Liquid Gold

Negin Mirsalehi shares the real story behind Gisou, a brand born out of a passion for honey bees and haircare

- OLIVIA MORRIS

Can you talk us through your career?

My career really started while I was still completing my studies in marketing. During this time, I thought it would be a fun outlet to maintain a blog about my biggest passions: beauty and fashion. I was one of the first bloggers on Instagram, and I guess my content resonated because I quickly became one of the fastest-growing beauty and fashion influencers globally. My channels didn’t take off by themselves – I definitely had to work at it and post on a consistent basis.

I received the most positive comments and questions about my hair. So, I was inspired to share my beauty secrets through a beauty line. In 2015, Maurits and I launched Gisou, a line of bee-based haircare products. Since then, I maintain a career as an influencer, but also as an entrepreneur.

What inspired you to start your own brand?

When I first started blogging, my content was centred around pictures of my outfits and beauty tips. At a certain point, I shared more of my personal life, including my family’s bee garden. I was surprised by how interested my followers were about my family heritage and the bees.

My father is a beekeeper and my mother is a hairdresser. We grew up using honey from our bee garden for a wide variety of purposes, and my mum used it in her homemade hair products, which she also used on me. I was inspired to share my homemade haircare secret using honey from our bee garden. We launched Gisou with the Honey Infused Hair Oil, which is based on a homemade family recipe formulated by my mum. Gisou is the project I am most proud of – it’s inspired by my family and heritage and combines all of my passions for bees, nature, family and beauty into one brand.

What was the process of starting your own brand like?