Hidden in one of Nigeria’s local suburbs is a hair wafting studio, one of the very few the country can boast of.
Nigerian entrepreneurs engage in Human hair business
Inspired by the love for hair and passion for beautifying women, Bessie Odu, started her hair studio, Flair Hair Academy where she also gets to educate people about Human hair.
Human hair is one of the biggest business in Nigeria but knowing good hair and where to get it, is a challenge for most Nigeria hair vendors.
36 yrs Old Bessie Odu, said she invested about 40,000 dollars to learn about human hair in Korea and about 150,000 dollars on equipment.
“Well now because of the academy and for instructional purposes we get hair from Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines and we also get hair from South America. That comes in the customs charges us about five percent because the raw material and we carry our student through all of that,” she said.
According to Odu, in terms of starting a Nigerian hair line, “i dont know how that will go but its something that I intend to look into actually but remember like I said earlier our hair doesn’t grow as much in terms of lengthwise lets see as it goes especially for the movie industry I know it will sell for them”
Omayemi Oyawe, a graduate of international relations, said learning the skill of hair wafting, wig making and human hair maintenance as a student, she paid about 600 dollars.
The 28-years old said due to lack of Jobs she decided to go for beauty business which she loved.
“I have always been of the notion that whatever it is you want to do you should be knowledgeable about it, you should know your field very well and I am a lover of beauty, anything that has to do with beauty from make up to hair. Hair been one of them, not just hair, good hair,“Oyawe added.
She said this was one of the reasons she decided she was going into a market or branch into this particular business.
The price of hair varies with different hair vendors but quality human hair ranges from about 600 dollars to about 2000 dollars and is sold to the high-end client. These hairs are said to last for over 5 years.
Human hair is usually cultivated from the poor in some villages who are willing to sell their hair for money.