Well Disciplined, Trained + Certified

A student of McCoy Barber College in 1997, James Lawshea received formal barber training in 1998 and started barbering in 1999. Lawshea attended Dudley Beauty College in 2002 and graduated with a Cosmetology certificate in 2005. In 2016, Lawshea went back to McCoy Barber College to become an Instructor. Self-taught, he began professional loc maintenance in 2016 and mastered locs for clients for the past six years. He has been doing loc maintenance since 2006.

Distinctions + Awards 

In 1998, Lawshea received his first student competition award and participated and won countless hair tradeshows after that. In 2009, he began teaching competitions, and his students took 1st and 3rd place in the battle. Lawshea has participated and conducted rounds in the Proud Lady Competition from 1999 to 2002, Bronner Brothers International from 2004 to 2018, American Beauty from 2001 to 2010, Midwest Beauty Show from 2004 to 2011, Expo for Today’s Black Women in 2017. The same year, Lawshea was featured on the main stage. In 2016, he participated in the Manhattan International Beauty Show and the International Beauty Show in Los Angeles.

Throughout his tenure as an exhibitor at tradeshows, Lawshea has built brand awareness, gained target leads, closed deals, learned industry insight, and done an intense amount of networking during the past 24 years. His product line, Emaj Hair Care products, is sold in 19 states.

Lawshea’s barbershop on 79th street in Chicago’s Chatham community supports many men (and women) and has somehow held on to the old school formula many African American shops have lost. There, he provides employment opportunities for local barbers in the community and a convenient place where individuals can enhance their haircuts and hairstyles. A trusted confidant, Lawshea provides a safe, nonjudgmental space for his clients to express and address problems impacting their lives.