NATURAL VS RELAXED HUNZ
A battle between the hairs
The Natural Vs Relaxed Hunz is slated for the second showdown in the Natural vs Relaxed Hair Meet this coming March.
The event is pencilled to take place at a secret location on March 5th. This year’s event follows on their inaugural event that ‘ was held in December 2020 at the Metromen Grooming Salon ( CBD). At the event, there was a massage booth, and guests were served with beverages sponsored by Bernini and JC Le Roux. According to organisers, their plan was to host at least one hair meet annually but they failed to do so last year due to Covid- 19 restrictions. For this coming edition, organisers are all about empowering and sharing ideas with fellow hair care enthusiasts around hair care and product use.
The Natural Vs Relaxed Hunz comprises of two young women, namely Tapiwa Gachala and Tebele. Back in 2020, when lockdowns were imposed and many people, both women and men found themselves having to learn certain skills which prior to Covid- 19, they would have paid someone to do these skills as they had no access to salons or Hairdressers for months. Tebele has relaxed hair, while Gachala has maintained her natural hair.
Speaking during an interview with this publication, Tebele explains that they seek to promote self- love to a point where each individual is able to be comfortable and feel beautiful with their hair regardless of whether it is relaxed or natural.
“We noticed that there was a time when there was a mild cold war between Natural and Relaxed Hair, so this event will clear that up. The two groups are of the view that their preferred hair types are better than the other one hence our goal is to unify the two,” she says. She also notes that they intend to have leading salons and hair brands showcase their products and services to guests at the event. She further says that there will be a number of highlights which are kept unwrapped now for surprise effect..
“If the first hair meet we hosted is anything to go by, one can only imagine how this instalment will be,” she says.
Tebele also emphasised the importance of taking proper care of our hair, noting whether it was long, curly, short or relaxed; one’s hair is their crown. “We at Natulaxed believe that your hair completes your outfit and when it looks good and healthy, it is definitely a confidence booster,” explains Tebele.
She also points out that taking care of your hair is a form of self- love and that it was up to everyone to do better when it comes to their hair
“We are always happy to share as much information as we can around this topic. Remember that bad hair care habits can have a long lasting impact on your hair overall health and so it is advisable to treat your hair well,” she says.
She further shares tips of how one can take care of hair on a budget, explaining that in their case, they each use around 5 products in their everyday hair care regime. In short, she says that it is possible to take care of hair on a low budget.
“There are plenty of affordable but good products out there. And remember, expensive does not always mean that it works. Knowing what your hair needs will also go a long way in helping you to avoid spending on unnecessary products and accessories. We urge everyone to come to the event and learn more about this,” she explains.
About the Natural Vs Relaxed Hunz
Nako Tebele Co- founder
Tebele has always kept sleek relaxed hair for as long as she remembers and allows it to grow in a healthy manner. Her keenness in starting the movement with the natural hair ladies was prompted mostly around misconceptions of how relaxed hair is unhealthy due to the chemical processing of relaxers. This is all a myth and through this platform, she thrives to bridge this gap and showcase the ability to grow healthy, full, blossoming relaxed hair.
She strongly believes in having informed knowledge and she’s a researcher of note, hence by day, she is a practicing Attorney at one of the leading law Firms in Botswana, where she recently became a Partner.
Tapiwa Gachala ( Co- Founder)
Tapiwa who represents the Natural Hair side of the movement, transitioned to Natural Hair in 2013 and has remained natural since. After noticing lack of knowledge on natural hair care amongst Batswana, she developed a keen interest in sharing knowledge on natural hair care once she got to a level where she felt she could confidently speak on this topic. This saw her create a personal blog ( www. tap- on- hair. com) in which she shared the basics of natural haircare and later went to take over the management and administration of the Facebook group NHBots, which is a private group that boasts over 18,500 members. In this group, members offer natural haircare advise, support and hairstyles. She has since diversified her attention to the Natural Vs Relaxed movement which is still in line with her passion and which will hopefully assist more people without limiting to natural haired individuals only.
Tapiwa serves as a working mom – a Legal and Compliance Officer in the insurance industry and is an admitted attorney, conveyancer and notary public in the courts of Botswana.