I am the founder and CEO of IntrinsiCurly Me, a proudly South African salon-professional haircare brand created specifically for wavy, curly and coily hair. I started it in 2017 and it now competes against multinationals and is expanding internationally.

My role has never fitted neatly into one box. I move between strategy, product development, marketing, sales, education, partnerships and international expansion. That suits me. I see connections quickly, I ask a lot of questions, and I work things out as I go.

We formulate locally and manufacture in South Africa, producing a range of high-performance products for people with wavy, curly and coily hair, sold directly through e-commerce and through a professional network of curl-conscious salons and stylists.

We also train stylists in curl-specific skills, and teach customers how their own hair actually works.

Further information, the full product range and customer reviews are available at www.intrinsicurlyme.co.za.

With no industry background, no formulating experience and about R3,000, I built a salon-professional curl-care brand from scratch into a trusted, growing business now expanding internationally.

My vision for IntrinsiCurly Me is to become the definitive curl-care brand — a complete, trusted resource where no customer ever needs to look elsewhere. That means a full product range that solves every concern in the wavy, curly and coily space, and an education offering that trains stylists at every stage — from students just entering the industry to experienced professionals who want to work confidently with natural hair.

Internationally, I want IntrinsiCurly Me to be the name people reach for — a proudly South African brand that puts this country on the map as the home of salon-professional curl expertise. The goal is for stylists from around the world to come here to learn, the same way they currently look to other countries for that standard of education. I want us to set that standard.

For South Africa, my vision goes beyond jobs. I want to build a company where people grow — professionally and personally — and where the work they do genuinely matters. I want us to prove that a locally made, locally led brand can compete with multinationals on quality and efficacy, and win.
But the change I care most about runs deeper than haircare. When mothers and grandmothers embrace their natural hair, that acceptance flows down to their children. When we teach children that they are enough exactly as they are, something fundamental shifts. That belief doesn’t stay in the mirror — it follows them into the classroom, the boardroom and every space where they need to show up fully.

My vision for South Africa is a nation that feels enough. Not just about hair — about everything. People who feel enough make different choices. They leave situations that diminish them. They pursue opportunities they would otherwise have talked themselves out of. They show up fully, and they bring others with them.

That is what I want IntrinsiCurly Me to contribute to — one customer, one stylist, one child at a time. If we can change how people see themselves, we change how they show up. And if enough South Africans show up fully, we change what becomes possible for this country.

Recreational activities

Reading, self-development, cooking, learning about AI, travelling, beach walks and gentle hiking.