‘Professional Hair Care Services Is A Necessity In Nigeria’

Daniel Komlan is the Field Education Manager, Natures Gentle Touch Hair Institute (NGTHI), which seeks to elevate the quality of hair care services in Nigeria by offering training courses to applicants. In this interview with LAOLU ADEYEMI, he says the institute has so far trained over 200 people, noting that it is set to overhaul hair care services in Nigeria to enable women to enjoy professional services.

MOST women are familiar with Natures Gentle Touch range of hair and scalp products but certainly not with Natures Gentle Touch Hair Institute. What is the institute all about?

Natures Gentle Touch Hair Institute is where science and art meet for creative expression and style. We are changing lives and helping the society to express their unique sense of style. The Institute is training ground for persons seeking a career in hair dressing, styling and design for the first time, and runs continuous professional development courses for practising hair stylists. We educate individuals on everything there is to know about beauty and style, especially hair styling and design. We ensure that students are properly trained when it comes to caring for the hair, how to apply hair products, proper use of equipment and most importantly knowing when a client’s hair is in good condition and how to make proper recommendations to keep her hair healthy. Our institute is also style hub for many Nigerian women living in Lagos.

When was the institute established and what informed the decision to start it?

Natures Gentle Touch Hair Institute was established in 2006 with the aim to bridge the knowledge gap in professional hair care services rendered in African salons. The institute was established with a mission to elevate the quality of hair care services rendered to salon customers through courses to applicants. At the time when hair scalp products entered into the market, we observed that most women had one hair and scalp problem or the other. What we noticed was that these problems were mostly as a result of wrong use of products and bad caring habits of people which in most cases left the hair in very bad conditions. We saw the need to overhaul hair care services in Nigeria and provide women with professional hair care services. This need birthed Natures Gentle Touch Hair Institute

So far, how many people have the institute trained and what was the experience training these students?

The Institute has trained more than 200 students. We have so far come across countless students irrespective of their educational qualifications, age and gender who are determined to take the hair care industry in Nigeria to the next level.

After the training, did your institute help these people to start up their own business in the hair care industry?

Most of our trainees currently work at our hair clinic in Victoria Island and Isolo as hair technicians. Some focus on training stylists in various states in Nigeria as trainers from Recare Limited while some work in various salons in Lagos and other parts of the country as independent hair stylist. Others have moved on to owing their business in hair artistry.

Your institute prides itself as Nigeria’s first and finest hair institute. How does the brand live up to this claim?

The Institute brings together a faculty of accomplished hair stylists and instructors from Africa, United Kingdom and the USA. The Institute education team packs several years of international experience to bear on students’ training and experience. We empower the professional to be employed, earn well and serve their customers. The consumer is the ultimate winner. We are using African ingredients that help our society. We are changing Africa. We are changing our society. We are up skilling an industry through education. We are empowering people with career and skills. This is our mission. We have to live it.

How do you organise your trainings and how can interested individuals be part of it?

We offer basic, intermediate, advanced and specialist courses. Our Beginners course runs twice a year with January and April as enrolment. This course is for those who are new to the hairdressing profession with no previous knowledge in hair styling and designing. We also offer professional courses, which run for short periods for qualified and practicing stylists. The courses cover technical, commercial and management skills needed for a successful salon, Bridal Hair Styling, Creative Hair Cutting and Chemical application. On completion of enrolment procedures students will receive instruction packs and workbooks required for the course.

What are the qualifications expected of any potential participant in the training?

Our student profile includes working class, professionals, students and graduates and practicing hair stylists. However, qualification requirement to undergo training at the Institute requires students to be a High School graduate, should be able to read, write and communicate fluently in English language. Interested students do not require previous experience to be enrolled in this programme.