About

I first got synthetic dreads installed by a friend back in 2010. I have always loved to be bold with my hair and have dyed in most colours under the sun over the years. When I got my first set of dreads, for me it gave me an instant sense of belonging. That moment when looked in the mirror and I felt like I saw my reflection properly for the first time in my life, I remember walking into my job as a Veterinary Nurse just praying that I wouldn’t be told to take them out. I held my breath as my then boss looked at them and she agreed they could stay as long as I took out the giant flower that I had pinned to them out. Hooked on my first taste of freedom I began experimenting with several sets over the coming years. Even though I took breaks throughout the years, my love affair with dreads never died.

Fast forward further down the road, I found myself as a thirty something mother who didn’t recognise who she saw in the mirror, and hadn’t done so in a very long time. I suddenly felt the impulse to get dreads again but this time I felt braver and ready to commit to them permanently. I saved my pennies and found myself a loctician to start my dreads and install beautiful human hair extensions that I had purchased. The day came and I was so excited. She began working on my hair and what was going to be one day actually turned into three days. I emerged with dreads that had not been installed properly, the joins were bumpy and some of my extensions actually fell out. When I questioned this I was made to feel like I was over reacting and this was normal for this to happen. I put my trust in this person and I even returned for my first maintenance, where they interlocked my roots and installed any extensions that fell out. My gut told me things were still not right and I began searching google and social media for another loctician to get a second opinion.

I found another loctician and had my worst fears confirmed. the work was shoddy at best, the extensions not properly attached, the sections either too large or too small to support the extensions and the interlocking had caused terrible tension on my scalp, which lead to daily headaches. The only choice I had was to cut out the extensions, comb out the dreads and start again. Over the course of a week I painfully returned my hair back to its loose state, ready for to start again in the hands of someone new. I am pleased to say that this time the sectioning was pretty sensible and whilst the extensions were not human hair as I could not afford it, they did the job until they could be swapped out.

The time came for my first lot of maintenance on my new dreads and when I contacted the loctician they said they had taken a new job and could no longer do dreadlock work any more. The did not have any recommendations for another loctician, so I decided there and then that I would need to be responsible for my own dreads as my trust had been broken. I taught myself how to do my own crochet maintenance and I still do my own maintenance even now, using a 3 way mirror. I often reflected on the bad experiences I had and the more I learnt about caring for my dreads, the more I began thinking about how I could help provide a more positive experience to others.

I made my first set of human hair extensions and installed them on myself. I put them through their paces to truly ensure the quality and longevity of my work and I am still delighted with them every time I look in the mirror. This year I founded my business and began creating human hair extensions for others. I get a sense of joy and accomplishment from my work, knowing that I am providing excellent quality extensions at fair prices. I then decided that I wanted to take my business further and become a loctician myself, so I completed an online course and portfolio to enable me to offer up my services as a mobile loctician covering Kent. I have spent time forging good business relationships with other likeminded creators and businesses in order to be able to offer the best to my clientele. I will continue to do my very best to grow my business and support my customers and if you have made it to the end of my story, I thank you for taking the time to do so.

Warm wishes
Laura x