One of the most frequent questions I am asked by people living in Southern Africa is where to get some of the hair supplies that all the blogs and websites in the UK and North America talk about. obviously, answering that question for myself and others, was one of the major inspirations behind starting this blog.

For some reason, going natural seems to lead people to being natural in many other areas of their lives also. They want to take better care of their hair, recognising the benefits of natural products. Most stores do not cater for natural hair customers, so usually, you must make an extra effort to look for the right stuff. Much of what I am going to post here, relates to Lusaka, but if you live in any African city, these are some of your best places to start. You will definitely find them where you are too.

DIY Conditioners
Supermarkets – and major supermarket will stock the basic food ingredients such as honey, olive oil etc
Indian and Greek owned stores – these kinds of stores are more likely to have coconut oil and milk, and in Greek stores a wider variety of olive oils and some of the other oils such as sesame, almond, avocado etc that you may not find in a regular supermarket. In Lusaka, head to Melisa supermarket (especially the Kabulonga branch). or Gandhi’s in town or Adam’s spice shop. The coconut oil that is sold for cooking is more pure (extra virgin) than the one you may find in a chemist/pharmacy.
Health-food Shops – they will stock almost all of the specialised products, but at a much higher cost
Seventh Day Adventist stockists – on account of the church’s promotion of healthy living, you will find many products like Aloe Vera from Adventist stockists. It is not a coincidence that many health-food stores are owned and operated by Adventists.
Market – the good old market sells products from all over, often packaged into smaller portions/sizes than in the supermarket or store.

Styling Tools
This includes combs, brushes, spray bottles, hair ties/scrunchies, barrettes, slides,

Gardening Section – the gardening section is the best place to get a spray bottle
Pharmacy – these tend to have a great selection of combs, brushes etc
Supermarket – almost all the basics are here, what you don’t find here, you can get in the pharmacy
Market – Last month, I visited all the major supermarkets and pharmacies looking for a particular type of wide tooth comb. I found it deep in Northmead market.

Hair Products
This includes products such as shampoos, conditioners, hair oils etc.

Pharmacy – These are likely to have more specialised products such as herbal shampoo and conditioner, a wider selection of anti-dandruff products etc.
Supermarket – It’s a one stop shop and tends to stock a variety of brands, which is important so that you buy the correct product for your hair.