A Birmingham-based haircare company has transformed her own hair journey into an international sustainable brand designed to help people embrace their natural curls, with support from Lloyds Bank.
The now CEO and founder of Flora & Curl, Rose Ovensehi, decided to stop chemically treating her textured hair in 2011 after her scalp was damaged from years of processing and straightening her hair. Looking for a more natural product and struggling to find many on the market, she then began creating her own DIY haircare recipes, documenting the journey on her own blog. After asking her followers “what is your biggest hair problem?”, more than 300 responses cited dry hair and breakage.
This was a turning point for Rose. Realising there was a more widespread need for natural products for textured hair, Rose decided to explore how she could turn creating recipes at her mum’s kitchen table into a business.
Rose spent experimented and formulated a streamlined line of nourishing haircare products for textured hair, using botanical and herbal ingredients. From Brazilian oils to Ghanaian butters, the products were designed to simplify the daily routine for curly, wavy and textured hair.
Rose transitioned from working in transport planning, and into running the business full time with the launch of three products.
While order numbers continued to grow – 100% year-on-year – Rose approached Lloyds Bank, securing an Invoice Finance facility. This allowed the business to fund larger orders with longer lead times, supporting Flora & Curl’s long-term goal of growing by 30% year-on-year.
Today, the collection has expanded and includes mists, detangling lotions, shampoos, and conditioners and are available in more than 500 Boots stores across the UK. The business also sells via its website to customers to more than 80 countries including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands with plans to expand its retail placements in the US in the works.
A 16-strong team are now behind the brand, with positions for two additional employees to take on marketing and operational roles currently live.
Despite the initial success of the business, Rose continues to listen to customer feedback and a full rebrand has been in the works for the past two years, addressing the increased demand for sustainable products. All products are made in the UK using infinitely recyclable aluminium bottles, which reduces the plastic content of the packaging, while all orders are shipped in eco-friendly boxes. Flora & Curl also commits to growing trees in partnership with WeForest, with whom they’ve grown over 20,000 trees.
Rose Ovensehi, founder and CEO of Flora & Curl, said: “Our recent rebrand is testament to the power of listening to feedback. Because of this, we’ve been able to offer our customers what they want and create a progressive sustainable plan that makes a difference, a real win-win.
“When orders started to increase, I knew I needed financial support to take Flora & Curl to the next level. The support from Lloyds Bank has allowed me to take on much larger orders and build the brand on an international level.
“Through my business and its success, as a woman-owned business, I want to empower women both in the world of work, and my customers to be the best version of themselves. I think my own natural hair is beautiful and I will continue working to help others with textured hair realise how they can embrace their natural curls and do it in the most sustainable way possible.”
Noshad Khowaja, relationship director at Lloyds Bank, said: “Rose and the team at Flora & Curl are incredibly inspirational, especially for other women in manufacturing. By taking her own hair journey and identifying a gap in the market for all-natural products, Rose has created an international brand with exciting plans for continued growth.
“Women account for just over a quarter (26%) of all workers in the manufacturing sector* so it’s essential that we’re supporting these businesses to scale and capitalise on new growth opportunities. We’ve committed £15m to the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre (AMTC) to train 6,000 graduates, apprentices and engineers by 2030.
“We’ll continue to be by Flora & Curl’s side as it continues to evolve and bring in-demand products to market as well as others that are helping to shift the balance for women in the industry.”
