Our Roots

 

IntrinsiCurly Me began with a simple truth: curls deserve better.

For years, our founder, Simonne Solarsh, struggled with her own curls. Growing up, no one knew what to do with them — wrong haircuts, frizz, teasing at school, and the constant message that straight was “better.” Even on her wedding day, her curls were ironed flat and tonged into stiff, spray-laden spirals.

The turning point came in New York, when she walked out of a salon that understood curly hair for the first time. It was a revelation: curls weren’t a problem to be fixed — they were something to be celebrated.

Back home in South Africa, that kind of care didn’t exist. Products on the shelves were packed with silicones and sulphates. Salons offered only straightening. And so IntrinsiCurly Me was born — not in a boardroom, but out of frustration, love, and a belief that curls deserve to be treated on their own terms.

From Nothing to Something

IntrinsiCurly Me didn’t start with investors or big budgets. It started with R120 and a determination to make products that worked. Simonne spent 18 months battling factories who told her it was “impossible” to create without silicones and sulphates. She refused to compromise. The first product, our Mint to Be Peppermint Co-Wash, was launched in just 30 bottles.

From those small beginnings, bottle by bottle, order by order, we grew. Today, IntrinsiCurly Me is trusted by salons, stylists, and curl communities across South Africa and beyond. But the heart of the brand hasn’t changed: we’re still a woman-owned business built on passion, persistence, and the belief that curls should be loved, not tamed.

What We Stand For

  • Curly Girl Method–friendly: No sulphates, silicones, or parabens
  • For Every Curl: From waves to coils, our products are made to hydrate, define, and celebrate natural texture.
  • Made in South Africa: Proudly formulated and manufactured locally, with quality that stands up globally.
  • Female-Owned: Built from nothing by a woman who knows the struggle and the beauty of curls.
  • Community First: More than products, we teach the techniques that make curls thrive — squish-to-condition, smoothing cuticles, scrunching — so you don’t just use our products, you transform with them.

Why IntrinsiCurly Me

Because curls are intrinsically who you are. Straightening, hiding, and fighting them doesn’t just change your hair — it changes how you feel. We’ve seen it: women walking out of salons lighter, freer, more themselves. Mothers watching their daughters finally love their curls. People discovering for the first time that what they thought was “frizz” was actually waves and curls waiting to be revealed.

That’s why we do this. Not for trends. Not for “perfect” hair. But for the confidence that comes when you stop working against your curls and start working with them.

Where We’re Going

We’re building more than a product line. We’re building a movement — a future where every child born with curls grows up loving them. Where salons across the world feel confident handling textured hair. Where curls, coils, and waves are celebrated, not hidden.

This is IntrinsiCurly Me. And we’re just getting started.