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dreadlock maintenance  ::  starting dreadlocks                      about me
hair dyeing  ::  spiking ("charged") hair                    rates & contact

never let someone touch your hair if you don't love their hair.

about me

hi, i'm lish. i've worn dreads for over half 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) - including beard dreads (see dmitry) - 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, robert) - 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) - sectioning only for new dreads: - perfect for people on a budget, this is the most difficult part of starting a set yourself, & the most important aspect in the long term. you can then use the memories at my dreadlock community to finish them by yourself or with friends. - & 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 shamika: combined forked dreads, resectioned forward dreads, resectioned sides to shave in a dreadhawk 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. later: full maintenance on 1.5 year old dreads later: full maintenance on 2.5 year old dreads kaitlin: separation & maintenance on two year old dreads, tip rounding nancy: separation & maintenance on multi-textured mature dreads jessy: started medium thickness dreads in soft hair later: full maintenance on one year old dreads 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 later: maintenance on three year old locks robert: started very thick dreads in soft hair later: full maintenance on 10 month old dreads then: tip rounding later: full maintenance on 1.5 year old dreads later: full maintenance on 2+ year old dreads 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 later: maintenance on two year 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 later: maintenance on six year old locks 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 later: maintenance on two & a half year old dreads 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 later: maintenance on three year 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 later: full maintenance on 1.5 year old dreads later: full maintenance on 2.5 year old dreads jessy: started medium thickness dreads in soft hair later: full maintenance on one year old dreads raven: started a medium-thin dreadhawk in thick, curly hair later: maintenance on seven month old dreads, restarted two later: maintenance on two & a half year old dreads amanda: started dreads on thick, asian hair later: maintenance on fourteen month old dreads later: maintenance on two year 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 dmitry: started a beard dread 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 later: full maintenance on 10 month old dreads then: tip rounding later: full maintenance on 1.5 year old dreads later: full maintenance on 2+ year old dreads 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 later: maintenance on three 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 later: maintenance on three year 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 daria: from bleached ash to rainbows 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 rates & to make reservations. i generally book 2-3 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. (allergy sufferers rejoice: i have no furred pets.) i can sometimes provide crash space as a courtesy to my out-of-town clients. 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. 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; over-pre-pay in advance & i'll gladly refund any overage; or any combination thereof. you might also create & print a personalized card you can give your loved one. 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 even without a paypal account by clicking on this link:
return send mail to crank@got.net all images copyright C lish daelnar except where noted. all rights reserved.