My Roots

Thanks for visiting. Whether you’re here to get more info, book an appointment, or just see what this is all about, I’m glad you’re here and I hope to help you. If you can’t find your answer anywhere on my website, text me and ask!
My number is 918-948-0070.

So that being said…If you’re here for my story, read on!

I’m Rachel O., & I started Southern Dreadology in 2009 after moving to Tulsa, Ok from Austin, Tx. After 6 years as a Psyop Specialist in the Army & 10+ years in corporate retail, customer service, & call centers, I was struggling to find my identity and my place in the world. Nothing seemed to fit and ultimately, the dream was to have my own little entrepreneurial niche. At my final corporate job, managing two call centers for an American retail giant, I made the decision to get dreadlocks. I have always believed in, & advocated for, people in the corporate world having an “alternative” appearance. Let’s be honest, if you have good job skills and good hygiene, how much does having purple hair or stretched ears really matter? Besides, dreads are clean & dreads are normal.

Southern Dreadology was built out of my need to create and educate people about dreadlocks and hair. My dreads make me feel gorgeous, balanced, & powerful. I realized that I wanted to share that with everyone. I started small, working part-time out of my home. as my passion grew, I took the next step and got licensed. I had no plans of working in a salon, I just wanted to keep doing what I was doing, but with a framed license on the the wall. That lasted approximately five minutes. I quickly found out that I loved all things hair.

Fast forward to mid-summer 2019, I decided to expand Southern Dreadology into it’s own space. I never EVER thought I would go through all the pure insanity of opening my own salon. Finding a good location, finding a legit contractor (that never happened), the demo & construction, plumbing (absolute nightmare), electrical, chairs, shampoo bowls, EVERYTHING…trying to create a space that embodies what I have worked so hard to build. I was excited to throw open the doors in January of 2020…

I would love to say that it’s been absolutely worth it, & while this journey has been exciting, it’s also been insanely bizarre at times, surreal, and pretty fucking stressful. We will see how the next few years go!

EDITED 1/1/2024: It’s now 2024 and SD Tulsa is still going strong. It’s a space for creative stylists that want to get away from the corporate hair grind and give their clients a great experience. I've expanded into North Texas as Roam Feral Hair Co still with a focus on dreads but with an emphasis on helping women live their best happy, healthy hair lives. You can find me at Escape Salon, on the square in historic downtown Sherman, Texas.