OUR STORY

 Gwen Zwane, the visionary behind Lafezeka Cosmetics, hails from the humble township of Bhekuzulu in Vryheid, KwaZulu Natal. Gwen's journey is a testament to her determination and resilience. Her professional journey began in IT as a Data Analyst before transitioning into the renewable energy sector. Now, she has found her calling in the beauty industry.

My firstborn (Dr. Samke Ndlovu) struggled with sensitive skin growing up and most hair products on shelves were giving her allergies and scalp burns from relaxers. I couldn't find products in the small town of Vryheid to manage her hair and scalp issues. I was a teen mother and I couldn't afford any expensive products. As the result, I turned in ingredients that I could find in my kitchen.

What started in our kitchen as a desire to use natural ingredients that would make hair stronger and healthier at an affordable price? The journey grew into a passion to plug (share) our love for natural, homemade, and safe hair products on a larger scale, so that everyone regardless of time and budget, could benefit from real, nutrient-rich products for healthy, thriving hair and scalp.

We began the research and formulation process using natural, raw, and organic ingredients with the assistance of my daughter Dr. Samke Ndlovu, who was using her freshly obtained medical knowledge to ensure safe, natural, and healthy ingredients.

Since there was limited funding from our savings to launch the business, I had to use my skills in IT to save costs. I began by designing the Lafezeka logo, the product label, graphics, branding and digital marketing. We started to sell the product at our workplace and with the assistance of our friend Simphiwe Nzuza, we expanded to my home town Vryheid and Bloemfontein which then expanded to other provinces. After a month in business, we joined the Takealot family. Takealot has been a huge part of our journey assisting us in getting our product into destinations we’ve never been to before and discovering new customers beyond word of mouth or finding it online.