“We take a lot of decisions and we’re quite independent. How are we so afraid of what people might say about our natural hair?” says Doaa Gawish, Founder of The Hair Addict. Growing up, many Egyptian women faced immense criticism for their curly hair, from school teachers or family friends bullying them into straightening it to look more presentable, or parents not knowing how to take care of their daughters’ hair and considering it messy or “too frizzy”. In 2016, Gawish, who has curly hair herself, started a closed group on Facebook as a community to “help people explore natural hair care methods in order to regain the health of their hair”. “All of us used to blow dry our hair once, twice, thrice a week in order to make it look perfect and sleek. I thought why not start this community where I can help people by sharing my experience about natural hair care remedies,” Gawish tells Egyptian Streets. Initially, Gawish had a corporate job and did not think her community of promoting self-love could someday turn into a product company. But as the community grew bigger, with other…
The Hair Addict: Egypt’s People-Powered Natural Hair Platform Promoting Self-Love
December 8, 2021
