Hair comes in different forms but the unrivalled uniqueness of African hair is found in its thickness, length texture and the compactness of its composition.
It is common place now to find women with dreadlocks or kinky hair bared out in the open with no weave or extensions to hide it all away.
The sight was even more beautiful and fulfilling on June 14 and June 15 in Abuja when women, from all over Africa gathered to discuss the economic value of their hair.
This time, it was not a discussion on subsidising the wigs or weaves imported from Asian countries or the chemical products that have long dominated the hair care industry.
These women and men, having realised the full health benefits of using natural products for their hair, gathered to discuss the expansion of the natural hair care business.
Adanna Enwezor, convener of the African Hair Summit notes that it is ironic that Nigeria is placed second largest consumers of hair care products in Africa in spite an abundance of natural resources for the manufacturing of healthier options.
Market research firm, Euromonitor Internationa,l estimated that 1.1 billion dollar worth of shampoos, relaxers and hair lotions are sold in South Africa, Nigeria and Cameroon alone in one year.
The dry hair industry which includes weaves, extensions and wigs is also estimated at six billion dollars a year.
According to Dr Kemi Osunderu, a medical expert in the cosmetic field, a bulk of these hair products has high chemical contents that are harmful to the health of users.
“Using products such as relaxers on our hair expose us to health risks including infertility; some of these products are oestrogen or endocrine-disrupting products and can also lead to cancer.
“African women are three times more likely to have fibroids and this can be aggravated with the continuous use of these chemical products,” she warns.
Also, studies that support Osunderu’s viewpoint have been published over the last few years with more shocking revelation recently.
This prompted a reawakening among African and Nigerian women about the importance of grooming their natural hair and protecting it from chemical-infused products.
The revolution is swift, detailed and operates a gospel-like structure as it is not uncommon to hear women ask each other: “Are you on natural, you should be for your health.”
Also, on Instagram media alone, the hashtag ‘natural hair’ has been used more than 21.9 million times.
To sustain the growing demand, natural hair salons are popping up across the country; the best being the sudden influx of natural haircare producers into the market who are mostly small and medium entrepreneurs.
They are online on the streets or trade fairs pushing forward with little or no regulation.
According to official figures, the cosmetic industry brought 62.46 billion dollars between 2002 and 2016 and haircare products contribute 24 per cent of the revenue.
Globally, the haircare industry is worth more than 90 billion dollars while Nigeria is the second largest consumer in the world.
In the wake of the natural hair movement, entrepreneurs therefore, note that Nigeria stands a chance to control the market as one of the largest producers of Shea Butter (the essential ingredient in the manufacturing of non-chemical hair care products).
Similarly, a recent international study reveals that Nigeria has the highest number of Shea trees in the world and the country can make more than two billion dollars annually from the export of the raw product.
This value will be multiplied when the raw material is used to manufacture haircare products for exports.
Apart from Shea butter, Nigeria produces the other essential haircare products such as coconut, hibiscus and aloe vera in large, industrial quantities.
In spite of the abundance of resources and an ever-growing market however, the haircare producers have not been able to break the market for two reasons –quality and government regulation.
Some producers observe that the process of getting relevant government bodies to approve products and companies was too tedious and discouraging.
Others say a lot of financial investment is needed to increase the quality of production right from the farming of the raw materials.
Visualisation on the natural hair industry
In an apparent response to this, the Federal Ministry of Health reiterates its plans to wipe out harmful chemical hair products from the Nigerian markets and pledged support to the emerging Nigerian haircare products market.
Mr Abdullahi Mashi, the permanent secretary in the ministry, calls on stakeholders to share ideas for future collaborations to chart a way forward in the replacing of harmful hair products with natural products, particularly those made by Nigerians.
For the quality of the haircare products, stakeholders note that they are aware of the importance of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency of Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
But Mr Amana Joel of the ‘One Stop Shop’ at the Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) explains that solving the bureaucracy problem is key in that regard.
He says the hair and beauty industry stands to benefit more from ‘One Stop Shop’ as it is currently the most thriving both at home and abroad.
“But the AEA’s ‘One stop shop’ only exist in Abuja which defeats the purpose of accessibility according to some producers.
“It is important to spread this access across the nook and crannies of the country; the hair industry is the new oil.
“Veteran Actress Dakore Egbuson-Akande once said, ‘if Nigerians don’t act fast, we might lose the hair industry to other countries’.
“They will come in, develop the industry and monopolise it because everyone can see the potential of the natural hair care industry.
“We must not let that happen, we have to be strategic in the development of this industry and become global players as fast as we can,’’ he observes.
Stakeholders, therefore, express optimism that Nigeria can lead the natural haircare industry and harness its potential but it must recognise the industry and place all hands on deck for its development.
NAN