#ClicksCurls: A celebration of natural haircare
20 Sep 2017
There's a natural hair movement afoot that sees women - especially those of colour - choosing to ditch chemical straighteners and damaging styling tools in favour of embracing the wavy, kinky and coily tresses they were born with.
©Anastasia Kazakova via 123RF
This beauty revolution – and I don't use that term loosely – has brought about an unprecedented demand for quality haircare products catering to naturally curly hair. These modern 'naturalistas', as they're called, are conscious and educated consumers who pore over product labels in search of botanically-derived nourishing ingredients, in avoidance of the harsh, cheap chemicals found in many commercial brands.
In retailer terms, Clicks has emerged as somewhat of a champion for the natural hair movement, adding not only big international names like Cantu, Shea Moisture and Aunt Jackie's to its shelves but a host of small local manufacturers like Afro Botanics and My Natural Hair.
Clicks category manager for ethnic hair, Ester Appels, explained the strategy behind this product focus: "There is a huge demand for natural hair products in SA and, until recently, not enough products were manufactured locally. We recognised the gap and have over the past few years made huge efforts to source the best of local and international natural hair brands for our customers.
"Internationally, we looked at top-performing brands in terms of sales and quality of product and then secured exclusive rights. Locally, we are working with some of SA’s leading minds in developing products specifically for our consumers."
Commenting on the evolution of Clicks customers' haircare needs, Appels noted, "There has been a definite trend towards embracing natural hair in all its forms. Ethnic hair is definitely a focus area for Clicks and we will be extending this category."
Cape Town curl conversations
Taking this investment a step further, the retailer launched #ClicksCurls, an expo that celebrates the natural hair movement and showcases some of the relevant brands in stock. The first event took place in Johannesburg in March this year, and it was Cape Town's turn this past weekend.
Spier Wine estate welcomed over 600 Clicks Curls Cape Town attendees. MCed by actress Amanda Du Pont and comedian Siv Ngesi, the event played out as a supportive platform for curl conversations led by local and international industry experts.
Among them were Diane Bailey, brand ambassador and celebrity stylist, Shea Moisture; Mimmi Biggar, head of education - Dark and Lovely, L'Oréal SA; Crystal Styles, assistant director of marketing, Aunt Jackie's Curls and Coils; Alicia Bailey, global educational corporate trainer, McBride Research Labs and founder of Flawless Salons, Atlanta, Georgia; and Ntombenhle Khathwane, founder, Afro Botanics.
On the expo floor, more than 20 natural haircare brands marketed their wares, carried out hair demos and offered product advice to consumers. Each event attendee walked off with a free goodie bag of products valued at over R1,000!
Appels says the response to the event was unprecedented. "We sold out within 4 days and have had thousands of disappointed customers contact us via our social media channels. We are hoping to have more of these events in future across SA – watch this space!"
Scroll through some of the #ClicksCurls Instagram highlights below.
