Our Story...

Decorative black curly line on a white background 

Krista Pettipas, founder of Dread Love and known as The Dread Wizard, standing in her Toronto, Ontario studio surrounded by her Sea Spray. A proud Canadian loctician with over 20 years of experience.

How It All Started

I didn’t set out to build a product line.
I was just trying to feel like myself again.

For me, that feeling has always been tied to the ocean.

Every time I was near the water, my hair knew exactly what to do.
When I wore curls, they formed soft, defined ringlets.
When I had dreadlocks, they tightened naturally — without force or fuss.

It felt like something was finally working with me.

So I started bottling that feeling. Literally.

Why the Ocean Matters

I’m originally from the East Coast of Canada, and every time I go back, the ocean resets me.

I started bringing real Atlantic ocean water back with me to Toronto. Not to sell — just because I liked what it did to my hair.

That water defined my curls.
Tightened my locs. (the times that I've had them)
Made my hair feel cleaner and softer — like it had been somewhere real.

It made me feel like me again.

When Clients Started Noticing

There was no plan. It was just part of how I lived and worked.

But clients started noticing.

When I used the spray on their hair, something shifted. They could feel it.

Some had grown up near the ocean. Others had never seen it.
But they recognized that ease — that salt-kissed softness you can’t fake.

That’s when I realized I wasn’t just helping my own hair.

I was helping other people reconnect with theirs.

The Professional Side

I’m a licensed hairstylist and barber with over 20 years of hands-on experience, most of it focused on dreadlocks.

I’ve tried just about everything — and I’ve seen what doesn’t work.

Products that claim to be “natural” but are packed with petroleum, heavy fragrance, residue, or mystery ingredients.
Products made far away, with no understanding of real loc care.

So I started asking better questions. I listened to my clients. And I got to work.

Jars of fresh dread wax on a wooden table with a plant and shelves in the background.

Small-Batch, Real-Life Creation

On my days off, I was in my kitchen — music on, pets underfoot — blending and adjusting formulas to solve real problems:

  • Itchy scalps
  • Fuzzy or loose and messy roots
  • Locs that wouldn’t stay tight or felt heavy

Every product answered a specific need.

My clients were my testers. Their feedback shaped every formula.

Eventually, they started asking:

“Can I buy this?”

Right after appointments, they wanted to take it home.

Something simple.
Something that worked.
Something made by someone who actually understands dreadlocks.

What Dread Love Stands For

Dread Love is about respect.

I work with people from a lot of different backgrounds. Some are drawn to Rasta values, some aren’t — and that’s completely okay.

What matters to me isn’t where someone comes from or how they label themselves. It’s how they want to care for their hair, and how they want to be treated while they’re here.

Locs take time. They don’t like being rushed or forced. They respond best to patience, consistency, and hands that know what they’re doing. That approach shapes how I work with hair, how I make products, and how I show up for the people who trust me with their locs.

It's like growing a garden... it takes time, and it's a journey, but well worth it.

Everyone is welcome here — whether you’re deeply connected to the culture, loosely inspired by it, or simply looking for honest, well-made loc care that works.

Julie from Dread Love with her dreadlocks floating

There’s Something in the Water

There’s something about ocean water that people respond to — no matter where they’re from.

Salt, movement, sun, minerals — across the world, people have used the ocean to wash, reset, and start fresh. I grew up connected to the Atlantic, and many of my clients feel a connection to other oceans too.

I don’t try to define what that means for anyone else.
I just know what it does for hair.

It tightens locs naturally.

Its adds positive energy and takes bad energy away.
It leaves hair feeling lighter and cleaner.
It makes things feel simpler.

I’m just sharing a way to bring a bit of that into everyday hair care.

Krista at Dread Love taking a mirror selfie wearing a dark coat in a room with blue walls and wooden floors.

Built in Canada, With Love

Everything at Dread Love is handmade in Canada by a working loctician with over 20 years of experience.

From the ingredients I choose to the glass jars and labels printed here in Canada, everything reflects what I care about:

Clarity. Simplicity. Doing things properly.

I don’t push products. I guide people.

If you read the reviews, you’ll hear from the people who helped shape this line from the beginning.

Nobody else in Canada is doing what I do quite like this.
And I stand behind every jar, bar, and spray — because I know exactly why I made it, and who it’s for.

Where to Start

At Dread Love, my motto has always been:

“I help you look on the outside the way you feel on the inside.”

With Dread Love products, I want your hair to feel the way you want to look:
Natural. Comfortable. Completely you.

Thanks for being here.
If something in this story resonates with you, start with the Sea Spray.

It’s where all of this began.

Proudly Canadian.