The research and development of Pro Cure began when Lottie was a young girl. In a small town in Western Pennsylvania she had her first lessons in the art of hair styling by helping out in her aunt’s basement beauty salon. While handing out magazines and pop she learned to give a shampoo and condition and later to do press and curls, curly perms and relaxer and color processes. Starting when she was thirteen she began braiding her friends’ and neighbors’ hair, spending afternoons on her front porch enhancing and developing the styles of the 1970’s and ‘80’s. Throughout her schooling as a young stylist, she began to understand the effects the processes had on the hair; the roots, the scalp and the locks themselves were often damaged from the chemicals that were necessary to produce the desired effects.
Later, after she had graduated from the Wilfred Academy and received her cosmetology license, Lottie opened a salon in her kitchen where she provided a much-needed service to a small black community in a small town in northern New Jersey. She had built a large and loyal client base when she joined forces with a local barbershop owner. It was from this savvy businessman that Lottie learned her first lessons on the importance of listening to her customers. She discovered that her job was not only to style her clients’ hair but also to listen to their stories, sorrows and joys, problems and successes. Through these discussions Lottie developed the art of listening while integrating their concerns regarding styling needs and the damage to their hair the processes produced. It was the 1980’s and styling hair was full of funky fashions such as Mohawks, hot top fades, Gumby cuts and a fun array of colors. In creating these fashionable styles, she took a careful survey of the harsh effects the multiple chemical processes had on her clients’ hair.
Through a national stylist association, Lottie began taking courses in both psychology and cosmetology She gained in depth knowledge of salon etiquette, human resources, and business development. She became highly skilled and knowledgeable of the traditional hair styling processes and by the time she had secured her degree, Lottie’s clientele and reputation had grown. But it wasn’t until an associate approached her with a new product that used an innovative hair straightening technique, that Lottie began to develop her own vision.
The product was different from any other being used at that time. It involved an alkaline mineral process to straighten and control hair without any chemical relaxers. Traditional relaxers use a form of hydroxide to change the composition of the hair. By restructuring the composition of the hair the relaxer created a straightened look. Alternatively, the natural salt minerals work by softening and hydrating the hair in order to create the same desired effect without damaging the hair. Lottie believed that the use of alkaline minerals was a revolutionary way to style hair without damaging it. In fact, she believed the alkaline or salt process was healthy for hair and could be used to improve the condition of it. She began taking courses on the process and became a skilled technician in the use of it. Eventually she refused to use any other product on her client’s hair and began selling and teaching the process full time.
It was at this point that Lottie began the final phase of her research and development of Pro Cure. She had discovered a process she believed was the next generation for hair styling. She had spent years listening and learning from her clients and now when using the process she asked for the feedback and input she had been trained to listen to. And by dedicating herself to teaching the technique to other professionals Lottie had the opportunity to learn from the inside what worked and what needed to be improved upon. Soon Lottie's ideas for creating her own line began to take root. By using her extensive library of lessons, skills and knowledge she had been building upon since she was a young girl, Lottie worked to create a product unlike any other on the market.
The result is Pro Cure. A healthy alternative for hairstyling, Pro Cure hair products use the Alkaline Mineral Process as well as the knowledge of all that Lottie has integrated during her life and career.