Hair for hire ... styles you desire
Two enterprising women carve out a niche with flexible wig solutions, writes Gerry Cupido
ARE you someone who loves changing your hair but don’t want to spend mega bucks every time you want to do so?
Have you ever bought a wig you loved but soon got bored of it or it went out of style?
Or you’ve had a big date but a bad hair day, and needed emergency hair rescue?
Zandile Baloyi and Delicia Kasenge, the co-founders of Hair Me Out, understood these dilemmas and found a way to come to the rescue of ladies in need.
Hair Me Out (HMO) is a wig hiring service that allows women to rent a wig from R100.
You have the option of hiring a wig for a few hours or a few weeks, depending on your needs.
Kasenge is Ugandan born and grew up in South Africa. She’s a qualified graphic designer who chose to freelance during and after her tertiary studies.
“As luck would have it, I found myself doing work for the legendary Jawad Maphoto who introduced me to Zandi. I’m a true creative at heart and specialise in eventing and communications, with a particular focus on social media management and content creation” she said.
“I am passionate about Africa, it’s many cultures and the betterment of our developing nations. I love to travel, tell stories and spend time with family and close friends.”
Baloyi is a sports fanatic who loves to travel.
With qualifications in marketing comms and business management, she works full time, but runs the Hair Me Out business with Kasenge part-time. The dynamic duo tells more about their business.
What inspired you to start the business?
We found that for magazine shoots and trendy events/shows, people would request to borrow our wigs for a night or two because it worked with a certain look they were going for that specific occasion.
Upon further research, we discovered that it could be used as a mechanism for those who would otherwise like wigs for a short-term period of time and not necessarily long term. We then started buying different kinds of wigs that we thought consumers would appreciate and from this, we birthed the idea and decided to formalise it as the business we call, Hair Me Out.
How does Hair Me Out work?
There are two parts to the business. There are the rentals and there are sales. Sales work like most online hair piece businesses.
◆ You place an order.
◆ We share a quote.
◆ You accept and pay a deposit or make full payment.
◆ We deliver within 3 to 5 working days.
Rentals work similarly to a costume rental store/company
◆ A client sends a request to HMO or fills out one of our booking forms in our Instagram bio (@hairmeoutza).
◆ We share a quote along with an
agreement form.
◆ Client agrees and makes payment and
sends back a signed agreement form.
◆ HMO delivers and conducts an
inspection with the client.
◆ Upon return of the hair, the wig is fully inspected by HMO representative and the client.
◆ If all is in order, the deposit is paid back
to the client.
What advice do you have for ladies when choosing a wig?
Kasenge: Experiment. Don’t choose something because it’s safe and looks good on most people because it really might not look good on you.
Baloyi: Try different looks. Be who you want to be. If you feel like wearing a Bob today, a fringe tomorrow, and your natural hair the next day go for it, as wigs have allowed the flexibility to do so.
What are the biggest trends in wigs right now?
Biggest trends right now would be bob. Both curly and super straight, brightly coloured or plain. The ladies just can’t seem to get enough of the ‘Bob Life’.
Are there any celebrities whose style you admire?
Kasenge: Audrey Hepburn, Rihanna, Elise Johnson.
Baloyi: Rihanna and Kefilwe Mabote.