skip to:
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: