Nthabisang Moreosele
Nthabisang Moreosele
Mohau Mokoena's sisters indulged him so much that they let him play around with their hair. They did not realise that they were encouraging a talent that would make him one of the top 10 hair stylists in the country
"I started working with hair at the age of 14 when I practised on my sisters. I used to visit the Sister G Salon in Heidelberg to watch what the hairdressers were doing. Then they let me work there on weekends and after school," Mokoena said.
Mokoena is a matriculant and holds several certificates in his profession. He is based in Heidelberg, Johannesburg, and has his own hair salon. He is a Gauteng Golden Scissors finalist but hopes to pick up the best hairstylist trophy in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, next year.
He has been a finalist for the last three years but feels that his time has come.
"I attended courses at Softsheen Carson, Kaival and Black Like Me. I still go for refresher courses - one can never learn enough. My clients are happy because I am creative. Students who want to be hairdressers must have a passion for hair," he said.
Mokoena said it helps to learn other related skills like cosmetics, manicure and pedicure and fashion. He has released a DVD on hair texture, colour, cut and bonding which is on sale to other stylists. He is already recording a second DVD for next year.
His most notable success was styling Baby Mokoena, a finalist in the Miss Limpopo competition last year.
"I have also dressed contestants during the Miss Ukhozi FM, Miss Kaizer Chiefs and others," he said.