This story is featured in our March/April 2025 Beauty issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
My hair journey and my life journey are practically one and the same. As a child growing up in Ghana, I had to wear my hair short, like all the other boys and girls. The reason, we were told, was that teachers didn’t want us to be preoccupied with vanity. They wanted us to focus instead on our academic work. My grandmother, aunties or older siblings would wash my hair and oil it beautifully with shea butter. Then they’d use an Afro pick to comb it into a neat style.
When I moved to the U.K. at the age of 11, I was bullied terribly for being dark-skinned, having short hair and speaking with an African accent. I remember crying—and begging my mum to let me have my hair like the other girls in my class. They wore theirs relaxed, in cornrows or with beads. In response, she decided to thread my hair. The next day, when I walked into the classroom, three boys picked me up and hung me from the ceiling, saying my hair looked like an antenna. It was the worst day of my life. I remember getting in a fight later that week—and winning! After that, the bullying gradually tapered off.
Before my mother passed, around my 13th birthday, my journey as a hairstylist began. On weekends, I would do my sister’s hair. It was a way for us to bond and, eventually, to process our grief. My brothers recently reminded me that I overestimated my skills as a barber and took my brother Ronnie’s hairline back!
Aside from this, I had to manage my own hair. It was thick, and I tried cornrowing it myself. One day, my aunt took me to the hairdresser and gave me a curly perm as a birthday present. I loved it so much. My hair grew and grew, and I was thrilled with how easy it was to manage. I started experimenting with comb slides, hair clips and bands.
In high school, I opted to do an apprenticeship in hair and beauty. I worked at Splinters, a luxury salon for Black hair, under the tutelage of Winston Isaacs, a Black British hairdressing legend. In retrospect, I learned more about the business experience than I did about hair. But that has been the most important thing in helping me to reach the heights that I have. During that time, I also took my experimentation to another level. I played around with colors, relaxers and pixie cuts, inspired by Anita Baker, Halle Berry and Toni Braxton.
Then came the 1990s, with long braids, jumbo plaits, weaves—you name it. I absolutely loved changing my hairstyles. And in the aughts, I took the bold step of learning how to wear and care for my natural hair.
After Splinters, I worked at another prominent Black salon, called Terry Jacques, before getting pregnant and having to reroute. What that meant was moving to a new area and setting up my own shop wherever I could—namely, in the spare room of my flat. As my son grew, I decided to rent a chair in a local but vibrant European salon: 10500. I was brave enough to advocate for Afro, curly and textured hair, by claiming space in environments that typically ignored those styles. It took a lot of staying power for me to be successful in my efforts.
Next was Argo House, my first salon, thanks to a grant from the Prince’s Trust. It was a unit in a business center—and a goal I was able to realize with the resources I had available, limited financing, an expansive and growing customer base, and most of all, dreams bigger than I could even conceive. Now it’s been almost 25 years of having Hair Lounge, my current salon on Portobello Road—and almost 10 years of my award-winning and globally available product line, Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil.
During that time, I’ve worked with the likes of Erykah Badu, written the Natural Fix column for both Black Beauty and Black Hair magazines, and released my own book, Good Hair. I think I’ve done so well because I always try to keep it real, and that extends to my clientele. I believe in collaboration, and perhaps the clearest way I uplift my clients is to empower them to make the decisions they want for their hair. As a hairstylist, I love spending my days helping people with things that are important to them. I’ve learned that
this business is one founded upon relationships, first and foremost. Nobody forgets how you make them feel.
Speaking of keeping it real, I am all about promoting hair health—for both myself and my clients. My go-to healthy hair regimen is washing my tresses and following up with my Leave-In Hydrating Conditioner. I use the conditioner as part of the LOC method: applying leave-in, following with my Manketti Hair Oil, and finishing with our Manketti Oil Pomade for added moisture and hold. Lastly, I use my Manketti Oil Finishing Mist to set my style in place. It locks in moisture, offers anti-humidity protection and ensures a polished finish.
But beyond my routine, being honest with myself is what brings me the most confidence these days. Not all that glitters is gold. The goal is to feel good in your skin and your hair. I want that for everyone.
