 All right, it's still today with John and Helen live from plus TV Africa. We are on DSTV channels for 08 and Start times 308 don't go there. I can't forget it. All right And it's a lovely show this morning just before we went on that very quick break. I was trying to Get some an information from John about how this week went. Yeah, how did your week go? Maybe John's week would hide, you know, with how your week went. Yeah, my week went well And yeah, just simply for the fact that I think the federal and state governments Waking up to the repairs on the third mainland bridge and all of that. I see that there's a bit more Yeah, there's a bit more, you know, the passion of the reaction from them Yes, it will be inconvenient for a few couple of months or so Okay, but I am optimistic. Okay, the major you're talking about the major repairs in view plus Palit yeah, yeah, but I think they've taken they're taking their time to you know, direct us to Different routes that movement is not impaired in any way at the end of the day Some light at the end of the time. How about food stuff now? We're flying we're flying so fast into the end of the year. I didn't go to the markets this week. It didn't Okay, and so it's time to just dive into our very first conversation and our first guest is Yawande Mathew She's a CEO de vela de vela naturals a tribe a Trailblazing company dedicated to simplifying Healthcare for over four years The vela has been committed to providing effective high-quality hair products that promote strong healthy Hair growth and that sounds good. You and a real arts Matthew and what is a dynamic and visionary approach to business leadership with a tenure of over four years like you heard Mrs. Matthews has been at the helm of the vela naturals her exceptional guidance and strategic Acumen have propelled a propelled the company's growth and development solidifying its Exposition really as and reputation within the industry. She boasts of an impressive Academic background and you can tell from the way she speaks having earned a degree in economics from the University of Lagos and The BSE in business administration from next-world University In addition to her role at the vela naturals you and yourselves as the executive director of palm three concepts a prominent firm specializing in strategic communications event management and public relations a Strategic insights have also proven invaluable over a course of a decade Contributing significantly to the firm's success quite Anyway furthermore she co-founded the youth entrepreneurship summits an expo in Nigeria showcasing her dedication to fostering Entrepreneurial endeavors. That's just one person. Wow. You and Matthew Okay, and then just a little more and then we you get to meet you and the young this expertise extends beyond Her executive roles as she's also recognized as an experienced trainer and accomplished business speaker Her commitment to driving innovation and promoting sustainable business Practices is evident in her endeavors within Local and global market places. Yeah, one day. We have to stop here Is it only you? It's good to have you on the show. Thank you Thank you so much. You know what you read it out like that Some people's CV and you look at you know, you're like, okay, so you haven't started a bit or is there a Professional way of Who you are and what services you render, you know, but that's very nice. Well, thank you We've lost quite some time and I think we should we should just dive. Yes. Yep. Let's do this Let me openly ask you What's packed your foray into the natural hair care business? Okay, for me, it started when I had my first child I had a terrible experience with Relaxes growing up and I didn't want her to go down that route So for me, I had to go in and find out the best ways and safest ways to grow her hair And in doing that and in finding out a lot of information I find a lot of women wanted to do that as well but it didn't have the information of the background and I needed to Find a way to help them out and then in doing that I also decided to found the Vela naturals, which is Bringing out the products ensuring that women had the best care and also building a community of women Who wanted to showcase their inner beauty by the growth of their hair? Basically Because if you look around now every well, maybe 80% 90% of African women Nigerian women would like that Yes, okay. So it's the week that does it. So what you're saying now is you have to keep the natural You have to care for the hair underneath Because at some point in time you have to have that confidence There's some days you're not going to feel like putting on the wig cap and wearing the wig You also have to have the confidence of the hair underneath all of that. So I Tell my clients that the health of your hair is most paramount Not necessarily the length not necessarily how it looks but how you look after it and how it makes you feel Because a woman's hair is her crown at the end of the day All right, so what does it actually take to become a natural hair expert as well as run a Successful business around it Okay, it the most one thing is to have the passion for it and then the knowledge and the expertise as well You have to stay on top of current trends You have to know what it is that is for long-term stay and what it is that people are just Fascinated about I mean I saw points in time people were looking at putting raw egg in their hair Raw powder, okay, we'll make this one grow. Okay, if I make onion and this thing And that's not saying that those things are not good in and of itself But the you have to get to the compound the chemical compound of those things You know that to get the essence of what it is that it can use to care for their hair So I always tell my clients that we are the better natural we redefine hair care Which is to let you know that okay, you don't need to go around Looking for the next best thing or this one work that will work You need to know the basics how to look after it how to wash it how often do you wash it? How long do you care for it? so the passion for it the knowledge behind it and then being able to be Innovative and change with the people that come up, but also knowing that some things are constant in the business Well, I'll just have you know that I represent the men Yes And we've always been told that we are the crown But you just said to me that really that's not true It's your hair that is your crown Well, when a woman stands beside her man Yes, she has to be able to present herself in a way that he is going to be proud Okay, and when she's confident and proud in her crown He is also confident and proud in his crown. So you have it so you can have a double crown Anyhow the natural hair trend you know has transitioned into more of a lifestyle actually Africa over there and even beyond you know, and that's over this maybe 10 years Now what will you say is responsible for that? Okay for me It's a growing movement of women understanding Who they are And drawing back from a lot of Eurocentric ideas Growing up we had relaxers because our mothers thought that that was the easiest way to look after your hair Oh, your hair is hard. Oh, your hair is strong. You go to the salon You're giving yourself a headache not knowing how to handle the hair, you know and then also with a lot of research that have come out with the With the dangers of long-term use of some certain relaxers I mean in the u.s The FDA is looking on how to ban relaxers in the u.s because they have seen the health repercussions Concerning women. So a lot of women have come back to be like, okay My true natural hair. What exactly does it take for me to look after it? And then they see the beauty in the hair itself Oh and the versatility in looking after it and they are proud Because the pride in your own self is the most important thing in looking after your hair at the end of the day Wow Hair pride Okay, so how sustainable really is setting up a natural hair business in Nigeria You know sustainable in the terms of how many people really are interested in keeping their hair natural How many women for example and you know when you think of How difficult it is to keep it you talked about the basics Which we didn't go into apart from washing how often you wash and all that How how sustainable is it how much of a business can it be? You know in this setting. Okay, so for a lot of women I've seen that they struggle with the hard hair strong hair mentality first um, I always tell people that um, healthy hair is the main cause first So if you are still in that mindset of oh, I need to relax my hair. Okay, fine If you need to relax it don't do it every two months. Maybe do it every Four months Then extend it to every six months in the process You then now find out how to look after your hair in between So how often are you conditioning it? How often are you? Going to the salon if you go to the salon Are you able to tell your stylist this and this and this now the haircare industry is a multi-millionaire industry The only thing that is probably hindering a lot of people is that there's no proper regulation And NAFDAK as well as they are trying to help They're not necessarily making it easy And then we also need government to help in terms of loans in terms of you know banks and government being able to Give us the right backing You know to build industry to be able to manufacture these things because we are we are we are not struggling within ourselves We are struggling with international brands the share moisture the cantus the carol carols daughters These brands have come in and mind you they get their raw materials from here The cocoa from Ghana their share butter from Ivory Coast from Nigeria as well. They take it abroad They manufacture these products and they bring it back So why do we have to go through that journey when we have Companies like mine who make these things in house and then also They need to be able to give us the ability to import a lot of the raw materials that we need To make these products so access to loans access to government backing Ability to make the manufacturing industry grow and we will definitely see a boom in Haircare manufacturing in Nigeria. Yeah, and I believe so. I believe you actually. Yes now Is it unnatural Talking about Now weeks right have come as An escape route for a lot of people to the point that some may even say hey who needs Who needs natural hair after all if I can just You know quickly put on a wig and Go on You know, so what would be your advice to women who rock their natural hair? And might have been a little bit confused with the knocks that Natural hair has been taking what would be your advice? Okay, I think I I know To what you're alluding to which is the Current viral video. Yeah has been going around with a Certain woman of God who has said some things that are not palatable Now to see those kinds of things in an atmosphere where natural hair is still Being groomed Is actually quite damaging damaging to the esteem of some women who listen and take Who take to heart what things that are said from the pulpit? To say that Quote on quote who natural hair help It actually helps a lot Because if you and if you wear your wigs constantly, you know where to sleep Yeah, you're not going to wear your wigs You're not going to wear your wig to sleep You're not going to wear your wig, you know when you wake up in the morning You have to be able to confidently look at that person in the mirror And say that the wig is an accessory to my beauty. That's right. It doesn't define my beauty So at the end of the day if you sit, I mean, um, for example now, um Maddy could she just got married this past week His wife had different kinds of natural hairstyles all through their wedding From her afro to an updo To a pin-up look and they were all very beautiful And I say that to see this it doesn't Determine it doesn't matter if you wear a wig or you do not wear a wig The person that is meant for you is meant for you at the end of the day Okay, we should be wrapping up this conversation in the less in less than five minutes. I want to believe Um, I see your hair. Yes. It must be natural. Yes, it is because you are you are the ambassador And for a lot of us we think that it's difficult to keep a long Hair and still have it Natural because when it's short a lot of people who do natural hair The low cut thin is it for them? So if I want to keep my hair long And you said something a while ago that really, you know, it resonated with me that when you look at yourself in the mirror You see your real you. Yes, not with a wig. Yes, but the real you with your hair as it is natural so just give us those tips now that Ladies women watching this show and for a few who would like To also take it to the next level business level. What do we have to do like? In two minutes, okay If in terms of caring for your hair, whether you are currently relaxed or you have natural hair I would suggest Ensure that you have a good clarifying shampoo a good Conditioner deep conditioner Preferably leaving conditioner a good hair oil And a hair moisturizer. Those are your basic tools that you need Never allow your hairstylist use a rat tail comb, which is those very very slim thin Combs on your hair. That's the first First routes to hair breakage Always use a wide-tooth comb whether you have relaxed hair or you have Natural hair a wide-tooth comb ensures that it detangles easily Especially when you're doing your hair the quickest way when you're going to bed have a certain hair Hair cap or a certain pillowcase or if you don't have any of those you have an old Lingerie old satin nightgown that you have in your cupboard somewhere that you've kept Easy to wrap around your pillowcase because cotton absorbs oil from your pillowcase and the friction rubs on your hair Which makes it difficult for you to keep length So when women complain about length I always tell them that consistency is key when you're doing your hair maintenance And you're doing your hair regimen Make sure that you're consistent if you are going to the salon make sure that you understand what it is that your Your your stylist is doing to your hair and that they are not ignorant of how it is and that you yourself are knowledgeable So that you can teach them. No, no, I don't want that Use this instead. No, no, I don't want that comb because you should also have the confidence You're paying for this thing to tell them that I don't need this. I want this and I want that And then also in the business I am segment ensure that you have the you are willing to learn you are willing to Putting the work to be able to say this is what I want to do And this is how I want to do it and also know that your friends and family are always your first customers In whatever business that you start this has turned into a masterclass natural for free Yes, yes, and of course What i'm thinking about now is my my hair cup You know, uh, I'll go get my Old hair. Yes. Yes. I always tell you that Um, our hair care products are not just for women. They're also for men as well Initially men who are trying to grow their beard. Oh, really? Yes. Uh, our hair Used, you know, there's a chin, chin guard. Exactly And then you know, we've had a lot of success with that as well Anyway, quickly. Let's just uh, let's even find out, you know, because it can't be all rosy You know, what challenges have you found that you and your colleagues facing the business of hair care in Nigeria? It's definitely not rosy. It's definitely not rosy. You know, you have a lot of um A lot like I said earlier on, you know access to looms is very difficult You have to either have a A Fall back or you have, you know, your family and friends. Like I said, are very important when you're starting out your business um in getting marketing is also another thing and then Convincing people that made in Nigeria is also very good because we are a we are Export European mindset kind of if it's not made abroad is not good enough So we we are trying to change that narrative By the Naira growth in our made in Nigeria is very important and knowing that there are actually good quality hair care products made here in Nigeria Affordable enough for you to not want to spend tens of thousands on products made abroad But we know what it is that is good for Nigerian hair Good for the Nigerian environment and I will work best for Nigerian women. Okay We will have a part two of this show Because you know the women out there need to know The danger you talked about it that in the u.s. They're trying to phase out relax us because of the associated health hazards Those are some of the other areas that we need to delve into. Yes, you know, so Women can be aware of this since before now. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me all the time. Thank you It's been a pleasure. Thank you. All right, then John. Why are you thanking her so soon? I wish she could stay Wow really, I've enjoyed it so so much that It gives me this feeling that By the time you wear your hair naturally, you know, you're getting your power back as a woman You know, it's like part part to the african woman And that really thrills me Wow, and this show explains the secret of your natural beauty. I must say you already So thank you so much for coming on the show and for opening our eyes to the secret of natural beauty Okay, so thanks again For the time you spend with us closely gathered tips you and me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. We can thank you enough next on the program today with john and helen life on plus tv africa We will be having their hype man An entertainer and entrepreneur, but first let's take a breather a break is next