It's a chilly day in Johannesburg when I make my way to Bryanston to meet the multihyphenate power house. Its been a year since we caught up with her at the revamping of DL Dube in Kwa Mashu in collaboration with the Cotton On Foundation. Nomzamo’s passion for education can also be seen through her work with the Light house Foundation and their recently launched literacy project. Whenever we catch up with the impactful global citizen, it’s never a casual meet up — and this time, Nomzamo is adding her voice to the hair conversation as the first-ever local ambassador for Creme of Nature.
Visibly elated, she shares that representing a brand who speaks to us as African women is an honour. “On the spectrum of our radiance, our heritage, our identity and our relationship with our hair, it’s powerful. I’d like to think that who I am represents different facets of womanhood, especially the African woman today.”
You may have caught glimpses of Nomzamo on social media during her Shaka iLembe Season 2 activations at malls across Durban. The love she received from fans is testament to the love she continuously pours into her community. Nomzamo has always been vocal about giving back, and this can sometimes look like giving people hope for what’s possible. At the heart of this “Rooted in Radiance” campaign is her passion for representation; in many ways, it’s a love letter to not only the young Black girl in KwaMashu, but also to her inner child.
Retracing her steps to the streets that birthed her dreams, she says the moments and values from her childhood still shape the woman she is today — especially those from her mom and grandmother.“The women that I remember from KwaMashu would say ‘engathi singakufihla umhlabaungakoni’, which translates to ‘if only we could shield you from the world, that it may not ruin you’... Of course, as a young girl you have very little context of the ways in which the world could ruin. As you grow, you realise and appreciate how much society can shape you into the kind of person who either lives up to their potential and exceeds it, or never fully realises it.”
Reflecting on some of the lessons from her youth, Nomzamo shares that her grandmother taught her the power to build, to start again, to value solitude and to be grounded and hone her humility. “The significance of KwaMashu was that, without the hardship I was surrounded by, I often wonder if I would have led my with survival and [moving forward] not only as my motivator but also a form of kryptonite. The energy, the vibrancy, the ambition was truly alive.
But the dead dreams, the struggles and the apathy was equally present... You always choose how the story ends. ”Nomzamo is certainly a woman who owns her narrative — a woman who writes her own script and moves to the beat of her own drum. “If my presence allows another woman to give herself that same permission, then I’ve done my job by simply being myself,” she says.
Expanding on the ways in which her community, culture and heritage shaped her sense of purpose, and how she keeps those roots alive in her work, she says,“ It has been my compass, my pillar that I lean on. It has also been the thing I am most proud of. Community is what I need to survive — because it’s true that no man is an island. I’m inspired by my sense of community through friendships and also through engaging with women from near and far who I truly admire and learn from, even without having a personal relationship with them. Culture and heritage is what I want to keep most alive; it’s my sense of pride, an identifier that has helped me lean on where and who I come from. ”
On the topic of roots, the tagline of the campaign, “Your roots, your radiance” is a powerful sentiment. For Nomzamo, having roots, or a set of beliefs, provides a point of anchoring. “If you’re not rooted in anything, you have no point of anchor. My identity is rooted in the finite idea that I will always belong to myself. I do not wait for the world to tell me who I am — I tell the world who I am. A woman who moves with that is truly powerful and unstoppable.” This is exactly what makes her have an essence, je ne saisquois, an energy, a radiance!”
On being the brand ambassador for Creme of Nature, Nomzamo says, “It means being in conversation with women — not just selling to them. This brand sees our textured hair in all its beauty and complexity. Whether it’s the hair growing from our scalp or the hair wigs, protective styles, shrinkage moments — Creme of Nature has us covered.”
As our conversation unfolds, it becomes apparent that, for Nomzamo, hair isn’t just an accessory but also a reflection of her evolution — both personal and political. “Hair is one of my favourite accessories, along with my skin. Whether it’s twisting, snatching or creating bold Met Gala moments, it’s how I ask, ‘Who am I today?’ Hair is political. It’s personal. It’s storytelling.” In light of our history as Black women, and the policing of our hair, Nomzamo shares that it’s been empowering to do her own hair: “Growing up, [Black girls’]hair didn’t belong to us; it belonged to our moms or our aunts or our salons. Reclaiming that relationship later in life is healing. And now I protect that bond fiercely — no more suffering for beauty.”
Nomzamo reflects on what her own hair journey taught her about beauty and self-acceptance. “I don’t remember ever having a bad relationship with my hair. I’ve always loved it, appreciated it and played around with it. The only time we’ve been in contention is when I’ve had to leave the salon unhappy because it’s been done wrong,” she chuckles, “but what I’ve learned is that the better the relationship I have with my hair, the better it responds. It also allows me to see myself in different ways; I become a new woman each time. It makes me accept and rest in my self-assurance.” That’s not to say that she doesn’t know which hairstyles suit her the most, however, “The idea of playing around with my hair, with different textures and shapes, helps me stay connected to it and makes me want to nurture it even more each time,” she says.
Nomzamo is known for her authenticity — so what does she think of the shifting beauty standards and the role textured hair plays in that change? “We have more options and we have the power to play with it because products are now not limited to hair food/oil and moisturiser/relaxer,” she says. “There’s way more on the shelf, which allows us to not only care for it better but also to see it take more kinks in our coils.”
“I believe the beauty of textured hair was stuck in the relaxer/texturiser era for a very long time because it was ‘easier to manage’. But we’ve broken away from those boundaries — we now have leave-in conditioners, mousse that’s tailored to our needs, edge controls, gels in various forms, hair puddings... There presentation starts on the shelves and with what we are offered.
”Hair wash days can be a touchy subject in the natural hair community, “I’m Team‘ Wash Twice a Month’,” Nomzamo says. “I switch it up a lot, so I’ve found a routine that works. I love mixing oil treatments into a mask, applying it section by section, then popping on a shower cap. It’s like a love letter to my scalp.” The relationship we have with our natural hair is also shaped by the information available to us; as we become more informed, we find it easier to manage our hair.
There was a time when treatment was seen as a luxury because it wasn’t easily accessible — but those days are gone, says Nomzamo: “Now, I understand how essential it is. Accessibility and affordability matter because building a haircare routine shouldn’t feel out reach." I can imagine her beauty routine must be stacked, so I ask her to share her favourite product from the Creme of Nature haircare range, “The Intensive Conditioning Treatment; your hair will feel like a pillow. Then there’s the dual-action leave-in conditioner. And the edge control? Goated! The mousse too. Like, what were we doing before mousse?”
I recall how humidity humbled me when I went to Durban for the revamping of DL Dube. We had dinner with Nomzamo at the Oyster Box the night before, and I was looking forward to snapping a selfie with her. It’s only after I took the pic that I realised my afro had shrunk. We chuckled over this incident that most natural hair girlies can relate to. Nomzamo affirmed that it’s possible to rock a ‘fro in humid climate— and the holding spray from the Creme of Nature’s haircare range was the go-to to make it happen. “It keeps your curls defined even with shrinkage.”
Shedding light on how embracing your natural beauty aligns with her beauty philosophy, Nomzamo asserts that she’s not afraid to wear her natural hair on or off-screen. “Whether I’m in glam or running errands, I know I’m taking care of my hair and skin. Routine is everything - once you build one, you start truly understanding your hair. And that's self-love! Her message to women across the globe is simple: " Own your narrative. Don't wait to be told who you are there's so much power in individuality and its been a beautiful time be a woman, especially a Black woman. Let's celebrate that. As our conversation draws to a close, I reflect on our first ever interview when she had relocated to Hollywood. Years later, she's still as relatable and her confidence remains her best asset.
"I stay rooted in intension.I choose partnerships and projects that align with who I am and I take rest —even two days makes a difference. Rest helps me stay connected to my purpose.” As she continues to write her story on her own terms, I ask her to share how her definition of womanhood has evolved, and what she’s learned about resilience and self-worth along the way. “I am reclaiming many parts of me that I gave away as a young starlet living out her precious 20s in the limelight,” she says. The wool is being pulled from my eye sand I want to build better boundaries, protect my inner child, do life with the people I choose and live my fullest, most wonderful life.”
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