By Lanji Ouko
Over the past few years, women have transitioned from relaxed hair to what is popularly known as “going natural”, which loosely means putting an end to the use of heat straightners, relaxers and chemicals. You too may have spotted the recent craze on the streets of Nairobi – dreadlocks, twists, short Afros and close crops.
The natural movement’s aim is to encourage African women to embrace their natural hair. It is a statement of self-love. The trend has led to speculation that there would be a decline in the hair industry, yet the opposite is, however, is what is gaining pace. The hair industry has never looked this promising.
A report by American market research firm, Mintel, estimated the world size of the 2012 hair industry market at $684 million, with a projection of $761 million by 2017. The report also said that those figures did not include the market brands, weaves, extensions, wigs, independent beauty supply stores, distributors, e-commerce, styling tools and appliances. If included, the $684 million could reach what they described as “a whooping half trillion dollars.”
A year later, The Kenya Women Money Habits Survey done in 2013, on women’s spending showed that women spend their money on grooming and beauty and Kenya’s hair industry is worth Sh20 billion, twice the amount of Sh10.3 billion which had then been set aside by government for free primary education.
The disciples of going natural, also known as Naturalistas, have a number of events around the city of Nairobi, convened to share ideas, styles, experiences, support and hair products.
One of the companies thriving on this trend is Ajani Handmade founded and owned by entrepreneur Sharon Njavika. It is a social enterprise aimed at catering for the demands of a growing natural and organic hair and skin care market for the self-aware and environmentally conscious.
“Vast amounts of information and knowledge that stemmed from my own and other people’s experiences, paired with a new holistic and health- consciousness attitude led to two years of mixing, melting and whipping natural concoctions until I settled on a natural hair and body butter recipe,” Sharon says.
After countless requests from her mother for a jar each time she whipped up a batch, Sharon decided to share her recipe as part of Kenyan based product line for individuals with similar needs. She was keen to use her skills and passions to navigate the world of social development, particularly pertaining to African women. Hair became her way of doing so.
Hair is an important aspect of Black female culture. Self-image affects how women interact in social and economic spaces and they therefore invest a lot of time and resources on it. Despite Kenyan women constantly being bashed by men for using extensions and artificial hair, the business continues to flourish.
Despite naturalistas being against the use of heat and chemicals on hair, surprisingly, a number of them are not against weaves. At the beginning of the natural journey, a naturalista explains, once a woman has cut off all her relaxed hair to start growing natural hair, one may feel uneasy walking around with a clean head. The solution, she says, is to opt to use wigs or weaves until the hair grows back. And so the weave industry remains critical even with a growing number of women opting for natural hair.
Nywele Creative is East Africa’s leading chain of luxury hair, owned by 25 year old Georgina Kirungo. Ms Kirungo is a BA degree holder in communications and media studies from the University of Brighton. She also holds an MA in development studies at the University of SOAS, London. The young lady never imagined she would be the owner of a chain of luxury hair boutiques. However, there was a genuine need in the market for high quality hair extensions that did not disappoint consumers and bridged the gap in affordability, choice and variety.
Miss Kirungo started her company with Sh7, 500 in 2011. Today she has three boutiques in Nairobi’s upmarket Krishna Center in Westlands, Green House Mall on Ngong Road and her new baby, at the Garden City mall on Thika Road. The beautiful Coastal glamour boutiques have a lash & brow parlour, which is a one-stop parlor that specializes in a number of services ranging from waxing and threading eyebrows, mini facials and installing of artificial eyelashes.
The idea dawned on Ms Kirungo while she was searching for the perfect outfit and shoes to wear with her graduation gown, which as you would imagine required the perfect hairstyle. The particular hair she wanted was too pricey, so she ended up buying inexpensive hair extension to add volume and bounce but in less than a week, she was forced to throw them away because of their poor quality.
The weave is not a new invention. It dates back to the ancient Egyptian history when both men and women used hair extensions in order to add volume & length to natural hair. It is the exact same reasons weaves are used today. In ancient Egypt, these hairstyles were used to show status in society and like the Himba from Namibia, it was part of their culture. Himba women wear many thick plaits with a headdress and rub thick red clay, the Otjize, into their hair to beautify themselves and it is also considered as a form of hair extensions.
Nywele stands for Hair in Swahili. Ms Kirungo used it to ensure the local authenticity of the brand is maintained and Creative to symbolize the never-ending techniques and styles one can use on the hair extensions. The products include a wide range of hair extensions, wigs and laces and hair products and tools.
Before starting her own business, she was an employee at Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), a general high-end clothing store, and champagne and cognac brand seller. By working for world leaders in high quality products and services, Miss Kirungo learnt the success of the brands rode on the prestigious and influential personalities associated with their products.
“I don’t market my brand, my clients do. Business is not about taking but about giving, in all sense of the word. It’s always about giving! Give your client the ultimate experience. Give the best service. Give the highest quality. Give the best value. Give them the best you can offer.”
Some of the challenges Nywele Creative faces and that cut across the industry in the Kenyan market include the counterfeit virgin hair distributed throughout the country, the culture of bargaining stemming from the belief that cheap is better. This, says Ms Kirungo, was a huge problem as it proved elusive to convince clients into the idea that genuine high quality hair extensions are like most other high priced investments
“I worry about providing high quality goods more than I worry about how I am going to price my goods or how far I have to travel to source them. In my industry, the best is the only way to win,” Ms Kirungo says.
