FOR most women, their hair will always be their crowning glory.
But being able to keep it in check is a constant process of trial and error, especially for those with black hair.
Now, however, with a whole range of products to choose from, it's even harder to pick which products work well for your texture.
“It never made sense to me that there weren't enough local products that cater for South African hair. I wasn't always natural and discovered products overseas, but found that there was nothing on the shelves here,” said Catherine Williams, My Natural Hair's brand manager, at the launch of the firm's hair products yesterday.
Last year, there was a massive black hair product launch which saw a number of international brands become available locally.
“Not everyone can afford to buy those products (some of which cost R350 each) and the exchange rate fluctuates, so when we manufacture products locally we can somewhat control the pricing to an extent and in turn create jobs,” she said.
Williams said the idea behind My Natural products was that they were South African products and all the research on them was done with focus groups and surveys using local women.
“A lot of companies come here because they see the opportunity for a new market; not only natural hair, but also ethnic hair products. However, their perspective is more international.”
Williams said because hair texture differed across continents and countries, it was important to focus on the different South African textures.
“International brands cater for a general curl pattern and don't specify for a 'type 4', for instance. This first range caters to that, and at a later stage we will have products for other hair types,” she said.
The launch was held at Hyde Park’s Southern Sun Hotel and attended by bloggers and media personalities.
Social media influencer and freelancer Fezokuhle Zulu has been documenting her hair journey since doing the big chop in February last year.
“I didn't really plan it out. I wanted to try short hair to see how I would look. I said to myself I was going to try everything that I am scared of doing,” she said.
Zulu expected her hair to stay short for at least a year but was surprised at how fast it grew without her having to do anything special.
“It's also just genetics. Even when I had relaxed hair it was quite a lot, but it was breaking and I didn't know how to take care of it well.”
She stopped using relaxers in August 2015 and advises people to be well prepared if they want to go all-natural.
“Do your research, don't focus on brands. People often want to know what products I'm using, but what works on my hair may not work on someone else's. You have to find what works on you so it's all about research and trying every single brand out there,” she said.
Zulu added that it was important to know your hair.
“It’s not easy at all. But enjoy the journey and fall in love with your hair. And, most importantly, be patient.”
@mane_mpi