Many people ask me whether or not they need a licence to professionally operate as a Loctician. If you're apart of the #DivineDreadlocksTribe then you'll know that we offer plenty of support for getting your business on its feet long after we perfect your skill as a Loctician, but for those who would like to know in advance, well it is a fairly grey area in some places, but I hope this blog post clears things up at least a little.....

Do you need a licence to be a Loctician in Australia? 
No, in Australia you don't need a licence to be a Dread Loctician, BUT if you want to start cutting or colouring hair you may need a licence as a hairdresser. If you don't intend to cut hair or operate as a hairdresser, then to dreadlock or maintain dreads for others as a Natural Dread Loctician then all you need is professional training, which we can provide. Our training is not government accredited due to the face that the Australian Government doesn't recognise "dreadlocking" as an industry, they only recognise hairdressing and I don't wish to fall under the hairdressing codes because we are not hairdressers. Training to be a Divine Dreadlocks Certified Loctician bears no similarity to any formal hairdressers training or knowledge including the unit on dreadlocking offered by TAFE for hairdressers. The hairdressers method of dreadlocking produces a very different result and involves the use of wax and chemicals in the creation and maintenance process.

My whole business ethos is to teach people how to create 100% natural, neat, tight, instantly formed low maintenance dreadlocks without the use of any chemicals or products. In this way my dreadlock training is 100% natural, we never use any products in the locking process. And it is my honest option that only a couple of good natural products are needed for after care.

After you have market tested your business in the "hobby" phase (to see if you can make it a viable business) then you need to obtain a free ABN (Australian Business Number) for tax purposes and operate as a sole trader in the "artist" category, unless you are in fact a qualified hairdresser, then you can use the hairdressing category. 

The laws for operating as a dread Loctician outside Australia vary quite a lot.

In America the laws vary from state to state! We would love to expand on this blog later with a list of countries and states where you don't need a seperate licence, but in the meantime you should be able to call your local chamber of commerce to find out. Explain you do all hand made work to create and maintain dreads and mention there's no special equipment or products used. This explanation will reduce the need for licensing in some states. 

If you are in California, here's a link to the Department of Consumer Affairs which may contain the right information for the rules around doing natural hair (dread) work. Most states in the U.S.A request people doing natural hair (which we believe the Divine Dreadlocks Loctician Certificate falls into) have a cosmetology certificate. Yet some states do not. Also if you are starting your service like a "hobby business" then you can safely operate by dreadlocking for "friends" until you become a true business. 

We will continue to research which countries require further licenses to operate as a Natural Dread Loctician, so please feel free to share any valid links you've found & keep checking here. 

Happy locking!