When Ntombomzi Lekgoro first picked up a comb over 12 years ago to begin her training as a hairdresser, hairstyling wasn’t the glamorous career it has become today.
Back then, being a hairstylist was rarely celebrated — it was seen as a backup job, often dismissed as “just doing hair”.
But Lekgoro, now a two-time award-winning stylist and a 2024 Basadi in Music Awards nominee in the Best Hairstylist category, saw beyond the stereotype. To her, hair was more than beauty — it was identity, art, and empowerment. She was determined to prove that hairstyling could be a respected and transformative career.
Lekgoro’s journey began at home.
“I have three sisters, and one of them would always make me do her hair. I felt like she was bullying me, but little did I know that it would turn into my passion,” she says.
Though Lekgoro studied both cosmetology and hairdressing, she initially imagined herself on the skincare side of beauty.
“I didn’t think I’d build a career in hairdressing. I thought I’d fall more into cosmetology, but it looks like hair chose me,” she laughs.