GUAP Beauty: Founder of [@holycurls] Badria Ahmed On Owning Her Own Hair-Care Brand & Curl-Type Discrimination

Meet The Founder of Celebrity-Loved Hair-Care Brand; Holy Curls.

Tell us a little about yourself

I grew up in Sweden and moved to London in 2011. Before Holy Curls, I was working as a copywriter for different brands – both as a freelancer and in-house. I love the written language, and I’ve been writing ever since I was a little girl. I have a great passion for traveling and so far I’ve traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Latin America, Africa, and across Europe.

How has your own hair journey influenced your brand and the products? 

My hair has always been a big part of my identity. Growing up I really didn’t like it and I envied my sisters who had “better” hair than I did. Going back to my “natural state” after 15 years of chemically relaxing my hair was a Holy experience for me. For the first time I was learning to love myself fully. The brand really was born out of these experiences. 

What inspired you to create a hair-care brand? 

It was the experiences I had with my own hair and frustration that I was so limited in terms of  what was available to me on the market. Growing up in Sweden, we didn’t have many options when it came to products that cater to afro hair and my mum chemically permed my hair when I was 7 years old as she couldn’t care for it properly. When I started my natural hair journey, I started making my own hair mixtures as I still couldn’t find products that could properly moisturise my tight curls. And from there, Holy Curls was born.

What was the process of creating your brand?

We started developing the products in 2017. Then followed a long period of testing to create something that truly worked on all curl textures. The shampoo alone took 9 month to get just right. I knew exactly what I wanted the products and the brand to be, so I took my time to get it perfect. Two years later we launched – in May 2019.

What are the success and highlights that you’ve had, since the launch of Holy Curls?

It has been the overwhelming amount of positive feedback we got since launching just over a year ago. We’re now stocked in 8 countries and we’re soon to launch in Liberty London which is beyond exciting. We were also nominated for Best Afro Hair Care Brand in the Sunday Times Style Beauty Award this year.  

What makes Holy Curls different to other brands, that are caring for curly and kinky girls?

We’re blessed to have lots of brands that carry products that cater specifically to curly and kinky hair, but as a conscious shopper, I’d been on a search for one that brought something fresh and inspiring to the table. Holy Curls is a brand for those who are looking for a bit more in their beauty routine. This is reflected in our brand aesthetic and in the way we speak to and relate to our customers

 Holy Curls is a concept that goes beyond hair care products. My mission is to push boundaries within this sphere of the beauty industry and create a diverse and inclusive community of curly babes who aren’t afraid to say things as they are. Besides amazing products designed especially for all curl types, it’s a brand advocating sustainability, natural beauty, individuality and freedom of expression.

There’s been a lot of hair type discrimination in the natural hair community, what are your thoughts on it?

We’ve come a long way, but beauty “ideals” still persist. I think that kinky curls especially get labeled as “bad” hair as we’re made to believe that curly hair needs to be bouncy and well defined. I still struggle sometimes to accept that my hair will never be that. I think brands in this space have a big responsibility in changing these ideals by representing all curl textures and educating people on how to work with the texture that they’ve got rather than promising results that may never be achievable for particular hair texture. 

What are your tips for healthy hair?

Doing your research to fully understand your hair type and its needs. Finding the right products that nourish and protect your hair.

What does “good” hair mean to you?

 All hair is good hair if you know what your hair needs and how to care for it properly.

What is the future of your brand?

We’ve only been going for over a year and there are so many exciting things coming up. We’re launching a Hair Mask in the next month and we have other exciting product launches, collaborations and events coming up. This is really just the beginning for Holy Curls.

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