Afrorose ORGANIC HAIR CARE

Handmade from Shea butter, cold-pressed plant oils and cacau butter, Pearl Msweli's organic hair care range contains no alcohol, SLS, parabens or artificial colourants. She shares insights into her journey with us.

- JESÉ LILLIENFELDT-HARTMAN

GLAMOUR: What inspired your business idea and how did you start out?

Pearl Msweli: It all started with my son having allergies and eczema; reacting to any other lotions that were not prescribed by doctors. My skin's outer layer was thinning from the prescribed creams, and that's when I took an interest and researched plant-based products. Our part of the Earth (from North to Southern Africa) - offers inordinate amounts of great natural resources for our beautiful crowns. Afrorose takes pride in ethically sourcing and utilising these ingredients to figuratively cook up sustainable solutions to some of the classic, enduring hair problems such as hairline issues. The haircare business was born out of COVID; seeking a purpose and utilising the wealth of knowledge I'd find to make something commercial out of it.

G: What were the challenges you experienced on the way?

PM: Access to mainstream markets and barriers to entering the mass retail shelves still prove to be the challenge. All too often, it still ends with non-responses to e-mails.

G: What is the most rewarding part aspect of your business?

PM: Contributing and being part of solving hair issues and challenges for ethnic hair. We care about offering great products that we, too, love to use to make personal hair journeys easier, however, they may look. Ours is to celebrate and enable choice in a practical way with our best range of products.