Charlotte Mensah

Charlotte Mensah is a British/Ghanaian hairstylist. She is the beauty industry's authority on natural, textured and mixed heritage Afro hair. She is the founder and creative director of Hair Lounge , the boundary pushing hair salon on London's fashionably eclectic Portobello Road. In November 2018 she became the first black woman to be inducted into the British Hairdressing Hall of Fame.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Early Life and Education

Mensah was born in the United Kingdom. She attended London College of Fashion.[7] Mensah's love for hair grew more after she lost her mother at age 13 and was left with the responsibility of helping her younger sister with her hair.

Career

In a career that spans close to three decades Charlotte has won numerous accolades. Her expertise is constantly in demand in the UK, Europe as well as globally. Her wide-ranging clientele include prominent fashion and beauty editors, high profile names across the arts such as Zadie Smith Eve, Lorraine Pascale, Joy Bryant, Janelle Monae, Edward Enninful, Erykah Baddu & Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and International HNW clients. Charlotte and her eponymous brand have been featured extensively in numerous prestigious publications including Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Refinery 29 and Tatler. Elle recently profile her on The Elle List, a feature that celebrates the game changers reframing the world of fashion, beauty, culture, politics and tech'.

Her foray into the world of hairstyling began in the 80’s honing her skills under the watchful eye of Winston Issac; aka The Godfather of British Afro Hairdressing. In 1999, with funding awarded by The Prince’s Trust, Charlotte set up her own salon, Hair Lounge. Today, her modern, forward thinking approach to afro hair care is lauded by industry insiders and tastemakers; Hair Lounge is the ultimate destination for perfectly coiffured afro/mixed heritage hair. As the industry’s foremost authority on textured hair, Charlotte consults for numerous prestigious global hair care brands that include L’Oreal and GHD. She has collaborated with respected publications, such as Elle, Stylist and Refinery 29, on various high profile projects.

2016 saw the launch of the award winning and industry acclaimed Charlotte Mensah hair care range. This luxurious line has been created specifically to meet the needs of natural, Afro and curly hair textures. Paying homage to her London/Ghanaian upbringing, the British made brand has been formulated using innovative, organic and sustainable ingredients sourced from around the African continent.

Beyond Charlotte’s entrepreneurial prowess also lies a heart for philanthropy and education. The Charlotte Mensah Academy gives young people in Ghana the opportunity to learn hair styling skills so they can create and sustain a form of income for themselves and their families. Charlotte has also set up a charity, L.O.V.E. (Ladies of Visionary Empowerment) aimed at furthering education opportunities for young women in Africa

Awards

Some of the awards she has won for her work include:[8][1][2][9]

  • 2012 - Weave Stylist of the Year and Hair Stylist of the Year at Beauty/Sensationnel Hair Awards
  • 2013 - UK's best Afro Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards
  • 2014 - UK's best Afro Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards
  • 2017 - UK's best Afro Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards

Philanthropy

Charlotte Mensah Academy

She founded the Charlotte Mensah Academy, through which she organises workshops to train young, less fortunate individuals in Ghana her skill.[10][11][12]

Ladies of Visionary Empowerment (LOVE)

She also founded the Ladies of Visionary Empowerment which aims at furthering education opportunities and empowerment for young women in Africa.[10]

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References
  1. "First black woman to be inducted into the British Hairdressers Hall of fame is a Ghanaian". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  2. Effah, K. (2019-01-27). "The Ghanaian hairdresser inducted into the British Hairdressing hall of fame". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  3. Samuel, Amegavi (2018-11-28). "BHA Hall Of Fame: Meet the first black woman to be inducted!". Glam Africa. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  4. "This Black Hair Stylist Just Made British History". PAPER. 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  5. "Charlotte Mensah Is The First Black Woman To Be Inducted Into The British Hairdressing Awards Hall Of Fame". British Vogue. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  6. "Teaching how to care for afro hair". BBC News. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  7. Kia, Kara (2019-08-02). "Here's How Charlotte Mensah Became 1 of the Most Sought-After Black Hairstylists in the UK". POPSUGAR Beauty UK. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  8. "GHANAIAN CHARLOTTE MENSAH WINNER OF STYLIST OF THE YEAR & WEAVE STYLIST OF THE YEAR AT BLACKBEAUTY/SENSATIONNEL AWARDS LONDON". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  9. "Ghanaian CHARLOTTE MENSAH is the toast of the UK's Afro Hairdressing Industry". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  10. "Charlotte Mensah". Hairtribe. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  11. "The First Black Female Hairdresser is Inducted into the BHA Hall of Fame". Dazed Digital. 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  12. "charlotte mensah Archives". ThandieKay. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
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