Lani Masuku - Phro Group

When it comes to growing African hair we all know that the struggle is real but, for a lucky few with either good genes or a good hairdresser - “good hair” can be achievable. From experience, my  own hair has reduced me to tears on endless occasions, product after product not only depleted my merger bank account but even the few thin strands I was born with did not seem to respond to any form of pampering or pimping despite the vast amount of time I spent getting it done. I was literally at wits end, forget bad hair day, I was having a bad hair life! Enter Lani Masuku, entrepreneur extraordinaire when it comes to looking after natural African hair. Her best recommendation? Her own glossy jet black mane that would put a Revlon model to shame.

Lani has always been blessed with great hair, if she wasn't so generous with her secrets through her consultancy work with numerous hairdressers, her amusing blogs and informative YouTube channel it would be easy to hate her. Through her business Phro Group; an online business that is dedicated to supporting and providing advice to women with Afro hair on attaining healthy hair, Lani has recently launched her newest invention – The Aphro Comb. The Aphro comb is a multifunctional comb designed to nourish the scalp in ways that saves money and time.  It is said to be the most effective applicator bottle on the market for oiling the scalp and conditioning the roots.  

Recently, Phro Group has announced that they are embarking on a growth challenge with their clients and are inviting all women across the world going through some hair growth challenges to participate. We caught up with Lani to talk more about the Growth Challenge, hair tips and more.

Check out the interview below:

You offer some one on one consultancy through your online business  Phro Group. How does this work?

Phro Group is first and foremost a consultancy for people who are having issues with their hair, as well as for hairdressers who would like business support. A one on one consultation is the most effective and fastest way that I can provide carefully thought out and tailored support that caters to individuals’ unique needs. All consultations are conducted online, in the comfort of one’s home, where they are most comfortable. It gives a person a chance to really get comfortable sharing their hair secrets that they wouldn’t even share with their closest friends. Comfort and privacy are the basis of all my consultations.

Each consultation is an hour long and gives my clients time to go through their specific battle and how they have been coping with it. I then provide a tailored solution from over 5 years worth of experience consulting with 100s of women internationally.  I follow each consultation with 3 months worth of support, allowing both of us to see how effective the recommended changes have been and live through the results together.

Booking a private one on one Skype Consultation is easy, visit us at www.phrogroup.com/shop/skype-consulation  to make your reservation.

Is there a fee for this service and how much is it?
A consultation fee is $20. During this private hour, we go through the following things: understand how you got to the stage you are; introduce you to a tailored approach to fix the issue you’re currently facing; discover a new way of taking care of your hair and scalp and ensuring it fits into your lifestyle and provide a tailored approach to fix the root cause of your hair issue. We also provide follow up personal support for 3 months after the first consultation.

You have recently launched the “Aphro Comb” which is proving to be really popular. Can you tell us more about this product and why you came up with it?

The Aphro Comb is THE most effective oil applicator bottle on the market. It’s an innovative tool created to make it easier to nourish your scalp. It’s actually brought down my scalp treatment time to just 30 seconds. The Aphro Comb is important because it buys busy women time and it also saves them money. I love solution driven products, the Aphro Comb has really bought me back much needed time to do more important things with my time. I do love my hair, but I don’t want it to take over my life, which is why I love using this comb.

You are about to embark on a hair growth challenge with your followers. Can you tell us more about this?

The Growth Challenge is 5 years worth of knowledge on how to effectively grow hair shared with everyone that registers to join. Your readers can journey with me as I regrow my own hair in 2015. They will learn from a seasoned blogger and consultant the tricks to get past that dreaded ‘growth plateau’ that everyone has experienced at sometime.

The growth challenge introduces people to the right way of taking care of afro textured hair. We’ve tried a lot of ways that haven’t worked, this way is effective and people who join will see results. 

How can other people participate and where can the register?

Anyone with afro textured hair can join. They just need to visit us at www.phrogroup.com/grow-hair and register their interest. We are launching on the 1^st of December 2014.

What other products and programs are you working on?

Alongside the launch of this growth challenge, I will also be introducing people to my newest product range that is essential in hair and scalp care. Make sure to look out for it when we launch on 1 December!  

Having worked with thousands of women since you started, what has been the most common hair issue and what did you recommend?

The most common hair issue is hair breaking along a woman’s hairline due to styling, also known as traction alopecia. All the women that I’ve worked with personally have reversed damage to their hairline by simply nurturing their hairline back to health and then maintaining their hairline through a hair care routine that I formulated on my blog ‘the hairline challenge’.
If readers join the Growth Challenge, this is something that will be tackled during their hair journey in 2015. 

What are your “must have” hair products?

Staples for any household would be Castor Oil, Shea Butter and Coconut Oil … they are so versatile, but most importantly have been organically formulated to effectively nourish your scalp and your hair. A well-nourished head of hair will realise real growth.

What are some of the most common mistakes that women make in regards to caring for their hair?

There are so many, and I think they are just symptoms to the one big mistake that drives our hair decisions. That mistake is the belief that African hair is hard to maintain. Consequently, we make bad decisions based on that premise. So my growth challenge, and really why Phro Group exists, is to erase that initial premise and introduce a new order, ‘our hair is beautiful, versatile and like any gentle fibre, needs to be treated really gently.’ I truly believe and have witnessed time and time again that when you nourish your hair the right way, it will attain health.

For more about Phro Group, visit www.phrogroup.com. Check out her her YouTube channel and subscribe.

Author - Mini

Images : Lani Masuku

#Miniandchar  #PhroGroup   #LaniMasuku 

Brian Lunga - Photographer and American Football Coach

Years ago, a father presented his son with a Nikon film camera. That one gift sparked in his son an interest in photography that grew into a passion for the art of capturing images. Almost two decades later, Brian Lunga is making a name for himself as the owner and head photographer at Brian Lunga Photography. 

In his career as a photographer, Brian has photographed high profile people like Pope Benedict XVI and major events like the 2011 England Riots. Despite the experience of covering major events, Brian specializes in wedding photography stating, “I get a buzz from the whole wedding atmosphere. The tension, the love, the emotions, the nerves…you feel it all from everyone…” 

In addition to photography, Brian is an American Football player and coach. Having started playing football at university in 2007, he has kept it up and currently plays for the Sandwell Steelers. When he is not on the field playing, he coaches the Worcestor Royals, the University of Worcestor’s American Football team. 

Brian is also an award nominated radio presenter; having been nominated for ZAA Best Presenter Award in 2012. The nomination was for his work on Visions Radio where he was involved in the hosting, presentation and production of three radio shows. 

Read more details of Brian’s story in the interview below. 

So, who is Brian Mduduzi and what is your raison d’etre? Where are you based?

Mduduzi, which means ‘comfort’ (for those that don’t know), is the soft, gentle, rational half. Brian on the other hand is the go getter, aggressively passionate and has tendencies of losing logic from time to time.

I am based in Birmingham, UK. 

What is a typical day in the life of Brian?

The day starts off with a morning gym session three times a week, on the other four days I walk instead. I have a shower, meditate, have breakfast, check emails and newspapers; from there each day is different. It would vary from photographing to meetings and just laughter.

You are the owner & head photographer at Brian Lunga Photography; how did you get into photography? Is it something you were always interested in?

My first love for photography was in 1999 when my dad bought a Nikon film camera. 15 years later it still takes beautiful photographs. I rekindled my love for photography in 2009 where I picked up a Nikon D70 and from there one thing lead to another.

What types of photography services do you provide?

I provide mainly wedding photography services. I get a buzz from the whole wedding atmosphere. The tension, the love, the emotions, the nerves; you feel it all from everyone and you feel it for everyone too. 

I recently got married and I was particularly worried about having smart phones, iPads & cameras showing up in the professional photos of me walking down the aisle. What is your photography pet peeve? 

My photography pet peeve is people trying to direct how I should do my job. You have a lot of people with DSLR cameras nowadays and they all think they are professionals. Thankfully the end result always shows the difference. 

Do you do celebrity photography aka paparazzi shots? Who’s the biggest celebrity you’ve papped & what’s the biggest event you’ve photographed?

I am not a paparazzo. The risk factor is too much, you can spend a few days without actually getting good shots that can be used by the media. Would you class Pope Benedict XVI as a celebrity? If so, he is the biggest celeb I have photographed. The two biggest events I have photographed were of the England riots that took place in 2011 and Britain’s Next Top Model Live 2009.

Up until recently you were in broadcasting, producing and presenting at Visions Radio. What was your show about?

I had three shows at Visions Radio. I had the ‘Love Zone’ which I produced and presented myself, it was mostly about connecting lovers and family in different parts of the world.

I co-hosted ‘Dr Love’ which was centred on relationship problems and a panel trying to help solve them. I also co-produced and co-presented ’Talking Soccer/Talking Football’. It was an amazing experience which was facilitated by Ezra Sibanda and Eric Knight. I also got nominated for the ZAA Best Presenter Award in 2012.

Why did you leave broadcasting and is it something that you will get back into in the future? 

I wouldn’t say I left broadcasting as I still help out once in a while with a few stations around. I think I may go back soon especially to try facilitate a show like ‘Talking Soccer/Talking Football’. The show had amazing support from all parts of the world. 

At the moment you’re an American football player and coach. That’s on the other end of the spectrum from photography & broadcasting. When did you start playing American football?

It is not the other end of spectrum (in my thinking) haha. Reason I say so is that everything I get involved in mainly involves interacting with a lot of people from different backgrounds.

I currently play for Sandwell Steelers. I started playing American football in 2007 for the university team the Greenwich Mariners.

Which team/s do you coach? How does your team rank in their league?

I am currently a running backs coach with the Worcester Royals who are a university team (University of Worcester). They are a brilliant bunch of lads who this past season (roughly Sept to March) made history by recording their first win in 32 games. They went on to win two other matches finishing the season with 3 wins and 5 loses the best season since the team was formed in 2009.

How do you keep your players motivated? Is there a ritual that you follow pre & post match?

I think player motivation comes from you showing belief in them all the time no matter how bad they seem to have prepared or played. That unwavering belief slowly makes them grow and believe in themselves. My pre game ritual is to individually shake every member of the team’s hand just before kick off.

In Australia there is ‘Mad Monday’, where Australian football players celebrate the end of the season in what would be described as a “go hard or go home” approach to partying. What do you and your teammates do to celebrate the end of the season?

Our ‘Mad Monday’ is every week haha. We try have socials every so often. We usually have an awards night which always promises good food, good fun and a lot of falling over in the early hours.

What’s next for Brian?

Well I guess I have to conquer the world now haha. This year has been brilliant, I have a few things lined up in the pipeline. Just follow me on my Facebook (Mdu Brian Lunga) and Instagram (brian_lunga) to keep updated.

How do we get in touch with you for photography services?

You can email me on contact@brianlungaphotography.com or my Facebook page Brian Lunga Photography.

Author: Char Images: Brian Lunga

#nov. 10 2014#brian lunga#brian lunga photography#american football#visions radio#mini & char#november 2014