Page 45 - Fiji Traveller Issue 2

By Sera Tikotikovatu-Sefeti

The tradition of spreading a sweet-smelling fragrance, such as yasi
(sandalwood) on the hair of Fijian brides and grooms at weddings has been
a tradition for many generations. This ageless method has been turned
into a contemporary business, the production of hair perfume, thanks to
entrepreneur Kristin Wells, the owner of Hair Grow Fiji.
The Tailevu entrepreneur started her business in the height of Covid. "I
decided to be brave and do something useful instead of dwelling on all the
terrible things happening around me back then," she says.
Wells previously worked in the beauty and fashion industries and has
surrounded herself with creative people.
“Hanging out with creatives and the ongoing conversations about personal
growth, not squandering opportunities that usually come our way, fostered
an excitement to have the courage to get started on ideas I already have,”
she shares. Kristin Wells
Fiji Hair Perfumes emerged after many conversations with her friends in
the hairdressing industry about the lack of local products for professional
use, considering the proliferation of traditional treatments people used at
home. As a way to preserve and share with future generations the remedies
her family uses, she developed a product based on a family formula. “
“So armed with the knowledge of traditional remedies, creative friends
in the industry, some savings, and a lot of prayers, I started with my first Armed with
product,” she says.
“We created a plant-based hair loss solution that we called ‘Hair Grow the knowledge
Serum' and six months later, after some consultations with customers, we
created two different types of beard oils (Turkish Mint and Moroccan Beard of traditional
Oil) for grooming and growing beards.”
In the pursuit of continual improvement, Wells sought expert opinion remedies, creative
offshore to help with the final blend. As she observes, “perfumes require a lot
more science-based knowledge for the best commercial product outcome." friends in the
Perfumed coifs, and vesi, capturing the essence of Fiji. The company also recently added a industry, some
Fiji Hair Perfumes are available in three unisex fragrances; dakua, yasi

savings, and a
chamomile-infused body oil to its range. While a lot of thought went into the
fragrance, an equal amount of attention was focused on how it is packaged.
lot of prayers, I
“I had many ideas for my product packaging, but they all had to revolve
luscious locks around the fundamental themes of being environmentally-friendly, cruelty- started with my first
free, having a unisex appeal, and fitting in with international products.”
Wells will continue to focus on online platforms to grow her company's
product.
international customer base.
“I started out this business as an online shop to keep costs down. Online
retail is more affordable than having a physical shop that requires 100 times
more money, energy, and staff to run, compared to online stores.”
She continues, “I plan to stick to my original plan of manufacturing,
wholesaling, and only retailing direct to consumers via our online
Hair Grow Fiji website.”

hairgrowfiji.com
Hair Grow Fiji products are also available in selected salons around Fiji.

45