Natures Gentle Touch recently awarded winners of the Natures Gentle Touch ‘Love Your Natural Hair’ competition in Lagos, which ran in February.
From February 14, ladies posted a picture of their natural hair on Natures Gentle Touch social media and this lasted for 14 days. According to Amechi Koldsweat, Marketing Manager, Natures Gentle Touch, the promo recorded tens of thousands of entrants and supporters, after which 14 winners emerged across the country.
Speaking at the presentation to nine of the Lagos based winners; Koldsweat stated that the company embarked on the promo to encourage more women to wear their natural hair. He noted that the brand believes that wearing natural hair empowers women to reveal their inner beauty and emphasise their personal and cultural style. This is enhanced when quality products are used to overcome the traditional challenges faced by Nigerian women through diet, climate and hair texture he said.
Natures Gentle Touch initiated the trend of women wearing their own natural hair – both virgin and relaxed when the brand started out 23 years ago in 1997.
An elated Ebele Ighoroje, one of the winners, stated that she took part in the competition because it presented an opportunity to showcase the versatility of her own hair.
Another winner, Ebele Okafor, said that being one of the winners in the competition does not only make her happy but also gives her more confidence.
Rahma Ibrahim, who revealed that it was the first time she has won anything online, expressed her excitement being one of the winners: “I’m really excited and I feel beautiful,” she said. She added that when she first started keeping her virgin hair, many people saw her as weird. However, this has all changed as more and more people are embracing the growing trend. To her, black women’s hair can be styled into so many different creations, such as Afro, ponytail, twists and more.
The awards were held at the Natures Gentle Touch Hair Institute, one of its kinds in Nigeria and West Africa. The Institute, where women can have their scalp and hair analysed by professional trichologists, offers treatments and solutions.
The Natures Gentle Touch Hair Institute, in addition, trains professional hairstylists from all over Nigeria, who attend advanced styling courses to increase their skills, as well as young ladies who are looking to make a career in the industry.
“Scholarships are also awarded to selected young ladies who are unemployed, with the objective of up-skilling them out of poverty. This is a cause close to our hearts” said Chijioke Anele, General Manager of Recare, the brands’ owners.
Natures Gentle Touch brand range has over 40 products – all of which are developed using natural ingredients and specifically formulated to treat challenges such as dandruff, dry hair, hair breakage, heat damage, maintenance, and virgin hair challenges.