Meet the stylists

I learned the trade by observing when my hair was being worked on, abroad. However, when I got home, I was quiet fussy about how people worked on my hair; none did it to my liking. So I decided to do it myself. Then the questions started - who works on your hair? And my response was - myself. Then the discourse would continue - can you work on mine? “Oh yes,” would be my response.

For six months, I worked on people’s hair either from my home or in their places of convenience. I then bought a salon at Valley Courts, Nakawa in June 2011.
Asking why he is still in the same place, close to eight years now, Bismarck says, “I love security. In the beginning, I did not think of myself as a businessperson or a hairdresser, so I got a small place and learned how to manage it. While I believe in growth, the big bang kind does not appeal to me.”

How do you keep up-to-date?
To start with, when I finalised that I was coming back home, I bought books to see how to do my hair. They also gave me a better understanding of what I do now. Then there is YouTube and the Internet.

Speciality - Dreadlocks
Personal life
I am married with two children - a girl and boy

Favourite movie
Shawshank Redemption

I cannot leave home without......
Mi-fi, phones and car

What keeps you going?
I am passionate about what I do. Being a marketeer, I love seeing change in people

I am very particular about what I want
I work on appointment; while it has caused me some problems here and there, it has won me lots of clientele.

Kennedy Zziwa

“While at Makerere University, I wanted to do something I would call my own despite doing Computer Science. I did that course for my parents, but in my final year, I did a starter course to learn things like cornrows and braids.

I was only there for one semester and off I went to Gayaza to start my own thing. “I was certain that if I started off in Kampala, even one mistake would taint me forever yet from the village, I would hone my skills with less pressure.” He experienced the good and bad of the industry in this village for one year before heading off to China.

While at the airport in China, due to language barrier, he failed to tell the driver his destination and he ended up in a hotel filled with Africans, some of whom were prostitutes.”

With money just enough for two days at the hotel, Zziwa swallowed his pride and made friends with these girls moreso because he’d heard them speak Luganda. These led him to their ‘home’ and on reaching there, he found one braiding another’s hair. He asked if he could help but they laughed at him.

“I got one unfinished braid and plaited it so fast, they were shocked. So this girl told her friend that I would finish the rest of her hair.” With that he had a job and accommodation. “I am thankful to them because they literally saved my life despite not liking what was going on around me; drugs, alcohol, and lots of sex.” The craving to pursue his dream got him to move from Guangzhou to Beijing on a bus for 36 hours.

In Beijing, he met lots of teachers and barely any salon catering to African needs and that is how he got his clients. Then he learnt of a high-end salon that catered to foreigners. The owner; a Jamaican-British guy hired him on the spot. “With this job, I had to keep learning because if someone made an appointment for a hair cut or any hairstyle, by the time they appeared, I needed to have learned to do it. So YouTube came in handy,” he shares.
In 2015, he returned home and settled for a small space at Krishna Mart in Kisementi. “I couldn’t let it go because I was certain that I would expand should my neighbour move out,” Zziwa says, “And that’s what happened. Thankfully, the journey has been an upward and forward one.”

Specialty
“I am a jack of all trades when it comes to hair.”

Family
“It’s my mum and three brothers; I am the first born. I separated with my wife due to my addiction to drugs. While we are back to talking terms, she is yet to believe that I am really off the drugs. I have a cat.”

Micheal Ochieng

“I had an interest which propelled me to go to Tiner International School of Beauty for a Diploma in Hair Dressing and Beauty.

Then I did my internship for three months at Monolistic Salon, Ntinda, present-day Tuskys Supermarket. At this very salon, I did my first three years of professional work before moving to Beauty Lounge on Ntinda shopping mall.

After this, I went into a partnership to start Praise Salon. I would later move on to fly solo, starting Trendy Wear and Salon at Ntinda Shopping Mall.

My major drive is passion. With an industry that thrives on creativity, my passion propels me to do better today than I did yesterday, to think out of the box.

Trustworthiness- its that which makes me have loyal customers
Patience - Clientele is not acquired and maintained in a day, but with patience, I have seen the number grow.
Focused - I always had a dream to one day go solo. It’s that drive that has helped me get here today.”

Family
I am a Christian, married to one wife and together we have a son.

Inspiration
There were some hairdressers I knew as I was growing up, around Senior Two. I loved what they did, they were always smart, had lots of friends, and always had a smile. I definitely wanted to be like them.

Favourite food
Millet bread and fish

Favourite movie
None, but I have a favourite sport- football

I can’t leave home without.....
My phone; it’s my business portal

Staying up-to-date
“I do research on a daily basis from the Internet. For example, a client will share with me an idea of what they want, so for those I do not know, I learn how to do them from the Internet.

“There are also some hairdressers that are better than me. I check out what they do and if anything catches my eye, I ask how it is done. This is all because I have vision that one day, I will be a regional household name. I can only get there by upping my game.”

Why the men
• Confidence: Multiple doses of confidence exude when you meet a male hairdresser; you can completely trust him with your hair because you are assured that he will not take your trust for granted.
• No Gossiping: Women love gossip and where all the gossips in the world converge is a hair salon. When you walk into a salon, they are talking about someone who just left, when you leave know that they will talk about you.
• Male Perspective: A male hairdresser will know how to make women attractive to men.
-adapted from nairaland.com