Thato Bosealetse is using her natural haircare brand, WM&R Naturals, to give women their crowning glory in more ways than one. Harnessing the power of local botanical ingredients and natural oils, she’s giving nearly 60% of South African women with naturally coily or kinky hair products suited to their textures without all the nasty synthetic chemical processing, while simultaneously building a business to empower other women.
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As she says, “Our hair is not something we should have to hide, apologise for, or change to be considered beautiful or professional.”
“African women should be able to walk into any room wearing their natural hair with confidence.
“We do not need to convince women that they are beautiful; we need to remind them that they already are,” she continues.
Now, she’s getting ready to take her brand to hair-raising levels!
She’s got major plans for her company, including expanding its product range, entering commercial retail and salon markets, establishing a professional manufacturing facility, and ultimately developing a natural hair salon and premium wellness spa.
As it moves from a home-based business to a scalable manufacturer and supplier, the local brand can empower other local women, strengthen local supply chains, and stimulate much-needed job creation.
Bosealetse is living proof of the power of women-owned businesses to strengthen local supply chains, support community economic development, and drive growth.
She spoke to Bizcommunity about being a woman entrepreneur, the importance of local expertise in the local beauty market, and building economic resilience.
What inspired the creation of WM&R Naturals?
WM&R Naturals was born from a desire to address a very personal and very real gap in the natural haircare market.
I wanted to create products that genuinely understand and celebrate African hair textures, particularly coily and kinky hair, while harnessing the benefits of natural botanical ingredients.
I have always been drawn to nature and to the traditional knowledge surrounding herbs, oils and plant-based remedies.
I wanted to bring that knowledge into a modern, professional haircare brand, one that combines nature, quality and innovation.
WM&R Naturals is therefore more than just a haircare business to me.
It represents confidence, self-expression, and the belief that African women should not have to compromise their identity or their hair health to feel beautiful.
My vision is to build a proudly South African brand that can eventually reach markets beyond our borders while creating opportunities for other people along the way.
What does being a woman entrepreneur mean to you?
Being a woman entrepreneur means having the power and courage to turn an idea into something tangible, even when the circumstances are not perfect.
It means being willing to take risks, learn continuously and remain resilient when things do not go according to plan.
For me, entrepreneurship is also about creating a legacy.
I want to build something bigger than myself, something that can create employment, empower other women and demonstrate that women can build sustainable businesses in industries where they may not traditionally have been represented.
Being a woman entrepreneur means understanding that I don’t have to wait for someone to give me an opportunity.
I can create opportunities for myself and, ultimately, for others.
How important is local expertise in developing natural haircare products for South Africans?
Local expertise is extremely important because our hair, climate, lifestyles and consumer needs are unique.
South Africa has an incredibly diverse population, and our approach to beauty and haircare needs to reflect that diversity.
Our communities also hold tremendous knowledge of African botanicals, herbs, and traditional approaches to hair and scalp care.
The opportunity lies in taking that knowledge and combining it with responsible formulation, quality standards, research and modern manufacturing practices.
At WM&R Naturals, I believe we should not simply be consumers of products developed elsewhere.
We have the knowledge, resources and creativity to develop world-class products here in South Africa, for our people and eventually for international consumers as well.
How have you overcome gender stereotypes to be taken seriously in your career?
I have learned that one of the most powerful ways to challenge stereotypes is through competence, consistency and results.
As a woman entrepreneur, there can be moments when you feel that you have to prove yourself more than once to demonstrate that you are not simply passionate about your business, but that you understand your industry and can build something sustainable.
I have chosen not to allow those perceptions to define me.
Instead, I focus on learning, improving my knowledge, conducting myself professionally, and letting the quality of my work speak for itself.
What does women’s empowerment look like, and how do you empower women in your industry?
To me, women’s empowerment means moving beyond simply telling women that they are capable.
It means creating real access to opportunities, skills, income, and ownership.
As WM&R Naturals grows, I want the business to create meaningful opportunities for women across different parts of the value chain, from manufacturing and packaging to marketing, distribution and entrepreneurship.
I also believe empowerment happens when women share knowledge rather than seeing one another only as competitors.
When we teach, collaborate, mentor and open doors for one another, we strengthen the entire ecosystem.
My long-term vision is for WM&R Naturals to become not only a successful beauty brand, but also a platform through which women can participate in the beauty and wellness economy, develop skills and create sustainable livelihoods.
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What advice would you give women aspiring to start a haircare or beauty business?
Start with a genuine understanding of the problem you are trying to solve.
Don’t start a business simply because an industry looks profitable.
Ask yourself what gap exists, who you are serving and why your product or service should exist.
Secondly, start where you are.
You don’t need a massive factory, a huge following or millions of rands to begin building a credible brand.
Start small, learn from your customers, improve your product and reinvest into the business.
Most importantly, take the business side seriously.
Passion is important, but passion without financial discipline, proper planning, compliance, quality control and continuous learning can make it difficult to build something sustainable.
And don’t be afraid to start before you feel completely ready. You will learn many things as you progress in the business.
How can South Africa build resilient economies for all? We need to place greater emphasis on building and supporting businesses that are locally owned, locally produced and capable of creating sustainable employment.
Small and emerging businesses are incredibly important because they are often deeply connected to their communities.
However, entrepreneurs need more than encouragement.
They need access to finance, markets, mentorship, skills development, infrastructure and opportunities to participate meaningfully in supply chains.
We also need to encourage people to move beyond simply being consumers and create an environment where more South Africans can become producers, manufacturers and employers.
For me, economic resilience means creating an economy where opportunities are not concentrated in the hands of a few, but where women, young people, township entrepreneurs, rural businesses and small manufacturers can participate and grow.
When we build strong local businesses, we strengthen families, communities and the broader economy.
If you could meet your younger self, what would you tell her?
This question makes me emotional because my younger self had such big dreams that she never saw anything stopping her from becoming who she hoped to be.
I will tell her, though, that the world will bring challenges from all angles: growth, depression, disappointments, self-doubt due to the noise of people with no ambition or drive to be big; they will see you as crazy for wanting to be “that girl”.
But keep pushing, stay consistent, and stay resilient.
You will prevail in anything you put your mind to.
I would also tell her not to compare her journey to anyone else, because sometimes the things that set us back are only setting us up for greater things that are about to happen in our lives.
Most importantly, I will thank her for the foundational impact that started this journey; she believed in the woman I am becoming.
