Interview with award winning Charlotte Mensah

I went to Ghana when I was 3 months old and brought back to the UK when I was 11 years old to be brought up by my grandparents.

My parents had already lived in the UK for over 15 years before I joined them so our home was already set up. However, my experience of growing up in the UK at the time was very strange. I now realize that I was subjected to a lot of racism and bullying;
I was considered an outsider because I was different. In Ghana, it was a very dissimilar culture. Everyone looks the same, speaks the same languages, and knows Ghanaian culture whereas London culture is very diverse.

Well, my love affair with hair first began when I was 13. I just loved looking at magazines like Ebony and Essence. Looking at beautiful black women made me feel empowered. I would try to replicate the styles I liked in the magazines on my 3 year-old sister. As our mum had just died, it was a great way of spending time together and helped us through our grieving process.

My inspiration definitely has to be both my grandparents. My grandmother was an amazing lady; she could do everything from sewing, cooking and she also did hair, but unfortunately she never took any of her skills to a professional level. It made me think a lot about my own future.

That would be from my Grandfather, Dada. He was an extremely good businessman and being the director of a brewery, he would always take me to his business meetings. Being a child sat in a boardroom, I suppose those surroundings somehow had subliminal influences that materialized later on in my life.

I have always been aware that hairdressing for WOC sometimes lacked professional customer service within professional surroundings, along with quality hairdressing. I’ve always strived to be the best I can be and have always set my standards extremely high to incorporate both of these elements.

Being in the hair industry for over 26 years, I noticed the need for premium products that keep hair moisturised, but without the heavy, oily finish found with existing ranges.
When I discovered Manketti Oil, which has been used in Africa for centuries and is one of the richest, most hydrating ingredients that nature has to offer, I knew this was the oil that could achieve what I was looking for so I decided it would be a key feature in my collection.
Now, after six years of research, development, and testing, my product range delivers moisture, softness, definition, and shine to Afro, mixed-race, and all curl hair types, whilst still allowing weightless movement.

I’m so proud of the Charlotte Mensah Academy. It’s in its early stages, but the aim is to offer less fortunate young Africans an opportunity to learn a vocational skill, like hairdressing, carpentry, fashion, or textiles, that will enhance not only their lives but also the lives of their families. Education and training really is our future; if we don’t invest and train our young people, then we have nothing.

Launching this range took over 6 years of hard work. I was involved in every stage from working on the formulas, branding, artwork, website, product packaging and development.
This all had to be fitted in alongside my full-time job of running a busy salon, managing a team, looking after clients, being there for my children and family, plus all of the other activities I’m involved in such as photoshoots, shows, and educational presentations.
It was a huge challenge, but I’m a very positive person, so I just focused on achieving my goals and kept going. The support of my loved ones and their words of encouragement was also invaluable.
It always starts with an idea and from there you begin to work on logistics. I had to test, try and evaluate many formulas, prototypes, and versions before approving the final elements. There are many components to factor in when creating a new product; fragrances and ingredients have to work harmoniously together.
Some of my favorite scents are those from my childhood growing up in Accra, so I’ve captured those moments and put them into my products. Most importantly, the performance had to be up to my high standards. I always tested the products myself and prior to launching, my team also tried them on our clients’ hair to get their feedback and ensure that it made their hair look and feel fantastic.

My advice would be to have a vision for something and really believe that you can do it. Keep challenging yourself and never give up.

To launch the business across Africa is definitely my long-term goal. I’d also love to expand my Manketti Oil range and establish the Charlotte Mensah Academy as the number one training establishment in Ghana.