After a traumatising experience for her toddler at a hair salon, Tebogo Moche set out to create products that could make hair care for children easier and less painful.
Today, she is the owner of Lunako Bontle Kids Salon, a space catering solely to children between the ages of two and 12.
The Midrand-based entrepreneur said she started her business in 2020 after working in politics and youth development. Inspired by her children's hair care needs, she started experimenting with organic products, with the hope of selling them to other parents.
Lunako Bontle, a combination of Tshivenda and Setswana words for beauty, is an organic skin and hair care range made for children. Products include shampoos, conditioners, and hair oils.
“I named my business because it's a family of organic products that come together to make your body and your hair look beautiful. Its main essence is to journey with what is organic and just reinstate your skin, your hair, to originally what it was supposed to be,” she said.
Starting the business, Moche manufactured the products at home, but with little knowledge of the process her first few attempts “flopped”.
“I started mixing stuff [like] shea butter. Found a supplier for those kinds of things. I didn't understand how to keep them on shelves. So, with no preservatives they go black after some time,” she said.
To mitigate this challenge, she started looking for an organic formulation school where she could learn how to properly manufacture the products. Once this was dealt with, Moche found other issues that could possibly hinder the business.
Getting parents to trust that her products would be safe was an uphill battle. As Lunako Bontle was not yet on the shelves at retail stores, Moche said it took a lot of convincing for the clients to trust her.
“Sourcing raw material in South Africa is not the easiest, but as the years have gone by I've discovered a lot of different places where I can source material. However, it's quite expensive to get these raw materials, so when you price your product, it also becomes a barrier between you and your client.”
Poor regulation of cosmetic products was another hurdle for Moche that led to people not trusting products that claim to be organic.
Seeing parents sleeping on the beanbags and children refusing to go home make me believe that I am pursuing something that makes a difference
— Tebogo Moche, owner of Lunako Bontle Kids Salon
“Anybody can claim that they're using organic products when they are actually not, and they can give us a bad name, you know? So it's just those things that you investigate and realise their impact on smaller businesses.”
Despite these obstacles, the business saw exponential growth over the years, with Moche pursuing another opportunity to grow Lunako Bontle in 2023. After looking for space at shopping malls to open a salon, she was approached by the owners of Forest Hill City, a shopping centre in Centurion, to open her salon as part of its SME support programme.
She said this was where parents got the opportunity to experience the products and allow them to see the benefits.
“And I think that's where I got my big break, we could showcase what we could do. To make the experience unique for parents and their children we don't use heating tools like blow dryers, which contribute to why children are scared to get their hair done.”
She added that the décor at the salon was playful and inviting for children, making it feel like a safe environment.
“Seeing parents sleeping on the beanbags and children refusing to go home make me believe that I am pursuing something that makes a difference.”
After the closure of Forest Hill City Mall — a blow for the business — Moche introduced house calls for parents to have their children’s hair done in the comfort of their own homes. The business currently has three employees and is looking to hire a fourth person.
“While we are only offering the house-call option now, we are finalising agreements with another mall for a new location.”
Long-term, Moche wants to open a “mommy and me” salon that would allow parents to get massages while they wait for their children. She also wants to grow the manufacturing space where they operate to create more products.
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