CELEBRATING NATURAL HAIR with Charlotte Mensah
WHAT DO SINGERS JANELLE MONÁE AND ERYKAH BADU AND WRITERS CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE AND ZADIE SMITH HAVE IN COMMON? A HAIRDRESSER. HER NAME IS CHARLOTTE MENSAH AND OUR BEAUTY DIRECTOR, MATHAHLE STOFILE, MET HER AS SHE INTRODUCED HER BRAND TO SOUTH AFRICA AND DROPPED SOME GEMS ON HOW TO BETTER CARE FOR OUR NATURAL HAIR.
words: Mathahle Stofile
photos: Nicola Lotter
One look at Charlotte Mensah’s products and one may be forgiven for mistaking them for a skincare range, rather than haircare. The branding is a far cry from the ubiquitous pink and purple packaging usually reserved for Black haircare brands.
“I’ve been in hairdressing for so long and I felt like there was never any brand that really had that premium, high-end, luxury look for Black hair. You had the usual brands, and all the branding was very corporate looking. I wanted something that spoke to who we are as Africans, and at the same time I wanted it very chic, very aesthetically pleasing,” says Charlotte.
The sixth of eight children, Charlotte was born in London to Ghanaian immigrants. From the age of three months to 11 years old, she lived in Ghana with her grandmother and cousins before returning to London where she is currently based.