Pricing Dreadlock Services: A Comprehensive Guide

Learn how to price dreadlock services as a complete beginner, or gain deeper pricing insight as an established pro.

Are you just starting out and you're trying to figure out how to price your work?

As experienced professionals who have served clients in a variety of locations, ranging from small, affordable towns to expensive big cities like New York, Washington D.C., and Atlanta, we have the expertise to help you properly price your services as an Instant Locs Crochet Method Specialist. Our team members have all worked their way up from the ground up, so we understand the importance of pricing services correctly. This guide is designed to be a comprehensive resource for those seeking to understand how to price their services in this field. Think of it as a “starter pack” that will give you a crash course on the topic.

The Super Simple Way to Price Dreadlock Services as a Newbie

1. Find competitors in your locale, or use our pricing as a baseline

Find your local competition and take an average of their prices
Or you can use our pricing which you can toggle at the bottom of this section of the guide
If you’re aggregating prices beyond your region, you must factor in the size and affordability/affluence of your region

2. Discount that price by 20-40% if you’re new and just starting out

Once you find a competitors price point, simply discount that price to suit your beginner level of pricing
A 20-40% discount is reasonable, I wouldn’t go lower than that
It really can be that simple. Don’t overthink it, just start serving clients and adjust your pricing as you go!

Use our pricing listed below as a starting point.
Recommended to discount 20-40%
Info up to date as of 1/1/2023
All prices listed are in USD.
Click title to toggle options.

New York City (expensive, major city)

General Dreadlock Maintenance:

Undercuts – $170-200
Full Head – $200-250
Very thick hair – $250-350

Dreadlock Repair:

Major root repair – $300-400
Combining Roots – $250-350
Blunting Tips – $170-300
Fixing Loops – $200-350
Fixing Weak Dreadlocks – $200-500
“HELP! FIX EVERYTHING!” – $500-1,500

Instant Locs, Installations & Dreadlock Extensions:

*Add $100-200 for closed tips or extension attachments

Undercuts – 4-8 hours – $450-800
Short Hair – 1 day – $550-800
Medium Hair – 2 days – $900-1,400
Long / Extra Thick – 2-3 days – $1,400-2,000

Atlanta, GA (affordable, medium to large city)

Services & Pricing

*These prices are specific for Atlanta, GA – if I serve you in a different city the pricing may differ from what is listed here
*Pricing includes the travel fee to come to your location
*Each situation is unique and you will be given a custom quote

Dreadlock Extension Information (for any hair texture):

Pricing is solely for the installation appointment, and not the product
If you would like us to create extensions for you, include that in your quote request
Extensions Appointments are priced the same as Instant Locs and Installations which are listed below:

Instant Locs with or without extensions for Afro Hair:

Short hair and undercuts – $350-500
Medium length & medium thickness – $400-700
Longer afro or very thick hair – $600-800

Crochet Method Installation for straight or curly hair:

Partial in the back – $200-300
Undercuts & mohawks – $340-450
Medium length & medium thickness – $500-600
Long hair or very thick hair – $650-750+

Dreadlock Maintenance (for consistent clients):
*first maintenance is typically more involved with a slightly higher price

Up to 60 dreadlocks – $120
60-80 Dreadlocks – $120-150
80-100+ Dreadlocks – $150-200

Advanced Maintenance & Repair

Blunting Dreadlock Tips – $150-250+
Young Dreadlock Tightening – $300-450+
Fix Thinning Dreadlocks – varies dramatically, request a quote
Weak Dreadlock Repair – $120-350+
Partial Dreadlock Reattachment – Starting at $120
Full Head Dreadlock Reattachment – refer to extension pricing
Dreadlock Loops Repair – $120-300
Splitting Dreadlocks – $120-300
Combining Dreadlocks – Please read this page!
JUST FIX EVERYTHING – $350-600+

Small City (economical or rural areas)

General Dreadlock Maintenance:

Undercuts – $70-90
Full Head – $90-110
Very thick hair – $120-170

Dreadlock Repair:

Instant Locs, Installations & Dreadlock Extensions:

*Add $100 for closed tips or extension attachments

Undercuts – 4-8 hours – $200-400
Short Hair – 1 day – $300-400
Medium Hair – 2 days – $400-600
Extra Long / Extra Thick – 2-3 days – $600-1,000

Flat Rate vs. Hourly Rate - Pricing Dreadlock Services

Flat Rate Pricing

Benefits:

A flat rate is great for starting out since you’ll have a very hard time properly estimating how long each appointment will take. This way the client gets the value of what they want without the worry of overpaying.
This typically favors the client over yourself, which is usually the best way to build a great reputation from day one.
A client won’t care much about how much your hourly rate is, but will be far more concerned with the total price they pay. A flat rate can instill more confidence and trust.

Drawbacks:

You’re likely to have some appointments that take twice as long as you thought. So you’ll make far less per hour with those situations. However, this is part of the learning process as you establish your business.

Hourly Rate Pricing

Benefits:

It ensures you’re getting paid enough for the time you put in.
It can help you estimate and quote jobs once you have enough experience to see someones hair and understand how much time will be required to complete the job.

Drawbacks:

It typically benefits you over the client, which is not a favorable approach in my personal opinion.
In a situation where you quote a client and end up going over the time you quoted them for, it can leave them feeling like you stretched out the appointment to extract more money from them. This should be avoided if possible.
If you post this type of pricing structure online, the client is left confused because many people will have no idea how long their appointment will take.

A Fusion of Flat vs. Hourly Pricing

I typically quote clients based on a fusion of these two pricing models.
I usually quote a client within a price range and give a disclaimer that it’s difficult to estimate time and price of certain appointments, therefore the price may change.
In many cases, I quote each client for a flat rate range (eg. $250-320) and I strive to end up close to my hourly rate (which I don’t discuss with the client)
This really comes in handy when you have a client with SUPER thick hair. Most clients with extremely thick hair textures are accustomed to spending more time and money for their hair appointments and are usually understanding when you charge more.

Adjusting price during the appointment

As soon as you realize you’re going to need a significant amount of additional time to complete the appointment you should stop and have a serious discussion with the client about time and price. Do this immediately, do not wait until the end.
Alternatively, if the appointment is shorter, wait until the end if you decide to lower the price. Sometimes you’ll think it’s going to be shorter, then you realize you were wrong. Therefore, it’s always best to wait until the end in this situation. If you reduce the price at the end, the client always appreciates it, they trust you more because they don’t feel like you see them as a paycheck, and sometimes they’ll still give you the full amount or tip you very well.

Fine Tuning How Much to Charge For Dreadlock Services

Geographic & Metropolitan Area

Consider the difference in pricing between an expensive city like New York City (pop. 8.5 million) vs. a more affordable medium or small city such as Harrisburg, PA (pop. 50,000)
If you charge $100 for a service in Harrisburg, you could easily charge $200-300 for that same service in NYC as long as your marketing and branding is solid.
My point is to understand your geographical market. Understand the frugality vs. affluence of your service area.

Overhead Expenses & Accounting

What are your expenses?
What are your profit margins?
Is this a full time income, or a side gig for fun?
How much will you have to pay into taxes?
Has inflation created a higher cost of doing business?
These are questions that you’ll want to consider more as you gain experience and turn this into a more viable business over time
Make sure you have a basic balance sheet to understand your financials and price your work accordingly so you’re making enough money to pay the bills.

Local Competition

If you have local competition that is listing the same services, it’s usually a good idea to slightly undercut what everyone else is charging. At least to start.
Taking a price point from several competitors and averaging them together and you will end up with an excellent starting point.
You might find this hard to do because most dreadlock salons focus on twisting and braiding.
Also consider that salons are starting to list “Instant Locs” as a service, but most of the time it’s not quite the same as what we offer. These salons often twist, interlock, then crochet – which is a fusion of several methods and not the same version of “Instant Locs” that we teach.

Experience & Speed

If you’re brand new, you’re going to be slow. There’s no way around that.
The more experienced you are the better you can manage problems that arise which in turn, give the client more confidence and trust in you. This can also contribute to being able to justify a higher price
Start out a bit cheaper than your competitors, then increase your pricing as you gain experience and speed.
Or simply charge a flat rate. Overtime you will earn more money per hour as your speed increases with practice and experience.

Brand Reputation, PR

The more established your brand, reputation, social media presence, and online reviews are, the easier it is to attract and retain paying customers and also to start charging a higher price.
If you can convey a very professional and high quality perception to the public, you can often charge a higher price.
This is where I see a lot of “hippie” and “hood” dreadlock shops fall short (at least from a price perspective) because the public is unwilling to pay higher prices for that type of environment because they’re perceived to be “cheap” and “unprofessional”.

Abundance of Clients

Ultimately, if you’re continually overbooked that usually means you’re not charging enough.
Slowly raise your prices overtime until your workload balances out and you start to see clients dropping off. That’s your upper limit.
From this perspective, it’s a balancing act, and the goal is to fine tune the sweet spot.
This approach will often take several years to fine tune and it will continually change as your skills and speed improves and the demand, and economy fluctuate.

It really comes down to the value you provide your clients. Focus on value first!

In my experience, the individuals who tend to be the most successful are those who possess a well-rounded combination of both technical skills and a personal touch. In this industry, it is important to be able to not only produce high quality work, but also to establish and maintain strong, trusting relationships with clients. In my opinion, this powerful combination is the key to building a successful and sustainable business, as it allows you to not only provide value to your clients, but also to generating a well-deserved income. It’s a win-win situation for both the you and your clients.

Examples of added value beyond the skill of fixing dreadlocks:

Restoring a clients self image and self confidence
Providing excellent customer service at every step of the way
Being friendly and personable, with good conversation, good vibes, and establishing a strong personal relationship with each client
Making the client feel appreciated and respected instead of feeling like they are your paycheck
Providing them with high quality before and after photos or doing a photoshoot if you have the photography skills – makes them feel like a model, this is especially powerful for certain clients that are heavily focused on their appearance if you can do it well.
Simply listening, understanding, and working with the client. Sometimes a client will just want you to “work your magic” other times the client wants to be reassured you’re going to work WITH them instead of just doing what you want like some salons do. Feel the client out and ask clarifying questions.
The environment and vibe can make all the difference in the world. If you can, provide the client with a great vibe and a unique experience, that can make a very big difference.
Always being positive – sounds simple, but it’s effective.
Be prompt, courteous, and respectful while also maintaining boundaries such as not accepting a client being late, no-shows, or clients trying to lowball you on price, etc.. Be kind, but don’t let them walk all over you. You will earn more respect this way which can lead to justifying higher prices or receiving larger tips.
Offering a mobile in-home experience where you travel to the client. This is how we’ve operated since the beginning. In the early days of Dreadlock Central I used to think this was a negative aspect of the business model, but some clients consider it a “premium bonus” since they can have a professional serve them in the comfort of their own home.
Ultimately, you just have to be kind, professional, and respectful and that’s half the battle.

Advanced Pricing Psychology

Educating yourself about the psychology of pricing is highly important for any business owner. How a price is presented can impact a customer’s perception of value. Understanding consumer psychology can also help business owners make informed decisions about pricing strategies, such as whether to offer discounts or bundle packages, and how to effectively communicate the value of their services to potential customers.

Three Tiered Pricing

More customized to the client’s unique situation
The basic idea is that the client may compare your different packages instead of comparing you to another competitor
This approach doesn’t fit perfectly into our pricing, but understanding the psychology behind it is valuable for how we offer our pricing
There’s A LOT of psychology behind this. I highly recommend learning more about this topic here.

Pricing Too Low

Clients will see you as low value
Some people will avoid working with you because they think “if that’s all they’re charging, they must not know what they’re doing…”
You’ll get lower quality clients and lower income clients – who may also haggle on price more because you’ll likely attract price sensitive individuals
Some clients may “walk all over you”
You won’t make enough profit to facilitate a sustainable business

Pricing Too High

If you’re new, this can dilute your reputation if clients feel like they are paying for more than they’re receiving
You’ll probably lose clients, or have people haggle for price
“More money, more problems” – Clients may expect more from you, sometimes it’s founded, sometimes it’s not
More likely to be a “flash in the pan” and reduce the longevity of your business

Down Payments

This is very important, especially with the chaos of the 2020’s so far.
Charging a down payment will hold people accountable and they will take you more seriously.
You will be perceived as a professional, because this is what professionals do.
The downside is this may turn some people away, especially if you don’t have a well established physical location or online presence.

Receiving Financial Tips

I have a hard rule to ALWAYS genuinely thank the client when they tip me. Whether it’s $1 or $300 (yes, that happens sometimes) I make it a point to show them that I am grateful for the tip.
I have another hard rule to NEVER expect or anticipate a tip or hold it against a client if they do not tip. As long as they pay me the full price we agreed upon, that’s all that’s required.
Tips are a bonus and not a requirement. Being expectant of a tip can dilute your reputation if it rubs the client the wrong way.