According to a study by Superdrug, 70% of Black British women  feel that high street brands don’t cater for their beauty needs. This includes hairdressing as finding the right hairdresser can be a pain, especially in areas with low levels of diversity. One enterprising lady decided to do something about it, and launched Nyuri, an online search directory for hairdressers.

Most hair professionals are discovered by word of mouth recommendations or friends of friends so if you’re in a situation where you have neither of those, it can be tough to find a stylist you trust. We love seeing the increasing numbers of entreprenuers who having recognised the gap in the market, and have decided to do something about it. Some of those we have previously featured include: The Black Hair Book, NoScrunchie, Tressfree.

This article focuses on the latest brand to join this industry.

What is Nyuri?

Nyuri is a free directory that links men as well as women up to Afro-Caribbean hair services nearby, filtered by postcode and distance. Stretching all the way from Aberdeen to Plymouth, there are about 400 listings, catering for those who live in towns where black hairdressing is niche or difficult to find.

A play on the Swahili word “Uzuri” meaning beauty, the site was launched by Shani Austin-Williams. In an article she wrote for Gal-dem, she said: “Having always assumed that I would never be able to get my hair done in areas outside of London, it became the norm to wait until I was back in London in order to get my hair maintained. The idea for the website came when faced with a dilemma of being outside of London and desperately needing to get my hair dyed.” 

“The theme of under-representation and lack of inclusivity for people of colour in the UK stretches into all aspects of beauty, with 70 percent of British women of colour feeling let down by high-street beauty retailers. These figures are very disappointing considering black women make up 80 percent of the total hair product sales in the UK and spend six times more on cosmetics than any other group.”

Nyuri search directory

Exposure for hair professionals

Nyuri, is not only a problem-solving directory for people living in areas that lack many hairdressers for black and mixed-race hair, it’s a great promo tool for hair professionals needing a platform.

Many hairdressers work remotely and have mobile services so being listed on the directory also gives them exposure. Being able to promote independent businesses that really do a good job is also a plus for the client.

Shani added: “With so many of us spreading our wings and going to universities or working much farther afield, why shouldn’t we be able to find the services we want, exactly when we need them?”

Visit the Nyuri website

 

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