The report also indicates that male professionals have become the most preferred among the women in the country/ Photo – KCB Tujiajiri
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – Kenyan women spend about Sh50, 000 a year on average on hair according to a new report by AfroUrembo Beauty Trends Report 2018.
According to the report, Kenyan women are estimated to use about 20 percent of their income on hair, up from 15 percent in 2016.
This is attributable to increase in disposable income for women and availability of more hair products and services in the market.
“Women have been empowered and are now very aggressive seeking job opportunities and getting into side jobs and entrepreneurship, increasing the spending power,” the report states.
According to the report, there is a dearth of such Afrocentric hair care and skin care products in Kenya.
“The trend among women in Kenya is not to use too many commercial products on their hair as very strong, harsh chemicals are used to straighten the hair, they prefer hair care products that are more natural, less harsh and offer smoothing benefits,” the report notes.
The report also indicates that male professionals have become the most preferred among the women in the country.
“There has been a rise of male professionals in the beauty industry in the recent past, with women preferring en to do their hair,” says Irene Kieru, Chief Executive Office of AfroUrembo, a digital marketplace connecting clients with beauty care and grooming professionals.
“The idea was birthed after having lived abroad for so many years, and coming to a realisation that there was no app out there dedicated to afro hair and grooming needs,” Kieru revealed.
Its app will now help even the foreigners who visit Africa to find professionals at the comfort of their phones.
The first workplace will be in Nairobi, Kenya before extending our wings globally.
“We are looking at also going to Lagos, Rwanda and also in Paris, but let’s find out what Kenya has for us,” she noted.
As of 2015, Procter and Gamble estimated that Kenya’s beauty and cosmetic industry to be worth Sh100 billion.
