Photograph — I see Africa

Beard grooming emerged from the evolved manscaping industry which is worth over $60 billion globally. In line with global trends, more men are paying attention to their appearance, and African men are not left out. 

This has created an opportunity for manscaping entrepreneurs in Africa to branch into varieties of beard care ranging from beard tailoring to beard nurturing. Consequently, a series of grooming products in numerous kits have been created, aiding men in Being Exceptional Among Regular Dudes (BEARD).

South Africa’s Brother’s Beard is one of the sprouting beard grooming brands in Africa. They have a range of products made from organic ingredients that provide remedies to the plague of beard growing which includes; itching, dryness, dandruff, breakage amongst others. 

In an interview with CNBC AFRICA, Takura Chimbuya, co-founder of Brother’s Beard revealed that only ‘African authentic oils’ are used for their products. 

Vizolette Kuwanda, another co-founder, supported Chimbuya in a statement saying “We source them from different parts of the continent, from more than a hundred different farmers.” He added that it is a rather good opportunity to showcase what Africa has to the rest of the world.

Brother’s Beard is present in other African countries aside from South Africa. The company operates in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia through distributors.

In Zambia, Fubwe Matambo, CEO of Beards of Lusaka started an online community to teach men how to take proper care of their beards and offers a set of grooming products from Brother’s beard.

Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa, is not exempted. Entrepreneur Jeffery Okpaleke’s Beard and Butter skincare company is another notable brand in the business of male grooming. With the advent of the #BeardGang trend on social media in 2012, Okpaleke was inspired to grow a beard. 

In an interview, the Nigerian explained that the Beard and Butter business started as a result of a lack of hair products for men in the country. In Nigeria, most hair products are exclusively targeted at women, unlike in the UK (where Okpaleke was formerly based) where men have a variety of hair care products to choose from.

Being a youthful country, with an increasing number of men spending more on their looks, Okpaleke said his beard grooming company is “quite ready and open” for the Nigerian market.

Last month, the annual World Beard Day 2019 was celebrated in Lagos, Nigeria by Jameson – the premium whiskey brand – with a good number of bearded men in attendance. The program was organized to promote brotherhood amongst men with facial hair.

The metrosexual wave in Africa has taken a full course in which men are embracing their desire to look good and be meticulous in their appearance. This wave has birthed the beard grooming business, a thriving part of the burgeoning male grooming market, creating job opportunities and indigenous male grooming products across Africa.

Written by Treasure Nnabugwu

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