Jabu Stone turns to tradition to develop natural hair and skincare products

JOHANNESBURG - The natural hair movement has reshaped the global beauty industry and in South Africa, one name stands out as a pioneer.

For more than 30 years Jabu Stone has championed African hair in its natural form, from creating products inspired by indigenous traditions to challenging stereotypes about locs.

Stone, a graduate in Electrical Engineering Light, developed a deep interest in hair in the late 1970s after attending part-time seminars at FUBA (Federated Union of Black Artists). There, he first encountered locs and fell in love with the hairstyle.

He became concerned about how African men and women were flattening their natural hair texture with harmful relaxers, perms, and other products, thereby denying its beauty.

“I was disheartened since my new hairstyle was not understood by the community. My imagination was stirred by the style I had always adored, even more so when I joined my sister in the 1990s, when she opened a hair salon in Benoni that specialized in relaxers and perms,” Stone recalled.

This motivated him to research natural African hairstyles. He discovered that dreadlocks were not simply a byproduct of Rastafarianism, but rather a fashion as old as the African people themselves. He realised that African hair naturally wanted to lock, but the community had grown intolerant of this look due to westernised ideals.

He explained that the concept of cultivated locs - creating locs of uniform size - was born out of this understanding. To support this, his team developed hair products designed to protect against the sun’s UV rays and keep the scalp moisturised.

“Locs do require time to grow and mature. Instead of putting too much strain on your hair, which can result in a receding hairline, be patient and wear a convenient hairstyle, like a wig, to allow your locs to grow,” Stone advised.

Jabu Stone Natural Hair Care has now introduced a distinctive line of products inspired by West African skincare traditions.

“Jabu Stone African Black Soap is a line of hair products with amazing benefits, and we source our ingredients locally. They are rich in oils that fight bacteria and are derived from plants. We make use of aloe ferox, a hardy and nutrient-dense plant indigenous to South Africa’s southern regions.”

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