“I had been playing with the idea in my mind for a while. I wanted to provide a product that I personally couldn't find and felt that every natural hair girl needed. Even my customers with relaxed hair used it because salons were closed during lockdown and everyone had to make do with what they had,” she said.
Her locally produced caps are named to honour indigenous African names which relate to the concept of beauty or beautiful objects. Some of the names include Zuri meaning “beautiful” in Swahili, Ndaloentle meaning “beautiful creation”, Buhle meaning “beauty” and Mbalenhle meaning “beautiful flower”.
Monqo, who is a YouTube influencer, said one of her main challenges was sourcing the right fabric for the heat cap.
“That required a lot of research and trial and error.
“I found an amazing seamstress, Vuyiseka Mbuwana, who lives in Mdantsane NU6. She has been the backbone of the business, and I think she really does the most important part of the job. We produced samples, which were tried by a few people. When we realised the caps actually worked, we were ready to launch.”
As is the case with most businesses, Monqo experienced “ups and downs”.
“There will definitely always be dry seasons which I never anticipated or prepared for, but I’ve been fortunate that those dry seasons did not last for long.
“I think the main challenge is the inconsistency when it comes to work. You'll have good months in terms of work and then extremely dry months, but it's part of the job. As I mentioned, it comes with the job and any other business I think. I enjoy my work so even in the dry months I still focus on producing content.”
Mdantsane’s Khanyisa Monqo develops unique way to improve hair treatment
Image: FILE
Mdantsane-born Khanyisa Monqo has long been an advocate for the natural hair movement through online master classes. Earlier this year she turned that passion into a business.
In June, the 23-year-old BCom law graduate started Afroamare. It produces heat caps, which trap heat allowing deep conditioning for treatments to penetrate the hair, providing better results.
Monqo said she was passionate about fighting societal norms that natural hair was “different”. She also wanted to create a product that she could use on her own hair and be proud of.
“I had been playing with the idea in my mind for a while. I wanted to provide a product that I personally couldn't find and felt that every natural hair girl needed. Even my customers with relaxed hair used it because salons were closed during lockdown and everyone had to make do with what they had,” she said.
Her locally produced caps are named to honour indigenous African names which relate to the concept of beauty or beautiful objects. Some of the names include Zuri meaning “beautiful” in Swahili, Ndaloentle meaning “beautiful creation”, Buhle meaning “beauty” and Mbalenhle meaning “beautiful flower”.
Monqo, who is a YouTube influencer, said one of her main challenges was sourcing the right fabric for the heat cap.
“That required a lot of research and trial and error.
“I found an amazing seamstress, Vuyiseka Mbuwana, who lives in Mdantsane NU6. She has been the backbone of the business, and I think she really does the most important part of the job. We produced samples, which were tried by a few people. When we realised the caps actually worked, we were ready to launch.”
As is the case with most businesses, Monqo experienced “ups and downs”.
“There will definitely always be dry seasons which I never anticipated or prepared for, but I’ve been fortunate that those dry seasons did not last for long.
“I think the main challenge is the inconsistency when it comes to work. You'll have good months in terms of work and then extremely dry months, but it's part of the job. As I mentioned, it comes with the job and any other business I think. I enjoy my work so even in the dry months I still focus on producing content.”
Image: SUPPLIED
Monqo said being a social media influencer was not something she had thought of, but by simply sharing her natural hair journey on social media platform, she realised people were interested and she could monetise the concept and venture into business.
“I knew that natural hair would be my brand identity and I thrived on that. I produced content that I like; I never get tired of reading up on and researching natural hair. I enjoy seeing people transform their hair and making an effort to look after their hair because the information is out there. Being an influencer allows me to change lives and self-esteem; it's a job that I enjoy.”
Her future aspiration is to stock as many hair accessories as she can to produce her own hair products.
“I want Afroamare to become a household name.”
“My advice to anyone wanting to start a business is 'just start'. Forget the fear that it might not work out and just start. Be patient with yourself and know that there will be ups and downs in the business, but they do not last forever.”
Visit Afroamare's website at www.afroamare.com to check out the heat caps.
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