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Smangele Sibisi, founder and creator of Indalo Nubian Naturals: a natural hair salon that boasts in the grooming and maintaining of authentic, ethnic, African hair. Born and bred in Kagiso, Krugersdorp, Smangele’s passion in hair started at the tender age of 9, thereafter making the daring decision to turn that passion into a career. Defined as a zealous and driven business woman, Smangele has been known to have an unconventional method and approach to the maintenance of natural hair. Accompanied with an extensive experience of a hands-on workforce, her dedication to working for other salons in her early years developed the passion and knowledge we have now come to appreciate and is on demand. Smangele’s love for maintaining natural hair is seen in client satisfaction and endless recommendations amongst naturals, for when one thinks tough labour, hard to love, limiting, unprofessional and time consuming, she thinks innovative, eccentric and understated. In 2016, Smangele’s passion for hair propelled her to open her hair salon in Johannesburg, which thereafter branched to Pretoria in 2018. She is admired for her ambition as a young black woman, with a philanthropic heart that gives back. Smangele started her NGO focusing on the transcendence of young girls in needing a magical touch with the sponsoring of hair, make up and transportation for their matric dances. 

Smangele’s personal milestones in her career involve being nominated for Best Female Hairstylist of the Year in the African Hair Awards 2018. In the transcendence of her career and expertise in the specialisation of natural hair, she has hosted natural hair events, and recent training sessions facilitated to grow the knowledge of treating natural hair. She has been featured in talks throughout South Africa that focus on the grooming and taking care of natural hair hosted by mainstream natural hair ambassadors and brands. Smangele has been undoubtedly the preferred hairstylist to well-known personalities in the South African entertainment landscape, such as Claire Mawisa, Rami Chuene, Zenande Mfenyane, Renate Stuurman, Siwe Dweba, Lady X, Sindi Dlathu, Buhlebendalo Mda, Stilo Magolide, just to name a few. With so many achievements to her name, Smangele has just started her career as a young entrepreneur.

Indalo Nubian Naturals is one of the few natural hair salons in South Africa based in Gauteng, with a booming number of 29 professionally groomed employees, to cater and take care of the fragile nature of natural black hair. The name ‘Indalo’ has been derived from the Zulu word that means “nature”, and has put the definition of the word in its full representative form through service and client satisfaction with the nature at which the business of hair has been carried out. Indalo first opened its doors to “naturalistas” around Johannesburg in 2016, where its services were centred around style and uniqueness to maintaining of natural hair. Indalo was founded by a Kagiso born and bred lady Smangele Sibisi, who started her tender career as a stylist in other salons, where she gathered skills in dreadlocks, natural hair styling and thereafter took up a managerial role, that prepared her for her big break as an entrepreneur. Indalo boasts in not only maintaining natural hair, but finds the best stylists who can express their colourful personalities that reflect in the results of the hair outcome.

With a considerable amount of followers and supporters, the salon has thereafter had a big increase in demand, when women across the country were beaming to be a part of the new hair revolution. Its 2nd doors opened in Pretoria in 2018, where Smangele not only gleefully made more women happy in their natural hair, but doors of employment for stylists opened. Indalo took part in the Africa International Hair Extravaganza Expo, where the event was covered glamorously by Top Billing.

Indalo has become first preference in product sampling for mainstream natural hair products that have been manufactured locally, for the Southern African textured hair. 

 This had been a difficult decision to make due to the unfortunate effects of the South African Lockdown caused by COVID-19. 

 

Smangele Sibisi, owner of Indalo Nubian Naturals has sadly been led to the decision to close one of her salons. The COVID19 Pandemic really had a negative impact on the turn over of the salons that has led us into closing down our first branch in johannesburg. When we go back to work, it will be only the Pretoria salon that functions, we are asking for any amount of donation, to help save our Johannesburg salon, save our employees salaries. 

This will help rebuild our salon again, this will mean no one will be left with no job, this will mean our employees will have a home again to call and definitely this will help us gain a home for our clients who used to visit our Johannesburg salon. My hope and dream is to eliminate the numbers of youth unemployment and this will definitely do just that.

The funding will be used for a new space (rental plus deposit), shop fittings, in salon stock to use and salon equipment.

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