Is R3000 cheap for a wig? A deep dive into the business of Black hair

News24

2 days ago

Wearing bad hair is just not an option,' says Lulama Ngxoli*, a personal assistant from Mthatha. The trend-conscious young lady frequently travels to see her boyfriend in Johannesburg and always leaves with a head of 100 percent Indian Remy human hair. Remy is considered the best quality, as all the strands lie the same direction.
'The last one I bought cost me R6 000,' she giggles. 'My boyfriend almost died, but he knows it's worth it and that it will last. He also doesn't want me walking around with a matted mess on my head!'
Women like Lulama are in abundance these days: willing to skimp on treats because doing their hair is considered to be as necessary as paying the bills. A while back, even the most style-conscious girl was happy to buy synthetic hair from friends or from a 'suitcase supplier' who brought back a few packets from their travels to the East.
According to a report by Investment Networks, South Africa's ethnic hair industry is worth an estimated R9.7 million a year and it's growing at an astronomical rate.
It is also showing resilience against the economic downturn that has affected many global markets. So it's no surprise that global beauty houses have turned their attention to Africa in the hope of tapping into the wealth of a growing middle class with money to spend.
Beauty giant L'Oréal reported a sales growth of just 5.2 percent in the U.S. and only 1.7 percent in Western Europe for the second quarter of the financial year, while new markets such as Latin America, the Middle East and Africa posted a 10.3 percent rise in like-for-like sales.
Impressive extension - Yaki to Remy
One of the fastest areas of growth has been seen in the hair extensions business. Thanks to celebrities such as Beyoncé, Bonang Matheba and the ladies of TV, weaves and wigs have become a hair staple for many Black SA women.
From Yaki to Remy, sew-ins to micro bonding and even lace-front wigs, extensions are clearly here to stay and continue to contribute big profits to the economy. Once again, not surprisingly, it's the premium end of the market that seems to be drawing the most interest and investment.
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A post shared by Bonang Matheba (@bonang_m)
Clearly, many Black women, regardless of their financial standing, are willing to pay R3 000 or more for quality hair, and suppliers are tapping into this. Bucking the trend Hair-care company Mizani's story is a particularly interesting one.
Traditional wisdom tells us that consumers with less money spend more on cheaper products; hence, many brands focus on the lower end of the market. However, as a premium product sitting in the L'Oréal professional product division, Mizani has become a key brand for the stable, despite its reliance on the hair salon industry as its primary distribution chain.
The brand now has about 300 Mizani-affiliated salons across South Africa and is seeing continued sales growth in this market.
'Although we tend to focus on quality rather than trying to get into just any salon, I can say that the growth has been excellent – beyond expectation, in the double figures year on year,' says an elated Lindelwa Nkambule, a product manager at Mizani.
With over 40 000 salons in the country, the significance of having a growing network of premium A-list salons is a definite indication of maturity for the industry. And, for any Black woman who's endured choosing her relaxer from buckets of mismatched product or washed her head hanging over a basin, just having the choice of better customer service is a big deal.
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Mostly driven by the desperate need to increase professionalism in the black salon environment, most brands wanting to crack it in this growing market have had to invest in some way or another in development and training – something that has been a big win for stylists and clients alike.
'Historically, stylists have not been trained. You became a hairdresser as an escape route. But [these days] you're seeing more and more stylists who are hungry for development and education,' says Lindelwa. The result has been cleaner salons, better service to clients and a greater diversity of products as well as price points.
Back to my roots
On the flipside of the weave and wigs trend, there has been a movement towards wearing natural hair. From TV personalities Pearl Thusi and her giant 'fro to Claire Mawisa's locs, South African women are falling back in love with their own locks.
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A post shared by Pearl Thusi (@pearlthusi)
Women also have far more products to choose from these days. Mizani's Nkambule says: 'The brand recently launched a non-chemical straightening product, Mizani ThermaSmooth. The four-step hair relaxation system makes untreated hair easier to manage.'
Unlike sodium hydroxide, which is found in Lye relaxers, the product doesn't have a permanent effect. Though hair won't be straight as an arrow, it does offer an option for those wanting a short-term straight look, as hair reverts to its natural style after a wash.
Off the back of a growing African-American natural hair movement, and with access to global trends via YouTube tutorials, Pinterest boards and Instagram's robust hair community, more and more South African women are plugged into the latest global trends. They are even using social media to connect with their favourite brands.
'The consumers are on social media, are travelling and Googling. By the time a product is launched, they can't wait to try it,' says Lindelwa.
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With Black women being better informed, many are demanding not just better salon services and retail experiences but are also wanting more control, choices and information about what stylists are putting on their scalp.
'The industry is largely unregulated and, while laws exist, they are not enforced. How often have you had a relaxer burn and done nothing about it?' asks publicist Farah Fortune.
The show is one of a handful of local expos that cater to ethnic beauty and trends. It also hopes to encourage both legally and morally sound practices in the ethnic hair industry. That a woman's hair is her crowning glory cannot be emphasised enough.
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A post shared by Claire B. Mawisa (@clairemawisa)
Hair for the Black woman, in times when we had little opportunity to showcase our creativity, was an outlet; our way of making a statement. Even today Black women, as consumers, essentially hold the cards. It's time that our hair, and the industry that caters for it, made a new statement – that professional practices and healthy hair come first.
*Names have been changed