Ellie had always dreamed of having dreadlocks… but for years, it felt impossible.

Her hair was thin, damaged, constantly breaking — and no matter what she tried, it never grew past her shoulders. After so many setbacks, her confidence took hit after hit until she started believing the lie that beautiful hair just wasn’t meant for her.

But Ellie wasn’t the type to quit.

Instead of giving up, she got creative.

At just 17 years old, Ellie decided it was time. She literally said, “Screw it — I’m getting dreadlocks.” The problem was… she didn’t want to destroy her already fragile hair.

So she started experimenting.

After weeks of trial, error, and stubborn determination, Ellie created her very first set of dreadlock extensions — designed to be braided in, easy to install, lightweight, comfortable, and most importantly… non-damaging.

And the moment she put them in, something shifted.

It wasn’t just the hair.
It was how she felt.

She stood taller. Her energy changed. She felt powerful — like she was finally seeing herself in the mirror again.

And everyone noticed.

At first it was friends asking, “Can you make me a set?”
Then friends of friends.
Then complete strangers.

What started as Ellie’s personal breakthrough quickly turned into a movement — and Dreadfull Hippie was born, almost by accident, from a dream that had been planted years earlier.

Ellie’s love for unique hairstyles began when she was young, inspired by her two best friends who always wore beautiful protective styles like box braids and cornrows. She wanted that same magic — that same confidence — but in a way that worked for her hair. And once she discovered she could create synthetic dreadlocks that looked real and felt amazing, the demand exploded.

That same bold spirit also shaped her love story.

Dallas McGee entered Ellie’s life in the most Ellie way possible.

He took her roommate on a blind date, and when her roommate came home complaining about being picked up in a topless Jeep, getting muddy, and getting rained on… Ellie was secretly swooning over the mysterious guy she hadn’t even met.

So naturally… she slid into his DMs and wrote:

“Super jelly (roommate) got to go on a date with you.”

The rest was history.

Ellie says she knew she was going to marry him the day they met — and she was right. They got married in February of 2019, and yes… Ellie walked down the aisle in her dreadlocks. (Because that’s who she is.)

Together, Ellie and Dallas built a life that’s equal parts wild, creative, and beautifully weird — lovers of everything creepy and unusual, obsessed with Halloween, mountain adventures, jeeping, motorcycles, snowboarding, camping, skateboarding, and silversmithing. Their dream is to one day move into a warehouse and turn it into a New York loft-style space with room for their team… and a half pipe.

But at the center of everything, the mission never changed:

confidence. transformation. empowerment.

Today, Dreadfull Hippie has helped over 20,000 women feel more radiant, more powerful, and more like themselves — through dreadlock extensions that aren’t just a hairstyle…

…they’re a transformation.

Each set is still handmade to order in Utah, USA, crafted with intention, love, and the belief that every person deserves to feel bold, beautiful, and unstoppable.

And the best part?

Ellie’s own hair — once damaged and stuck at shoulder-length — is now long, healthy, and thriving, thanks to wearing dreadlocks as a protective style. She still wears her original set regularly as a reminder of where it all began.

And in 2024, Ellie and Dallas stepped into their most meaningful chapter yet — welcoming their first child. Life took on a whole new meaning, and the brand became even deeper: not just about how you look…

…but about who you become — and what you pass on.

Because Dreadfull Hippie isn’t built on trends.

It’s built on confidence.
It’s built on empowerment.
It’s built on women becoming who they were always meant to be.