Entrepreneur: Nadine Harding / Curl Harmony

Hair care harmony: How to keep your curls in harmony

Olivia Benson (Manchester Evening News)

AFTER years of `going straight' with her hairstyle, Nadine Harding decided it was time to stop damaging her locks. However, following a fruitless search for products to keep her curls in top condition, she decided to launch her own hair care range.

Nadine, a former chemist who studied at the University of Manchester, has set up Curl Harmony, which sells products that are handmade from natural ingredients and are designed specifically for Afro-Caribbean hair.

Twenty-seven-year-old Nadine established her Manchester-based business after being made redundant from her job at a scientific instrument manufacturer. She says: "I thought of the idea after looking for natural products to use on my hair. I'd been straightening it for many years using relaxing treatments which contain a number of chemicals and, as a result, my hair had become very dry and brittle.

"When I failed to find suitable products for Afro- Caribbean hair, I decided to have a go myself." With a £5,000 bank loan, Nadine set up a laboratory in her spare room and set to work sourcing the ingredients and making the hair care products.

Natural

The Curl Harmony range includes conditioners, shampoos, oils, clays and styling products which contain ingredients such as coconut oil, jojoba oil and shea butter. They retail from £7.50 to £14 and are sold through Nadine's website (curl harmony.co.uk), wholesalers and other internet outlets that sell natural beauty products.

Nadine says that Curl Harmony products are the only ones that contain natural ingredients, are handmade in the UK and are aimed at the Afro- Caribbean market. She says: "There are a number of specialist stores that sell chemical-free products but these are predominately imported from America, where they are very popular.

"There are also many products in the UK market that are aimed at Afro-Caribbean hair, but these contain chemicals. I believe that Curl Harmony products fill a gap in the UK market."

Nadine says the business is set to generate turnover around £16,000 in its first year, and already she is making a profit. She hopes her products will one day grace the shelves of mainstream retailers.