
chris: orange stripe in natural hair
amy: from typical brown haircut to screaming red mohawk
judi: from virgin dark brown to atomic pink
mika: adding some pizzazz to light brown hair
jenna: on dreadlocks, bleached some tips & dyed others
jess: from dyed brown to beautiful blue
fizz: from virgin brown to rainbow (using only three colors)
joe: on dreadlocks, bleached roots & dyed full length of dreads
jessie: from virgin brown to blue; later, to bright pink
meghan: bleached out bangs aiming for white
jon: from light brown to white/blue
jon: black swirls with blue
spiked ("charged") hair
i used knox gelatine to create these styles, so this is not a vegan
process. knox, applied correctly, holds the hair hard for up to a week, &
the hair is softer & conditioned after washing it out. this is NOT something
i will do with dreadlocks!
photos of spiked hair - click on each name for full size pictorial.
lish (myself): spiked mohawk
chris: spiked mohawk
amy: spiked mohawk
chris: spiked long hair with undercut (in X pattern)
rates & contact
please contact me at the email address below to discuss my very
reasonable rates & to make reservations. i generally book 1-2 months in
advance. please include a photo of your hair & detail what you'd like
done to it. currently i am based in seattle, WA. i provide crash space
as a courtesy to my out-of-town clients, & usually arrange some sort of
low-key party around the event for everyone's enjoyment. i'm also
willing to travel, & will give a discount on my rates when plane fare is
covered. importing me to work on a group of people in one area, all of
whom contribute evenly to my travel fare, has had fantastic results in
the past.
for those who have friends or relatives with dreads that could use
some love, i also offer gift certificates. i'll be glad to create & print
a personalized card you can give your loved one. payment can be handled in
one of a few ways: you can cover x many hours of work & pay in advance, &
i'll do the best i can in that time frame; you can cover the entire
maintenance, then come to the appointment & pay after we're done; or any
combination thereof. i'm totally open to other suggestions as well - just
ask.
thanks for looking, & feel free to email with questions.
after contacting me to set up our appointment, your deposit can be accepted
without a paypal account by clicking on this link: