What’s the essence of Afrolocke?
Our products are certified natural, and we’re proud of that. Our rich hair care range pampers curls and frizzy, dry & brittle hair with the moisture they need – repairing the hair’s structure with hydrolyzed wheat protein to give it a more supple, soft feeling. Our products contain valuable oils such as broccoli seed oil, argan oil & shea butter. Broccoli seed oil serves as a natural silicone substitute, improving comb-ability – it’s also often used as a nourishing oil.
How did you come up with the idea of founding Afrolocke? And what was the hardest part of making this idea into reality?
In my desperate search for a certified natural product for afro hair, I came up with the idea of founding Afrolocke. I’ve always found it super frustrating that my friends with straight hair or blonde hair can find a large selection of products in stores, while my hair type has almost nothing to choose from. I then thought to myself, “If nobody’s done it yet, then I’ll do it myself.”
The hardest part at the beginning was finding the right manufacturers. Strict guidelines must be adhered to so that the end products can bear the coveted COSMOS Natural seal; the raw materials and suppliers must be carefully found and selected.
How is Afrolocke different from other hair care brands?
We are the first certified natural cosmetics brand that’s made in Germany and specializes in the care of afro hair. After our launch in 2017, we noticed that a lot of customers with wavy and high-maintenance hair love our products. We then expanded our concept. The demand for natural products for curly hair is big.
As the manufacturer and head behind Afrolocke’s “cult fave” shampoo & conditioner combo: what should be taken into account when looking for the right products, especially when it comes to curly & afro hair?
Hair thickness or porosity are important factors when looking for the right product. Does the hair need light care without weighing it down, or can the product be very rich? The following applies to the number of products: less is more. Rely on natural products and use your leave-in product to freshen up your hair. Afro hair tends to be dry and is often harder to untangle. Moisture is the key.
What are the most important hair care measures for curly & frizzy hair?
Here are my ultimate hair care tips:
It might sound like a lot of work, but it quickly becomes routine and will definitely strengthen your hair.
From your perspective, what’s still missing in the natural & organic cosmetics industry?
The natural cosmetics market is on the move and it’s also one of the markets with the highest turnover. That pleases me very much! What is definitely missing is a nice & rich leave-in conditioner. We’re working on such a product and will launch it in the fall.
Where do you get your raw materials from? And where are the products made?
We have our products manufactured by a contract manufacturer in the greater Stuttgart area. The short distances to the manufacturer are great – we have better insights into production and are in constant contact with the laboratory that develops our products. We obtain the raw materials from the manufacturer, who has years of experience in the natural cosmetics sector. Plant-based raw materials have to come from certified ecological raw materials, insofar as they consist of or have been obtained from plants.
To what extent does sustainability play a role in the process of creating Afrolocke products?
It was very clear to us when we launched this product range that it would need to follow the strict guidelines that come with a natural cosmetic seal. The BDIH COSMOS Natural standard stipulates that, in addition to the careful selection of the plant-based raw materials used, the ecological compatibility of each product (i.e. environmentally and resource-saving manufacturing processes), the optimal degradability of raw materials and the economical use of recyclable packaging materials all play an important role. We do not use any outer packaging. We would like to switch to recyclable packaging for the shampoo and conditioner and are currently looking for a suitable manufacturer.
Our leave-in product will be launched in a glass bottle since it doesn’t have to be used in the shower. But glass was too dangerous for us with the shampoo and conditioner. By manufacturing the products nearby, we save ourselves long distances throughout production and thus also contribute to a more positive CO2 balance.
What lies in Afrolocke’s foreseeable future?
We hope that we can continue to get our products more and more out there – and that one day, it will be a given that products for afro hair and curls can be found everywhere in stores. My wish is that it will no longer be a challenge for my children. And of course, we’d also like to create other products… so you can already start to get excited about our upcoming leave-in product 🙂
Any last words for our Amazingy readers?
We are very happy that we as a start-up can now be found in the Amazingy family. It makes me incredibly proud to see that we get the chance to grow and that products like ours are getting more and more attention. We would like to say thank you for this!
Tags: Behind the Brand, Hair Care
J. R. Thesis Smith is a mixed-race millenial in the dawn of their 30s & a wordsmith of sorts. They've spent most of their waking life in the U.S. – in the urban sprawl of NYC that is New Jersey, in the depths of its suburban echoes – but always dreamed of making their way across a bigger pond, to a place where opportunity would knock a little more often. After completing their training at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts (effectively spending three poor years in NYC) as a dance major, they gifted themselves a semester of studying abroad in Berlin, and in doing so kept a vow made in early adolescence – thereby inciting a metamorphosis of promise into full-bodied intention: to eventually fully emigrate to Berlin, the first space that had ever allowed them the freedom to find their own breath, their pace of existence. Now that they finally live there, they're learning how to breathe again – striving to become a more active member of the Undercommons as they continue on the odyssey that is their self-realization as an artistic being. Their most resonant hope is that they will be able to say what is true & necessary & kind; that people will find the time to listen, to themselves and each other; and that their voice will inspire other voices to speak out in turn.
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