[bctt tweet=”I have great aspirations for my brand & I hope to see it throughout Africa” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
There is nothing as gorgeous as having glowing melanin with the kink and curls that come with it. Yes, I’m talking about the beauty of African hair. Most of us however, feel compelled to straighten our hair so that we fit in easily. While doing up our hair and getting extensions is not a bad thing, all I’m saying is that it’s still important to maintain that natural and just be naturally unbothered!
Melford Vincent a 21-year-old Sierra Leonean lady who is pursuing a degree in Law struggled with badly damaged hair for a long time. She had a hard time with it but through extensive research, she finally found the most effective herbal remedy for African hair. Melford formulated this herbal hair remedy into the I-GRO hair recipe that works wonders for African hair. It helps with hair moisture and the acceleration of hair growth.
I-GRO ingredients are all acquired locally from the markets of Sierra Leone and currently it’s one of the main brands leading in the hair community of her country. This is evident in the young women, children and young men that are getting hair breakthroughs through its use. Unbelievably this young #Motherland Mogul started her business with less than $10, making just a few for friends and using the little profits to produce more. To date Melford has made over a thousand products, developed her brand through her smartphone and notepad and now she is looking into hiring staff.
I had the opportunity to talk to this goal getter and this is what she had to say.
Why do you think the natural hair community is small in Sierra Leone?
The natural hair community in Sierra Leone is a small one but it keeps growing from time to time. Most Sierra Leonean Women don’t practice safe hair practices they prefer throwing on a wig or other hair extensions, so they see little or no need to care for their natural hair underneath.
Most of us have been conditioned to believe that natural hair is bad and need to be tamed with relaxers.
How long do you think it will take to convince the African woman to embrace the texture of their natural hair?
I think with the growing trend of the natural hair movement, most African women are coming to terms with it and embracing their natural hair, although some may need extensive schooling and persuasion so as to even give going natural a thought.
There are quite a number of hair products for African hair and most women have been disappointed by most of the results. How do you assure someone who has never used l-GRO that it’s different?
Through experience, most of the products allegedly made to cater for African hair needs don’t necessarily work for African hair effectively. Reason being that in most cases the African climate was not in mind when these products were formulated. The African climate is a harsh one, with excessive heat, humidity and dry winds in the harmattan, I-GRO bridges that gap.
It was formulated, to perform perfectly in an African climate, balancing the hair moisture and not leaving a greasy feeling. The product likewise works for other climates and colder weathers because of its potency.
There are over a hundred people talking about your product on Facebook. What are your strategies to multiply this number?
I-GRO is fast becoming the most sought after hair solution in Sierra Leone and it has also been spreading to neighboring countries like Liberia , Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria etc. I am working daily to develop my social media following, which is growing substantially daily.
How do you manage your time since you are a student and at the same time you run your business?
I am still trying to find a balance, as it is actually not easy. For now I make sure I manage my time well. I don’t procrastinate. And I make sure to produce a lot of products at a time so I don’t have to be doing it every now and then.
I am thinking of hiring as the business is fast becoming too big for me to handle alone.
[bctt tweet=”Melford Vincent says, There’s nothing wrong in starting small.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
What advice would you give a young you?
I would tell them, to kick the notion that two things don’t go together. They sure do, and you can start building your dream, no matter how old you are. There’s nothing wrong in starting small, you don’t need to break the bank to start a business. I started mine with less than $10.
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