Hairstylist | Anita Makanye Onalo

Afrocentric hairstyles and a philosophy that encourages self-expression and confidence. Anita is redefining the world of hair and empowering her clients to wear their true selves with pride

Words Khaya

Anita was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. While studying law for her university degree she started experimenting on doing her own hair which caught the attention of her schoolmates and strangers, and a good number of people would inquire about where she got her hair done and would request her to do their hair for them and that’s how she unintentionally started her hair business.

Khaya: What is your hairstyling philosophy? I’d love to know if there’s a particular style or approach that truly resonates with you and defines your work?

My hair philosophy is being unconventional (breaking societal rules and expectations regarding hair). I’m a big advocate of people exploring outside of their comfort zone, especially when it comes to Afrocentric hairstyles. Western influence has made us believe that our Afrocentric hairstyles are not professional or not acceptable to be worn outside of photoshoots so I would really like to contribute to the breaking of those ideologies and seeing more people wearing Afro hairstyles loud and proud in rebellion to what we’ve been made to believe. 

K: What would you consider the most valuable piece of advice for achieving beautiful hairstyles?

My most valuable advice in achieving beautiful hairstyles is ‘wear the hairstyle, don't let the hairstyle wear you’. What I mean by this is whatever hairstyle you do, you need to have the confidence and radiance as the wearer to bring out the beauty in it. I always say I can look good in any hairstyle and that’s because regardless of the style I will always wear it and it’s always worked out this far.

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K: What do you think is the toughest part of your job, and how do you approach those challenges?

The toughest part of my job is definitely learning to work with different personalities, temperaments and a variety of emotions that your clients could be dealing with, for example high pressure situations like weddings. I approach those challenges by trying to be as stoic and empathetic as possible. I try keep my cool so that I’m able to manage the situation and aim for the best outcomes when it comes to service delivery.

K: How do you keep up with the latest hairstyle trends—are you all about staying in the know, or do you prefer to set the trends yourself and let others follow your lead?

When it comes to trends I like to maintain a good balance between creating and recreating. I’m able to pull a lot of Inspos from social media platforms like Pinterest and TikTok. When it comes to creating I like to take the time conceptualizing an idea and then executing it.

K: Who are some of your favorite hairstylists in the industry, and what makes them stand out to you? 

I admire the work of many hairstylists and especially some of my friends and local stylists so I can’t really say I have a favourite.

What I enjoy the most about being a hairstylist is the power to transfer confidence to the people that sit on my chair. I always say I’m selling confidence packaged as a hairstyle. I also really love being part of various milestones of clients who have been with me over the years, from birthdays, to graduations, to weddings, to baby showers: being able to have walked multiple journeys with people is heartwarming and purposeful.