Island Soul City Dreams

Beautiful Dreadlocks Styles

Updated Oct. 27. 2016

In one of my first blog posts Stop Asking Me Foolish Ish Bout My Dreadlocks, I wrote about some of the annoying questions people often ask me about my hair. On the flip side, almost as frequently as I get these questions, I’m also complimented on my lovely crown. I give much credit to my stylist Joyce for helping me nurture my long, beautiful tresses over the past decade. As far as I’m concerned, Joyce is the best dreadlocks stylist a.k.a. loctician in Brooklyn and perhaps even New York City. I’m particularly biased as she hails from my homeland Barbados, although she has made NYC her home for more than 20 years now.

I was introduced to Joyce by my friend Billy in late 2002 while I was on an extended visit to NYC. I had recently cut all my relaxed hair off and was proudly and happily sporting my own natural curls. The ultimate goal was to start dreadlocks, a dream I’d had for many years. Billy had dreads and his stylist was Joyce. He recommended her as the one to get me started. From day one, I was pleased with Joyce’s work. Her inimitable talent, combined with her professionalism, integrity, candor, and overall amiable nature, ensured that in me, she’d have a lifelong client.

Today, I pay homage to the genius of my stylist Joyce by featuring a gallery of her artistry with my hair over the past eight years or so. Disclaimer: Most of the photos were taken with a camera phone and not originally intended for publishing. There are a few photos where I did my hair myself, but I still give credit to Joyce because I learned my techniques from her, and obviously for helping me to  have a healthy head of hair with which to get creative.

I love my beautiful dreadlocks and I thank Joyce for all the love she pours into them.

Leave your questions (but not foolish ones lol) and comments below.

~ I Keep it Irie ~

September 2008: For my sis Rosie’s wedding in Barbados. My stylist Joyce put my hair in this up do and coiled the ends so when I open it up for the wedding, it’d be “spiraled”.

Wedding Day: Ready to give that Maid of Honor speech! This is after I took the coils out.

December 2008: A winning hairstyle for a presentation I did for CCNY on a financial literacy pitch to Capital One Bank. My team won.

Fall 2009: My hairdo for the Congressional Black Caucus Convention in Washington, D.C.

Labor Day 2010: This do was a couple week by then.

Sometime 2010: A spiral do from uncoiling my hair.

2010: A Mohawk with the ends coiled.

A few different views of my Mohawk.

2011: Another Mohawk.

2011: On the train sporting my Mohawk.

I went back to my stylist with the Mohawk and she changed up the front of my hair.

Winter 2011: An upsweep.

May 2012: A cool coiled do for the African Heritage Bazaar in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

A view from the back of the cool coiled do.

Spring 2013: My stylist used pipe cleaners to create a tighter curl.

Another view of the style with the pipe cleaners.

A view of the back of the pipe cleaners’ technique.

A view from the front with the pipe cleaners taken out.

A profile view of my dreadlocks after I took the pipe cleaners out.

A view from the back with the pipe cleaners taken out.

At the African Heritage Bazaar 2013: Posing off with my curly dreadlocks after I took the pipe cleaners out.

Summer 2013 – various views of a lovely do.

Labor Day Weekend 2013: Letting my dreadlocks flow to the right.

October 2013, Barbados: I put my hair up in a “ponytail” to try to save some of it from getting soaked in the sea.

October 2013: Soaking up the beach life and letting my dreadlocks drench in the seawater in beautiful Barbados.

November 2013: Letting my dreadlocks flow down my back in gorgeous St. Vincent and the Grenadine. Here looking down at Rabacca Dry River in Georgetown.

December 2013: In the absence of my stylist over the Christmas holidays, I washed, twisted and styled my hair myself – a rare event.:-)

April 2014: My stylist hooked me up with this gorgeous do for the office.

May 2014: I took the coils out from the previous hairdo and the guys at my local bodega loved it and snapped this photo as I was leaving the store.

Dec. 2015: My Christmas do as I head home to beautiful Barbados for the holidays.

Aug. 2016: An upsweep for one of my bestfriend’s wedding.

Aug. 2016: An upsweep for one of my bestfriend’s wedding. View from the back.

Aug. 2016: An upsweep for one of my bestfriend’s wedding. Side profile view.

Labor Day 2016: My wicked do for the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, NYC.