Gail Mabalane | Picture: Instagram
What started as a very personal journey with what felt like a very personal issue for South African actress and model, Gail Mabalane, has resulted in what she hopes will be a very helpful and successful venture.
Mabalane expressed these hopes at the recent launch of her latest venture, an innovative new local haircare range dedicated to combating hair loss called Ethnogenics.
It all began three years ago when Gail began documenting her hair loss experience online as well as the work she began doing with her hairstylist in an effort to strengthen her remaining hair.
Speaking at her launch at Coppa restaurant in the leafy green suburb of Parkhurst, Gail said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support she received from the public after going public about her hair loss.
A few months ago, she then began sharing more about her hair care journey on her YouTube channel and in addition to the high engagement, she received messages from many women who have experienced the anguish of losing their hair.
One main thing stood out for Gail with almost every conversation she had; the women she was speaking to battled to find information and products that could treat their specific issue.
“It was clear from my own hair loss journey that knowledge was the missing piece,” said Gail.
“I realised [that] there was a distinct lack of education around how to solve the problem. This led me to create the Ethnogenics range and to provide consumers with the information they need to make smarter and more empowered hair care choices aimed at preventing long term damage to their hair,” she explained.
“Ethnogenics is more than just a range of products – it’s a hair care platform that seeks to enable better control over the pain of hair loss. This is done through a combination of high quality, vitamin-enriched products, coupled with education and support around good hair care practices and routines.”
Speaking to The Citizen, Gail stressed how education was a very important part of the process to her because she explained that without education around good hair care practices and routines, people wouldn’t be able to see the results of whatever products they were using.
This is also why Gail chose to partner with Clicks where her range will be exclusively available.
“Clicks is very excited to welcome Ethnogenics as an extension to our haircare range. We are passionate about growing the local haircare market, with a focus on black and female-owned businesses. As a 100% black, female-owned start-up, Ethnogenics presents the perfect synergy,” said Clicks Brand Executive, Phathiswa Sefatsa.
“Over the past 18 months, Clicks has brought 14 black-owned businesses operating in the hair and personal care sectors to market. We believe that small business development is critical in creating jobs, building a healthier economy and bringing options for our customers,” she added.
Due to the emphasis on hair growth, the Ethnogenics range contains moisturising and natural ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, argan oil, extra virgin avocado oil and castor oil.
It also contains biotin, which stimulates keratin production in hair and can increase the rate of follicle growth.
The range specifically focuses on enhancing moisture, nourishment, protection, and regrowth.
It is also vegan, paraben and sulphate free in line with consumer-driven trends in the hair care industry.
The current range of products include a restoring conditioner, a cream shampoo, a conditioning co-wash, a stimulating scalp lotion and a hydrating moisturizer. Unlike recent additions to the market, the range also offers hair growth supplement capsules.
The Ethnogenics range is priced between R180 to R300 and will be available online and at selected Clicks stores at the end of March.
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