Sonto Pooe started doing hair as a means to earn extra money for a pair of sneakers as a teenager; years later she’s the owner of successful natural hair care brand Native Child.
“I’ve always been passionate about hair, I was one of those obsessive people... if something doesn’t look right I will fix it for you. I’ve always loved my hair, even as a child my great-grandmother used to allow me only, out of all her grandchildren, to touch her hair; I feel like that is something that I was born with."
KwaZulu-Natal-born Pooe said she recalls being one of the only kids in high school who left their hair in its natural state as relaxers were very popular then. Surprisingly, even with her love of hair, she didn’t study anything related to it. She worked in the engineering sector.
“I was fine, even being groomed to management, but I felt like this wasn’t my life’s work and I decided to just drop everything... when I got married I decided to drop everything, take a deep breath, study and start all over again with something I’m really passionate about and that is how Native Child was born.”
The business was started late in 2015. Pooe said seeing women struggle with hairline issues "bugged" her as she recalls looking at her mom’ s pictures and not seeing any of the women struggling with hairline issues.
“They all had good hairlines and I was thinking, when did this happen? [I] later realised after doing my own research that it came with the rise [in popularity] of relaxers…secondly, braiding was not so common back then. I realised that the combination of relaxers and braiding was what is causing the current crises for women.”
Pooe said she set out to develop products that will not impact a women’s body negatively from the chemicals used and will not contribute to hairline issues. She said when she started people were not really keen on keeping their natural hair.
“No-one was interested, they would say, 'your hair is nice but I don’t think I can do it…' my mission was then to convince people that you can enjoy your hair without using relaxer… a large portion of our job in the beginning was educating and unlearning.”
Her first product was a hair growth castor oil that tackles problematic hairlines and is today still her bestselling product. “If it’s on shelf in store, people will buy more than one.”
Native Child products can be found in most major retailers. Pooe has had huge success with her brand and opened a salon and beauty bar at Cresta Mall last week. A bold move, considering the current economic climate, but Pooe said she has a solid customer base that has been asking for a salon for years.
“I just felt this year that it is time… most people are like, 'are you sure about this, because most salons are closing'. But I feel we have a massive, loyal customer base. I feel like this is a way of paying back… also, I am an entrepreneur, I don’t fear challenges.”
Pooe said there are many hair salons out there that largely cater for women with relaxed hair, but hers stands out because of her knowledge of taking care of natural hair. “We offer everything natural hair-related, heatless hairstyles, crochet braids. We use certain techniques and, of course, if somebody has relaxed hair we treat them but we don’t relax hair.”
Pooe said she created a one-stop shop hoping that women will appreciate having all of their beauty services in one place.
When asked if she had any hair care tips for the warm weather, she said: “Hydrate your hair as well as your body. It needs hydration to thrive, we have a mist for that, that makes it easier. Don’t keep your braids in for more than four weeks and remember to wash your hair frequently.”
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