Naturally, one would expect a woman to be the brain behind anything about beauty and cosmetology, but the initiator of Gentle Touch Hair Care Range is a man. Mr Chika Ikenga is the Managing Director, Recare Limited, makers of Natures Gentle Touch Haircare Range. In this interview with SEKINAH LAWAL, he speaks on qualities required for success in business and why many Nigerian ladies are now carrying their natural hair, stressing the need for women to value what God has given them and showcase their natural beauty. Excerpts…
Why are you interested in a supposedly female-dominated terrain?
I’ve always had problem-solving skills and I am always eager to proffer solution to every challenge I come across. Rather than feeling odd in this business, I feel honoured and blessed that I am able to provide solutions to different hair and scalp challenges experienced by African women.
What actually prepared you for this business or what is the motivation?
Before venturing into any business, one has to be prepared. Being prepared entails the ability to identify a need that must be met. The challenges experienced by African women (mostly Nigerian women) in maintaining a healthy natural hair prepared me for this business. I discovered that it was difficult for Nigerian women to effectively manage their natural hair and I devoted my time to research on these challenges and I came up with solutions.
How did the journey into the hair care business begin?
It all began in 1993 when I discovered that many Nigerian women were complaining about hair damage, breakage, dryness, slow growth and scalp itch. Going to the salon for relaxer application was an unpleasant experience for them. And so, having an interest in natural products chemistry, I began to investigate how I could help women overcome these problems which as research showed, were experienced by more than 80% of African women.
I also recognised the fact that people sought for a more natural approach to their hair and scalp treatments, expressing a desire for healthier, natural and authentic ingredients in their hair and beauty treatments that would enhance their personal style.
What are the challenges so far?
The journey to success is never easy. All that matters is your personal determination and drive. When you have a goal, you push forward towards achieving that goal and you do not rest until that goal is actualised. The Nigerian economy today is really demanding. There are a lot of challenges faced ranging from infrastructural to social amenities such as light, water, good roads and other factors that support production generally.
Challenges generally are the usual economic, regulatory and physical challenges, whether it’s power supply, purchasing power, the way government agencies do harass manufacturers. We generally run on alternate source of power all day and the exchange rate, crude prices going up, and diesel coming in at a higher price than it used to be in the past. We also have many different agencies harassing us- some legal and some illegal, whether it’s in the factory, whether it’s in terms of product registration. These are some of the challenges that we’ve been having.
How did you manage to overcome those challenges?
In life, not everybody would appreciate you and what you do. To overcome negativity, I listen to the good, the bad and the ugly. I distinguish the good from the bad and strive towards attaining the best.
What’s your assessment of the beauty industry in Nigeria, particularly the hair care?
The Nigerian beauty industry is evolving and in particular the hair care industry. Women have started to embrace their natural afro which is a campaign we started a number of years ago when the brand began.
The industry is majorly dominated by foreign brands with products that were not scientifically configured for the African woman living in Africa. Our weather and diet is a major contributor to our hair texture, look and feel.
Majority of our population have hair challenges and are in search of solution. Unfortunately, most of the hair care brands on the shelf are not able to provide these solutions. That is why our Nigerian women run after foreign products in search of these solutions which do not put into consideration our diet, environment and weather. We have a lot of work to do, we will get there.
Many people see your products as luxury products in terms of the pricing. What’s your take on that? I will call the place the Hair Clinic. This is because the ambience of the place is quite soothing with many Trichologists in place to attend to clients, why this?
Recare is about more than beauty products, educating and empowering consumers is a cornerstone of our organization. We help you reveal your inner style, your way, on your terms. We focus on solving identifying challenges and providing solutions to those challenges. Our products are made with extracts from plants and natural ingredients and as we know, these natural ingredients don’t come cheap. We are focused on delivery and on ensuring we consistently deliver our brand promise to our consumers over and over again.
What was growing up like?
Growing up was interesting. I grew up in Enugu. I attended Government Secondary School, Owerri and University of Nigeria Nsukka. We played games and read novels since there was no Internet.
What influenced your choice of course of study?
My choice of course of study was influenced by my discovery that Chemistry was life and that many products where created from Chemistry.
As a very busy man, if you are not thinking about how to improve your products, what else do you do? How do you relax?
If I am not working, I am spending time with my family. I socialise and do sports, including (playing)lawn tennis. I exercise a lot too.
What’s your best food?
I can no longer talk about my best food but eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Your best holiday destination?
My best holiday destination is my village, Ohafia.
What’s your advice for young ones who may want to go into this business?
I advise young people who may want to get into the business to be prepared to work hard.
Yours is strictly a ‘made in Nigeria’ product. How and where do you source your materials?
The natural ingredient market in Nigeria is very large and this is one of the ways we as a brand, give back to these communities. We buy from these rural communities at the standard market price with the hope that this would enable cover their expenses.
Are you fulfilled now about your goals of setting up the company?
The aim of starting this business was to solve a challenge- develop natural products that help maintain a healthy hair and scalp as well as solve hair and scalp related problems experienced by Nigerian women. So far so good, this aim has been achieved because our products have been tested and proven to maintain healthy hair, solve hair and scalp challenges and make our customers look and feel great.
We are not where we want to be but we thank God that we are not where we used to be. We are working on expanding, we are getting
there!
What’s the future like?
Presently, we are among the top brands not only in Nigeria but also, in some parts of Africa. In the next 10 years, we would want this company to be known beyond the outskirts of Africa.
Why establishing the hair care institute?
The motive behind our hair institute is to bridge the knowledge gap in professional services rendered in salons in Africa and to elevate the quality of hair care services rendered to customers by offering basic, intermediate, advanced and specialist courses. So far, it has been achieved but we believe we can do more. We train many young ones in hair sciences. And with our new range of Natures Gentle Touch MonoiOil Range, we believe our women will be proud of their natural hair that God has endowed them with, with ease of combing and healthier scalp and hair.
