18 Jul 2018

Many youthful hair dressers have found a niche in wig making, which appears to be a booming business at Railpark Mall in Gaborone.

Many women have since turned the art into a solid source of income to fight unemployment.

Molepolole born, 23-year-old Kefilwe Seotshogeng is one such young women, who wake up every morning to ‘hustle’ at the mall, having started her wig making business last year.

Speaking in an interview with BOPA, Seotshogeng said her passion for hair dressing started way back when she was 13 years old, and with thorough practice and determination, she has turned it into a booming business.

As a hair dresser, she does not only make wigs, but also plaits different hair styles such as condrows, carrot and braids.

She said the clientele for her human hair wigs, ranges from tertiary school students, adults and people who normally keep short hair.

She revealed that human hair wigs require more time and work for maintenance and thus, they last longer and offer the natural look.

The talented hair stylist said wigs can be cared for in the same manner as natural hair, they can be styled with flat and curling irons or coloured, adding that wearing a wig can be considered a way of protecting one’s natural.

She said wearing a human hair wig is not only a new trend, but it is also a way to not distress one’s hair, if one prefers to keep original straight hair style.

“Women regularly change their hair styles; therefore wearing wigs help them change and style them the way they want. For example, if you have short or medium length hair style and you prefer long hair style, then you don’t need to wait for your own hair to grow, you can just buy a long hair wig and restyle it by yourself. This will also save you time and the worry of changing your own hair,” she said.

She cautioned however, that even though women prefer wearing wigs than planting their own natural hair, frequent wear may lead to the natural hair being suffocated or damaged, which can be a breakage or thinning caused by tight braiding or leaving hair under the wig for long periods of time.

The artistic hair stylist said she chose to do her business at Railpark mall because it is a multicultural environment, which attracts many people from different lifestyles, social backgrounds and different financial status.

Seotshogeng said the environment is good for business since a lot of people pass by the mall thus making her to smile at the end of the day.

“During winter I make more profit because a lot of women do not plaint their hair often, but rather prefer to wear wigs to avoid getting cold and hair breakage. Therefore it’s usually the right time for me to learn new styles and use my expertise well,” she said.

The young hair stylist said she uses social media platforms to advertise her products, and it is working for her as she was able to acquire a lot of clients through Facebook.

Therefore, with the positive feedback she got from her clientele, she has been motivated to always satisfy them.

Seotshogeng said with the profits she has made so far, she was able to open a savings account to save some of her profits for future use in the business or  rather use it for personal benefit during hard times.

She now plans to do hair dressing courses to maximise her creativity as the fashion industry keeps on changing.

She said even though there are challenges such as clients wanting to buy her products at a lower price, which she said is a threat to her business. Ends