Rawene-based Haley Gielen runs a business that creates, maintains, and styles dreadlocks from the comfort of her own home.
Video / NZ Herald
Canadian Kael Tennant started ‘Dreadfully Divine’, creating and maintaining dreadlocks in 2020 after getting stuck in New Zealand because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, Tennant has more than 250 clients across the North Island, with some travelling from the South Island and Australia.
Sessions can take up to 12 hours, with Tennant emphasising a relaxed, personalised experience for each client.
Some don’t like dreadlocks, others love the ropey head locks dangling down their back.
But one Canadian traveller, who got stuck in New Zealand as part of the 2020 lockdown, has taken her special talent for creating and caring for dreadlocks on the road with her travelling dreadlock studio.
Kael Tennant travelled around the world for years, picking up whatever jobs she could as she went.
“As a traveller, you just have to get what you can,” she said.
“When I lived in Vietnam I was teaching English, I’ve done bartending, I’ve done dishwashing, I’ve done Uber driving, all kinds of stuff.
“But this is the first job I’ve done that I really am passionate about.”
Kael Tennant standing in front of her 'Dreadfully Devine' bus. Photo / Jack Riddell
Despite never working in hairdressing, Tennant has been creating and caring for dreadlocks for nine years after learning the trade in Canada and Vietnam.
Tennant came to New Zealand to compete in the Iron Man in Taupō in March 2020, right before the Covid-19 lockdown.
When she realised she wouldn’t be leaving New Zealand any time soon, Tennant started her company Dreadfully Divine.
The business started with Tennant going from home to home around Hawke’s Bay, creating and caring for her clients’ dreads.
During this time her clients became like family to her, and she was invited to 90th birthday parties, met newborn babies, and even took clients to the chiropractor.
Now, Tennant has more than 250 clients around the North Island she drives to see in her branded bus. She even has a few who travel from the South Island and Australia to see her especially.
“I feel so connected with all of my clients and I hope they know how grateful I am to have them in my life,” she said.
Kael Tennant inside her travelling dreadlock studio bus. Photo / Jack Riddell
Tennant says that not all dreadlocks are the same, and each region has its own take on what looks best.
“In the Waikato you get a lot of mullets, I like to call them ‘drullets’, and top knots, but here in Hawke’s Bay it’s a lot of the full heads of long, cylindrical, beautiful, gorgeous, long dreads,” she said.
“Partial [dreadlocks] are becoming more and more popular but the funny thing I find with them is that a lot of people will start out with a couple [of] rows and then slowly they’ll keep adding and adding until finally they have a full head of dreads.
“It’s like they can’t resist that urge to just go all the way with them.”
A typical session with Tennant can take up to 12 hours to start a full head of dreads, but typical dread maintenance can take anywhere from one to three hours.
“Nobody ever comes in feeling like they’re in the salon and they’ve got to sit there and stare at themselves in the mirror,“ she said.
“People can come in and watch a movie if they want, they can put their feet up, some people fall asleep even.”
However, the process can be excruciating for others.
“I find that people who have lighter coloured hair and skin find it more painful than darker haired and darker skinned people, and redheads get it the worst,” she said.
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region.
