IT’S BEEN a particularly busy year for Anita Lusuardi, the founder of natural haircare brand Afroani. The 20-year-old entrepreneur has not only been navigating the world as a new mum, she’s also launched a business in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Her brand developed out of her enthusiasm for natural haircare and her desire to increase the offering of sustainable beauty products that cater to the Black community.

What inspired you to launch Afroani?

I was inspired to create Afroani by my passion for natural haircare, which grew deeper in 2019 when I first started an Instagram blog where I shared my hair journey just for fun. We launched Afroani on the 5th of September 2020 – in the middle of the pandemic.

What’s been the most rewarding aspect of your entrepreneur journey so far?

The most rewarding aspect of owning a business has been the creative freedom I get, which I find very exciting. I love creating and experimenting with different natural ingredients to get to the final product.

I also find reward in working directly with customers to help them reach their goals within their natural hair journey. 

What particular challenges have you faced as a Black female business owner?

I have faced a few challenges starting from the lack of representation in this field in the UK, which can be quite discouraging for a young lady who is trying to emerge.

I have also felt on many occasions that me and my ideas weren’t being taken seriously because I was trying to create products that catered to my community. But I didn’t let that stop me from doing what I believed in. 

You’re a young entrepreneur doing this full-time. How did you decide to make the leap?

I am a young business owner, a mother and also a wife. I used to be a Jigsaw employee until a few months ago. When my maternity leave ended I decided to focus on Afroani full-time.

Balancing mum life and entrepreneurship can be a little bit tricky as I have to juggle between the responsibilities of having a family and a business but my husband really helps me out with the two.

What’s the most common hair complaint you hear from Black customers? 

The most common hair complaint I hear from Black customers is dryness, which is a very normal thing when it comes to textured hair as it is hard for the natural oils our scalp produces to get to our strands. 

Another complaint that has been recurring is tangling. I get a lot of mothers who struggle with detangling their children’s hair during wash day. 

What products do you have that help with these concerns?

We created the Afroani Hydrate and Strengthen hair mask to help nourish and heal dry and damaged hair. It contains amazing vegan ingredients such as Ayurvedic amla and jojoba oil, which are well known for their strengthening and conditioning properties. 

We also offer a range of beautifully designed combs for textured hair which make wash day a lot more fun. 

Your products include a solid shampoo bar and a ‘plant plastic’ comb. Tell me about the importance of sustainability to you?

At Afroani, we believe in creating hair products and accessories by using nature’s valuable blend. We wanted to offer different solutions from what was already on the market for textured hair.

Sustainability was the first thing we wanted to bring to the table because during my natural hair journey I have felt like it wasn’t even being taken into consideration by the haircare companies that catered to my hair type.