One business in Gillingham is calling for more support from the Government, as it hopes to cater to the needs all Black and Minority Ethnic hairstyles.
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00:00When we have a good hair day, it can play a huge role in our self-esteem. But for Temi,
00:10who's lived in Medway for three years, her hair means more than just that. It's part
00:15of her Nigerian identity. It makes her who she is. But she says she can't always take
00:20care of it because of a lack of black hair and beauty products in the county.
00:24It means a lot to me because it's like who I am as a person. Yes, I wear wigs, but I
00:29like to have a good growth and care underneath the wigs for my natural hair. Even simple
00:34as this test goes, you don't really have some products that you can get if you were in London.
00:40And I also haven't really seen shops around to know that, oh yeah, I can go to this shop.
00:45I normally go back home because sometimes here I might have to order online through
00:49Amazon, which isn't the best because that's next day delivery when you want it then. It's
00:54quite a long process. I just want more shops that tailor to black businesses as well.
01:00And it's not just Temi who feels that there's a limited availability for textured hair products,
01:05as even some business owners agree.
01:07We sell a lot of goodies for ladies, not only for ladies, so we do for men as well. Basically
01:13here in Gillingham, we're the only shop here in Gillingham. And then we have another one
01:17in Chatham. So basically, or generally, within Medway, we don't count, if I would say, we
01:23don't have enough. So I think we need more shops like this. And we need more of African
01:28people to come out to do business. And then we want the government to please. Government
01:35grant is very important for us. So if you have more grants, if you have more funding,
01:41and I think we should be able to have more shops like this.
01:44I might be stood here surrounded by loads of different hair products here at Eunice's
01:49But it doesn't mean it's the same up and down the high street. In fact, Eunice says that
01:53there's not enough variety and that organisations and businesses need to do better in providing
01:58the hair and beauty products that the African and Caribbean community here in Kent want
02:02and need.
02:04In a statement, the government said ensuring everyone can reach their full potential is
02:07key to growing the economy. It says its start-up loans are helping people struggling to access
02:12finance as they've issued 20% of its loans to those from a BAME background.
02:17But many, like Temi, hope that it will be closer to home the next time that they need
02:21to buy basic products to look after their hair and ask for business owners to be more
02:25considerate of all communities.
02:27Mahima Abedin for KMTV in Gillingham.