Conversations with Cierre Lanae

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cierre Lanae.

Hi Cierre, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I always dreamt of being a hairstylist. I started my journey with hair braiding at the age of nine. I would always play with my barbies and pretend that I was the owner of the salon. I would always call the salon “Ci Palace” lol. All of the barbies were fly after leaving my salon (A couple of colored rubber bands with about 2-3 braided ponytails. They were a hot topic lol). When I turned ten, I actually had my first paying customer, my cousin. My uncle would pay me every two weeks to braid my cousin’s hair. He would pay me $20. That was the best $20 of my life! It was just the fact that I actually performed a full service and was paid for it that’s what mattered the most to me. At that point in my mind, I had my own business. Once his next appointment came around, I would have tons of snacks ready for him to make him sit still since it took me about 5 hours to do 2 layer braids with his natural hair lol. He had some small braids, and quite a few big braids at the top, but I didn’t know what I was actually molding myself to become. Fast forward as I got older, my skills were sharpened so much. I would always watch Youtube videos to keep up with the trends. I would do my friend’s hair throughout high school. I then was introduced to locs. I remember when my mom started my cousin locs and when he would come for a retwist she would teach me how to do it. I loved it! Of course, my cousin was a little hesitant with letting me do his retwist and style (I completely understand it now) because I was so young, but he still believed in me and allowed me to do it. He would get so many compliments when we went to family functions. That made me feel so good inside.

I opened my first salon in Baltimore in the midst of the pandemic. It was a HUGE success! I offered braiding services and loc services. Sadly, the area where my salon was located started to be unsafe. For the safety of myself and my clients, I had to make a sacrifice and close down the salon. At first, I was so discouraged because I had to go back to square one and service my clients out of my home. I thought I was failing all over again. I completely lost all hope & faith! I had to change my mindset and the second I did that my life started to completely change! God is so good! I made a complete transition from braiding and now offer only loc services. Locs are very special to me. Locs represent the connection to the Lion of Judah which also represents the power and strength of a person. Samson’s strength was compromised when his lock were cut off, signifying that his hair held great power. Once I re-branded my business into Lanae Locs so many doors immediately started to open up for me. I already have my products Lanae Locs Edge Control and Hydrating loc mist on the market, but once I launched Lanae Loc Gel, everything took off full speed. I don’t just do locs for because of the “trend” I actually take my time and put so much positive intentions into my craft. I’m sure that every client that has been serviced by me can testify to that.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely haven’t been a smooth road. When you are walking in your purpose and on the correct path there will be many trials thrown at you to unbalance you and knock you off track. At the time when I had to make the decision to close down my salon, I felt like I set myself back so much! In the midst of everything happening with my salon, life was knocking me out the way Tank did Rolly. Looking back at it all now I realized that it was in fact a setback, but it was a setback for my biggest comeback and I am so grateful to be walking in my purpose today with pride!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
While I am a loctician, I consider myself more as a creative. I love when my clients let me style their locs in different ways. Locs are very versatile. You can style locs into braids, twists, cornrows, curls, and you can even add extensions to locs to make them longer. I would say that I am most known for “the parts” lol.

Let me explain: While doing a loc retwist, my clients already know that the foundation will be neat. They mostly get excited about how crisp their parts are at the end of the service lol.

I am most proud of how far I have pushed my brand. I have been featured in magazines, billboards, my hair care product has been in hair stores. I never thought that I would have so many supporters behind the way I do now. It feels amazing for my hard work to actually be recognized and seen.

The main thing that sets me apart from others is my mindset. To be a leader that people want to follow, you must be comfortable letting go of your ego. You must be willing to learn and adopt a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset.

What matters most to you? Why?
My son. Without him, I wouldn’t be as strong-willed as I am today.

My faith. Without faith as a foundation, nothing is possible.

Pricing:

• Lanae Loc Gel- $15.55
• Lanae Edge Control- $20.00
• Diamond LaRose Hydrating Mist-$15.55

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lanaelocs.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cierrelanae