The Mane Reason

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
THE MANE REASON

- UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS
NATURAL HAIR PRODUCTS IN GHANA
BY
NAA ODOLEY YEHOWADAH ODDOYE
(10403620)
THIS LONG ESSAY WAS SUBMITTED TO THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA BUSINESS SCHOOL; UNIVERSITY OF GHANA. IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
(E-COMMERCE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPTION).
MAY 2016
DECLARATION
I, hereby declare that this long essay has been written under the supervision of Dr. Kobby Mensah of
the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Ghana, Legon. With the exception of
references made to other peoples work, which I have duly referenced, this work is a product of my own
research. I am responsible for all views expressed in this research as well as any shortcomings, which
may be found in this study.
..
Naa Odoley Yehowadah Oddoye
Date
(10403620)
ii
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that this thesis was supervised in accordance with procedures laid down by the
university.
Dr. Kobby Mensah
Date
(Supervisor)
iii
DEDICATION
I dedicate The Mane Reason to the almighty God who gave me knowledge and strength to carry out
this work successfully. He has been my ever present help in time of need.
I also dedicate this study to my parents, Col. and Mrs Oddoye, and to all natural haired women in Ghana.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The most thanks go to God for helping me choose this course of study. I thank Him for Counsel and
Wisdom in conducting this study and perseverance to finish four years of university education.
I am super grateful to my parents; Col. and Mrs. Oddoye, for supporting me spiritually, financially and
emotionally in all my education.
Thanks to Dr. Kobby Mensah for supervising my work with keen interest and for correcting all my
mistakes in kindness.
I also thank my friend Barnett A. Anderson for his concern for the success of this study. His immense
input in my work can never be forgotten.
My gratitude is extended to Mr Aaron Amertowo who peaked my interest in research early on in
school, motivated me to work hard and gave me very useful suggestions.
Many thanks go to Twists and Locks at Osu and Andromeda in Greda Estates who allowed me to enter
their salons and interview their clients.
Finally, I thank all respondents for answering all my questions and not holding back information. The
work couldnt have been done without the contribution of the respondents.
Table of Contents
DECLARATION ....................................................................................................................................... ii
CERTIFICATION .................................................................................................................................... iii
DEDICATION .......................................................................................................................................... iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................... v
ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................................................. xi
CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Background ......................................................................................................................................1
1.2 Problem Statement ...........................................................................................................................2
1.3 Research Objectives .........................................................................................................................2
1.4 Research Questions ..........................................................................................................................2
1.5 Significance of study ........................................................................................................................3
1.6 Organization of Study ......................................................................................................................4
Chapter 2 ....................................................................................................................................................6
Literature Review.......................................................................................................................................6
2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................6
2.2 The Natural Hair Debate ..................................................................................................................6
2.3 The Changing Beauty Aesthete........................................................................................................7
2.4 Overview of natural hair products....................................................................................................8
2.5 The Need for Hair Care Products .....................................................................................................9
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2.6 Natural hair types .............................................................................................................................9

2.7 Consumer Behaviour Perspectives.................................................................................................10
2.7.1 The Economic Perspective ..........................................................................................................10
2.7.2 The Behavioural Perspective.......................................................................................................11
2.8 Market Segmentation. ....................................................................................................................12
2.8.1 Geographic segmentation ............................................................................................................12
2.8.2 Demographic Segmentation ........................................................................................................13
2.8.3 Psychographic / Lifestyle segmentation......................................................................................13
2.8.4 Socio-cultural segmentation ........................................................................................................13
2.9 Social media a platform that leverages the natural hair movement ............................................13
Chapter 3 ..................................................................................................................................................16
Methodology ............................................................................................................................................16
3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................16
3.2 Research Design .............................................................................................................................16
3.3 Sampling Technique.......................................................................................................................17
3.4 Selection Criteria ............................................................................................................................17
3.5 Sample Size ....................................................................................................................................18
3.6 Procedure........................................................................................................................................18
3.7 The Questionnaire ..........................................................................................................................19
Chapter 4 ..................................................................................................................................................20
Analysis of Findings and Discussions .....................................................................................................20
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4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................20

4.2 Reasons Why Ghanaian Women Wear Natural Hair .....................................................................20
4.2.1 Individualism ...........................................................................................................................21
4.2.2 DIY Do- it- yourself ...............................................................................................................21
4.2.3 Sports .......................................................................................................................................22
4.2.5 Religion....................................................................................................................................22
4.2.4 Cost ..........................................................................................................................................23
4.2.6 Type of Hair.............................................................................................................................23
4.2.7 Health.......................................................................................................................................24
4.2.8 Social Media ............................................................................................................................24
4.2.9 Fashion.....................................................................................................................................25
4.2.10 Beauty ....................................................................................................................................26
4.3 Segment of Ghanaian Women Predominating the Natural Hair Movement..................................26
4.3.1 Demographic Profile of Respondents .........................................................................................27
4.3.2 Age of respondent. ...................................................................................................................27
4.3.3 Income Level of Respondent ...................................................................................................28
4.3.4 Educational Levels of Respondents .........................................................................................29
4.3.5 Psychographic Profiles of Respondents...................................................................................30
4.3.5.1 Health .......................................................................................................................................30
4.3.5.2 Religion ....................................................................................................................................31
4.3.5.3 Beauty and Hair type ................................................................................................................32
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4.3.5.4 Sports........................................................................................................................................32
4.3.5.5 Africanism ................................................................................................................................33
4.3.5.6 Fashion .....................................................................................................................................34
4.3.5.7 DIY ( Do- it-yourself) ...............................................................................................................35
4.3.5.8 Cost...........................................................................................................................................35
4.3.5.9 Social Media.............................................................................................................................36
4.4 Motivational Factors in Order of Importance ................................................................................38
4.4.1 Health.......................................................................................................................................38
4.4.2 Beauty and Hair type ...............................................................................................................39
4.4.3 DIY ..........................................................................................................................................39
4.4.4 Africanism ...............................................................................................................................39
4.4.5 Fashion.....................................................................................................................................39
4.4.6 Social media.............................................................................................................................40
4.4.7 Cost ..........................................................................................................................................40
4.4.8 Religion....................................................................................................................................40
4.4.9 Sports .......................................................................................................................................40
Chapter 5 ..................................................................................................................................................42
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations.....................................................................................42
5.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................42
5.2 Review of Research Questions.......................................................................................................42
5.3 Contribution to Knowledge ............................................................................................................43
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5.4 Limitations of the Research............................................................................................................44

5.5 Recommendation for future Research ............................................................................................44
5.6 Recommendation for Industry........................................................................................................45
5.7 Conclusion......................................................................................................................................46
References ................................................................................................................................................47
Appendix 1 ...........................................................................................................................................51
Interview Questions (In-depth interview) ............................................................................................51
Appendix 2 ...........................................................................................................................................52
ABSTRACT
The natural hair movement is a global phenomenon which is characterized by a lot of women letting go
of relaxers and other chemical treatments to wear their hair natural. This study investigates the
motivations behind the natural hair movement in Ghana. It views the movement through
anthropological, economic and marketing lenses to gain deep insight into the reasons why women in
Ghana choose natural hair over relaxed hair. This study was conducted to give marketers an upper hand
in the buying and selling of natural hair products in Ghana. The objectives of this study were to identify
the segment predominating the natural hair movement and to gain insight into the motivations of the
natural hair movement as consumer behaviour. Fourteen respondents were interviewed and the results
from the interviews were used to generate an online questionnaire. 151 randomly selected natural
haired women responded to the online questionnaire. From the study we find that the main reason why
women choose natural hair in Ghana is that they think it is a healthier option. They also choose natural
because of their Hair types, because they find it more beautiful than relaxed hair and because theyd
rather do their hair at home than go to a salon. Africanism, Fashion, Social media, Cost, Religion and
Sports are among the factors that subtly influence the movement. We also find that the segment of
women predominating the natural hair movement in Ghana consists of young, middle income earners
who have attained tertiary education. The results of the study are useful to stakeholders in the natural
hair product industry in Ghana who want to know how best to market natural hair products in Ghana.
They also help marketers identify the most lucrative segments of the market to serve. Lastly, the study
is useful to anyone with an interest in Ghanas culture so that the one can understand how Ghanaian
women feel about hair and beauty.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Consumer behaviour studies the decision process and physical activity individuals and groups of
individuals engage in when evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing of products and services. It also
investigates the impact that these processes have on the consumer and the society (Loudon & Bitter,
1993). In Chemistry, something is seen to be natural if it is produced directly from a natural source
(Nature Publishing Group, 2007).
Natural hair therefore refers to hair whose texture has not been altered by heat or chemicals. It is hair that
is in the same state that it was as it grew directly from a persons scalp. From the time of slavery up until
now, beauty ideals have undergone some changes and most of them involved hiding or pressing down
the kinks in the black womans' hair. Black women have covered their heads with head wraps,
straightened their hair with hot combs and relaxed their hair with chemicals called hair relaxers. Hair
relaxers have been around for a while now and many women have become regular users. They use it
once a month on the average (Luter, 2014).
Within the last few years however a lot of women have let go of relaxers and are embracing their natural
hair. This is what is popularly referred to as the natural hair movement (Antonia, 2014). It is catching on
quite fast and there is a need to understand it. If a manufacturer understands this new movement, that is
the things that motivate consumers to go natural and buy natural hair products, he can adequately satisfy
them and establish a great business relationship with them. The natural hair movement is an international
movement of which women all over the world are partakers of.
1.2 Problem Statement

Over the past few years, a lot of research has been done to understand the emerging natural hair trends
among kinky haired women all over the world (Hawkins, 2014; Can-Tamakloe, 2011; Nimocks, 2015).
Can Tamakloe (2011), in her study of the natural hair movement, explained that Ghanaian women opt
for natural hair because they consider it more African, fashionable and cost effective. The study however
did not clearly state which factors influenced the movement most and which ones influenced the
movement least.
The increase in natural haired women in Ghana creates a huge market for natural hair products and
services that can meet their needs. Some studies have been done to measure consumer perceptions of
natural hair products and the factors that influence these perceptions. Some of these studies include
Hawkins (2014) and Rashmi (2013) which were conducted in Asia and America. The cultural context
of Asia and America are different from that of Africa. Hence, the studies above do not adequately depict
the Ghanaian context. This study seeks to explain the natural hair market from the Ghanaian perspective
i.e., considering the Ghanaian culture.
1.3 Research Objectives

1. To identify the segment predominating the natural hair movement
2. To gain insight into the motivations of the natural hair movement as consumer behaviour
1.4 Research Questions

1. Which segment of Ghanaian women is predominating the natural hair movement?
2. What factors influence a Ghanaian woman to wear her hair natural?
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3. Which of these factors are most important to the natural haired woman in Ghana and which are
least important?
1.5 Significance of study

Not enough literature exists to explain why women choose to wear their hair natural. One cannot be sure
therefore whether this trend is here to stay or it will fade away soon. There is a need to know and
understand consumer motivations to go natural in order to help potential investors decide whether or not
they will invest in the Ghanaian natural hair market.
A study by market research firm; Mintel (2015) reports that the black hair care market in the United
States alone is worth $684 million. Another study by Indian academics (Mubeenur, Kazi & Sourav,
2012), reports that the hair care segment in India contributes to a considerable 9% of the countrys Fast
Moving Consumer Goods sector. The natural hair care market is clearly a very lucrative industry.
However, very little is known about just how much the average Ghanaian is willing to spend on hair care
products. This study researches into the value the average Ghanaian woman places on her natural hair to
help entrepreneurs, hair product producers and stylists know the best pricing strategies to use.
For people who are currently in the business of selling natural hair products and providing hair care
services, the results of this study will help them recognize their target market and effectively market their
products to them.
Consumers buy products that have an image or personality that is consistent with their own self-image
(Solomon, Polegato & Zaichkowsky, 2005). There is a need therefore to know consumer motivations to
go natural in the first place so as to make a product that will appeal to customers and be consistent with
their self-image.
A proper understanding of consumer perceptions will be great for designing a marketing strategy. It will
be particularly useful in seven areas namely: media strategy, retail strategy, advertising and package
design, regulation of advertising, brand name selection, advertising evaluation and the regulation of
advertising aimed at children (Roger, Best & Coney, 1986).
The information gathered from this study will help investors know and understand the beauty ideals of
Ghanaian women. This will help investors understand the best ways to brand and advertise their products
in ways that will appeal to their target audience. A business that properly aligns itself with consumer
needs and preferences will be able to satisfy them adequately (Kotler and Armstrong, 2012).
1.6 Organization of Study

This study is organized into six chapters. Below is an outline of how the study is organized;
Chapter One Introduction:
This is the first chapter, it is opened by the background and the problem statement of this study. The
chapter further elaborates on the purpose, objectives and research questions of this study. It explains the
significance of this study to industry and academia. Finally, it presents how the entire study is organized.
Chapter Two Literature Review:
This chapter presents a review of pertinent literature on consumer perception of natural hair products,
the chapter begins by providing the history of Kinky hair, then the concept of beauty. It also discusses
the need for hair care products. It further delves into the overview of natural hair products and the role
that social media plays in leveraging them. Finally, discuses some consumer behaviour theories.
Chapter Three Methodology:
This chapter presents the research methods employs for this study, the chapter delves into the research
design, sampling technique, selection criteria. The chapter further discusses how the data is collected and
analysed
Chapter Four Findings, Analysis and Discussions
This chapter presents the findings, analysis and discussion of the findings by analysing the data collected
based on the research questions. Emergent themes are drawn out of the findings and these themes are
discussed based on the literature review
Chapter Five Summary, Recommendations and Conclusion
This chapter presents the summary, conclusions and recommendation for future research. The Chapter
also discusses specific implications of this study and finally delve into the limitations of this study.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
The previous chapter discussed the background, the problem and the underlying objectives. This chapter
discusses the changing beauty aesthete of kinky haired women in Ghana. It discusses the different types
of hair there are. It will also discuss how these changes have affected the Ghanaian woman's perception
of her own hair and why she needs to use natural hair products. The chapter ends by explaining the
different factors that could possibly be influencing the natural hair movement.
2.2 The Natural Hair Debate

Around the world, natural hair means different things to different people. To some, it is the hair you were
born with (Hull, 2010). This means there is no dye, colour or extensions in your hair. To some others,
natural hair refers only to maintaining the original texture of your hair and not the colour of your hair
(Stuart, 2011). Others consider it mentality; if you are insecure about your natural hair and you dont let
other people see it or you cant wear it confidently you shouldnt be considered a natural (Nostalgia,
2014). This conversation is referred to as the natural hair debate. As part of BBCs identity season, a
documentary called The Salon was made (The Salon; London - Natural with a Twist, 2016). In this
documentary, the natural hair debate comes up again. A Cameroonian by name Cece explains to her own
hairstylist; Pearl, what she thinks natural hair should be. Cece believes that if she keeps her hair in its
original texture underneath big, course and rough natural looking weaves, her hair is still natural. Pearl
disagrees. Pearl believes that while her hair is relaxed, its still her natural hair without any weaves,
extensions or colour. She is of the opinion that whenever Pearl is wearing extensions, her hair is not
natural. There are many dimensions to this debate and so many different opinions about what natural hair
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really is. The definition of natural hair can be something other than what is stated here already. However,
the only people who are interested in using natural hair products are those who have the original texture
of their natural hair. Some of these people even use extensions to do protective styles to their hair.
Therefore, for the purpose of this study, natural hair is hair whose original texture is intact and is not
altered by heat or chemicals.
2.3 The Changing Beauty Aesthete

Adorning and caring for ones' hair is an age old art that has always been of special importance to ones'
appearance. Both men and women have found it worthy of special attention; men deeming it a
representation of their strength and women, a symbol of dignifying beauty (Dichter, 1964). In view of
this, African people wore their hair in intricate styles and decorated it with beads and cowries.
The trans-Atlantic slave trade sent a lot of African people to Europe as slaves and forced them to renounce
many aspects of their culture including their hair care practices. Slave women wore their hair in exuberant
styles that put slave owners off thereby compelling them to cover their hair with head wraps. The slaves
complied and they learned with time that their natural hair was 'bad hair' and straight silky hair was 'good
hair' (Jahangir, 2015) and (Luter, 2014).
The current natural hair movement is not the first in African history. A number of writers report the
black power movement which was stimulated in black American youth in the 1960s. This movement
was characterized by the afro hairstyle (Lynh & Jahangir, 2015). The movement died out quickly because
it was violent and the afro became a symbol or indication of rebellion of black people against the
American government.
In the early twentieth century, hair relaxers were invented by Augustus Morgan who discovered that
kinky hair could be made straight semi-permanently using alkaline and lye relaxers. The technology was
7
adopted by many cosmetics companies and in a few years it became a mainstream household product.
Currently, over sixty-five % of black women have relaxed hair (Walker, 2012).
Beauty as they say lies in the eyes of the beholder. This means that beauty means different things to
different people. Unfortunately, black kinky hair has not always been considered beautiful. Both black
and white people found white women to be more beautiful in many ways than their black counterparts.
In her book; I know why the changed birds sings, Maya Angelou describes her childhood fantasy of
what she would look like if she were beautiful. In this fantasy, she was a white, blond, blue-eyed girl.
This was set in a time prior to the Great Depression in America.
Beauty ideals have changed however. Black women now want to attain a natural look with their hair and
makeup almost as though to prove a point that their natural beauty is good enough (Dichter, 1964).
Antonia (2014) calls this a changing aesthete. She explains that as more natural haired women flood
social media networks, more and more women aspire to become the kinky haired beauty. This changing
aesthete demands a corresponding change in the kind of hair products people use. The rise of the natural
hair movement created a huge gap in the hair product market for products that could meet the needs of
the increasing number of natural haired consumers.
2.4 Overview of natural hair products

Generally, a product is what a marketer exchanges with a consumer for money. However, because
marketing is consumer oriented, it is best to define products from a consumers point of view to be able
to satisfy them adequately. From the consumers point of view, a product is a bundle of benefits that the
seller offers and the customer receives (Blythe, 2009). These may be functional, operational, quality,
personal or financial benefits. Kotler (1969) also defines a product as a thing that can be offered to a
market to satisfy a need or want. As per these definitions, a product can be a tangible item, intangible
service or anything that offers the consumer a bundle of benefits.
2.5 The Need for Hair Care Products

Dichter (1964) posits that if an industry wants to be successful they must consider modern beauty ideals
and offer intelligent guidance. A lot of women take their hair care very personal. Kinky haired women
especially because of how hard it is to manage their hair, are constantly looking for products and styles
that make hair care easy for them (Jadore, 2016). Healthy hair has always been a symbol of beauty for
women all over the world as was afore mentioned. The women of today, just like generations of women
before them, want to be appreciated for their beauty. Antonia (2014) explains that the natural hair
movement has been catered for by brands who previously sold relaxers. Buyers are apprehensive about
these products and so they would make their own products in their kitchens rather than patronize products
they are not sure of. Also due to the fact that there are few and in some cases, no commercial products
made to cater to the specific needs of natural hair, some natural haired women have been forced to make
their own products at home. This leaves a gaping hole in the industry for a manufacturer who can assure
buyers that his products are all natural and will leave the kinks in their hair or for most people, keep the
natural texture of their hair.
2.6 Natural hair types

There are many different classifications of natural hair. Hair can be classified based on volume, the
appearance of hair strands and curl definition (Nat'ural, 2012). The most preferred and well-known of
these three is the curl definition classifier. It is also known as the Andre Walker Hair Typing System. For
the purposes of this study, only the Andre Walker typing system will be used. Andre Walker (1997)
9
teaches that there are four main types of hair; types 1 through 4. Each type is further divided into
subcategories; A, B and C. This means that, Andre Walkers system describes twelve distinct hair types.
Type 1 hair is straight, type 2 is wavy, type 3 is curly and type 4 is kinky, tightly coiled hair. Now,
African people have very kinky and tightly coiled hair (Byrd, 2011). For this reason, in this study, that
majority of the respondents have hair types that fall within the range of 3c and 4c.
2.7 Consumer Behaviour Perspectives

Consumer Behaviour is viewed from two main perspectives; the Economic and the Behavioural
perspectives (Kassarjian and Robertson, 1968).
2.7.1 The Economic Perspective
The economic perspective rests on the law of marginal utility. The law of marginal utility is a very
important law that helps explain consumer demand for a product. This law purports that the consumer
will buy those quantities of products where marginal utility per dollars worth of product is equal to the
marginal utility per dollars worth of any other product for a given period of time (Kassarjian and
Robertson, 1968). The economic perspective deems the consumer to be rational. It is assumed that the
consumer wants get as much satisfaction as he or she can in relation to a given set of prices and his or
her income level.
For this reason, the marketer needs to be concerned about the best pricing strategy to use that will achieve
the best results for the business.
A price is the amount of money charged for a product or service. This amount is usually the sum of all
the values such as money, time, energy, and psychic cost that buyers exchange for the benefits of having
or using a good or service (Strauss, El-Ansary & Frost, 2003). Price is one element of the marketing mix
( Kotler & Armstrong, 2008). It is important to discuss pricing because not only does a price affect the
10
profit margin of a business, but a good price can give a product a competitive edge in the market. The
price of a product will affect how consumers perceive it. It is thus imperative that a price is consistent
with the rest of a marketing mix (Dibb, Simkin, Pride & Ferrell, 2012). There are many ways to price a
product but for the sake of this study, only a few will be discussed: Promotional, Geographical, Market
Skimming and Dynamic pricing strategies ( Kotler & Armstrong, 2008).
Promotional pricing is a strategy that companies use to increase short-run sales. It is done by temporarily
pricing products below the list price and sometimes even the cost of the product. Geographical pricing
as the name suggests, involves setting prices for different customers in different locations.
Market skimming pricing is not one to be used frequently. In this case, the company sets prices very high
for a new product they launch into the market to skim as much as they can from the segments of
consumers willing to pay the high price. The price eventually comes down as the product lingers a while
on the market. This strategy makes fewer but more profitable sales.
Lastly, dynamic pricing involves adjusting the prices of products to correspond with the characteristics
and needs of customers and the market.
2.7.2 The Behavioural Perspective

The behavioural perspective of consumer behaviour views the consumer as a psychological being. This
view of marketing is based on social sciences like psychology, anthropology and sociology (Kassarjian
and Robertson, 1968). Many different factors can affect a consumers buying decision. These factors
may include social class, culture, opinion leaders and even the personality of the individual in question.
The economic theory was used in times past to predict buyer behaviour. However, the use of this
approach dissatisfied marketers as it did not produce accurate results. In modern times the behavioural
11
perspective is more accepted and is sometimes used in conjunction with the economic perspective for
marketing purposes.
2.8 Market Segmentation.

Market segmentation involves dividing consumers into groups based on similar characteristics that they
have so as to be able to reach them with a distinct marketing mix (Schiffman & Kanuk, 1978). As was
earlier mentioned, it is good that a marketer knows and understands his customers to be able to adequately
satisfy them (Solomon, 2006). Market segmentation is good not only because it maximizes customer
satisfaction, but also because it allows the marketer to properly apportion his resources. When a
generalized marketing mix is used, it means very little to anybody, but when it is tailored to one
homogenous group of customers, it can mean a lot to that specific group of customers. There are several
types of segmentation based on the different characteristics a marketer might use. A large number of
authors Schiffman & Kanuk, (2010); Solomon, Polegato & Zaichkowsky, (2005) among others, have
many different segmentation bases they have written about. For the sake of this study only a few general
bases will be discussed. These include: Geographic segmentation, Demographic segmentation,
Psychographic segmentation and Socio-cultural segmentation.
2.8.1 Geographic segmentation

Geographic segmentation is done based on where the consumer lives. The variables used for this type
of segmentation may include region (Greater Accra, Eastern, and Western), city size (metropolitan,
municipal), and density of area (urban, suburban, and rural) (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2010).
12
2.8.2 Demographic Segmentation

Demographic segmentation considers characteristics like the age, gender, occupation, income level and
educational level of the consumer. These characteristics are very simple and easy to identify (Solomon,
Polegato and Zaichkowsky, 2005).
2.8.3 Psychographic / Lifestyle segmentation
Psychographic characteristics are intangible, intrinsic qualities of the consumer such as activities,
interests, personality type, and attitudes of the consumer. This segmentation bases is popularly referred
to as Lifestyle in modern literature (Solomon, 2006). It is described to go a step beyond demographics
because while demographics help identify a consumers need for a product, psychographic factors help
us know why the consumers makes a purchase decision from among many options (Schiffman and
Kanuk, 2010).
2.8.4 Socio-cultural segmentation
This is a very broad basis for segmentation that can include many variables. Some of these variables
include social class and ethnicity (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2010;
Solomon, Polegato & Zaichkowsky,
2005).
2.9 Social media a platform that leverages the natural hair movement
Social media as defined by (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010) is a group of internet based applications that build
on the ideological and technical foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of
User Generated Content. Many will agree that Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Wikipedia among
others are among the list of social media platforms. Also among the list of social media platforms are
blogs. A blog, the truncated form of the word weblog, is a sort of website that displays information
entries in reverse chronological order (Rathore & Panwar, 2015). The content of a blog may the personal
13
journal of the author or relevant information in one specific subject area. Many are unaware that blogs
are also part of social media but they are actually the earliest form in which social media came (Kaplan
& Haenlein, 2010).
Social media creates a virtual space for women in the natural hair movement to talk about their natural
hair routines, regimens and even products (Nimocks, 2015). On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest
and other social media platforms, communities have been formed that propel the natural hair movement
day by day. The Curly Bunch and Curlybeauti, both exist on Instagram and they have 13.6k and 32.4k
followers respectively. Blogs are a huge part of the natural hair movement. Blogs do not only create
natural hair communities, they also teach and educate women on best hair care practices that are healthy
and culturally acceptable. One of such blogs is Black Girl with Long Hair. This blog has featured quite
a number of Ghanaian women as some of its style icons. There are also the Eleanor Jadore blog and the
Aku Shika Gone Natural blogs among countless many others. As was mentioned before, the movement
is very international and Ghanaian women have logged into the online community. The effects of this
can be seen in the way the average natural haired youth in Ghana manages her hair.
These blogs and other social media pages tend to suggest and endorse certain natural hair products. The
use of the internet to form natural hair communities has changed the way consumers decide on and buy
natural hair products (Antonia, 2014). The decision to acquire a product is now greatly influenced by
information on social media in certain parts of the world.
Smits and Mogos (2013), in their study of the impact of social media on business performance, view
social media as a resource that increases competitiveness and performance. Considering this and the
massive influence that social media is having in the natural hair community, a few Ghanaian businesses
are now aggressively using social media to promote their own natural hair products. For some of these
businesses, not only is social media a place for advertising and promotion, it is also a place for retail.
14
Seeing as they do not have a brick and mortar shop in town that consumers can walk into, they display
their products online, and interested buyers call in to purchase the product. The product is delivered to
the buyer and he or she pays on delivery. The transaction is complete. Some of such natural hair product
businesses operating in Ghana include We Naturals, Eya Naturals and African Empress.
15
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
The previous chapter discussed relevant literature on natural hair products and the changing beauty
aesthete. It described the different beauty ideals of women in Ghana and why they need natural hair
products at all. This chapter discusses the research design, population and sample size. It also presents a
breakdown of how the data was collected and analysed.
3.2 Research Design

A research design is a procedure for collecting, analysing, and reporting research. There are three
research designs popularly used in the social sciences, namely; quantitative, qualitative and mixed
methods (Cresswell, 2009). This study employs mixed methods. Mixed methods is a combination of both
quantitative and qualitative methods. The mixed methods approach is a relatively new approach to doing
research in academia. At certain points in time, it was not even considered a separate research design.
However, in recent years, quite a number of scholarly journals have published some mixed methods
studies (Creswell, Plano, Gutmann & Hanson, 2003).
The qualitative approach seeks to investigate the perspectives and behaviour of people in the context
within which they act. This study employs the qualitative methods to get deep insight into consumer
perceptions of natural hair products especially. Initial data was collected in face to face interviews with
14 of the respondents. When certain traits were recognized among the respondents, they were used to
generate a questionnaire for the subsequent quantitative study. The quantitative study had a much larger
sample. This is a typical sequence mixed methods study. Sequence Mixed methods are those in which
16
the researcher seeks to elaborate or expand the findings of one method with another method (Boateng,
2014).
3.3 Sampling Technique
Purposive Sampling is a sampling technique that allows the researcher to use his or her discretion to
choose respondents that will best enable him or her to answer his or her research questions (Saunders,
Lewis & Thornhill, 2009). Purposive sampling can take many different forms; deviant sampling,
maximum variation sampling, homogeneous sampling, critical case sampling or typical case sampling.
The Maximum Variation Technique was employed for the qualitative part of this study. This means that
the women who were interviewed are of different age groups, live in different parts of the Greater Accra
Region, have different occupations and income levels.
For the second part of the study, which is the survey, the random sampling technique was used to select
respondents who have natural hair. The respondents accessed the survey questions which are in appendix
2 online. A random sample is one where every member of the population has an equal chance of being
selected to the sample (Opoku, 2005).
3.4 Selection Criteria

Although men are partakers of the natural hair movement, majority of the men wear their hair in
dreadlocks. Thus, women form the majority of all the natural hair activists (Nimocks, 2015). It is for
this reason that all respondents in this study are women. Because the sample for the qualitative study was
purposefully selected, respondents were as diverse as possible in the following areas: age, hair type, area
of residence, internet usage and occupation. For the survey, there was no selection criteria whatsoever.
Any woman with natural hair in Ghana had an equal chance of being selected. This was done so that the
final results of this study could be generalized to the entire population.
17
3.5 Sample Size

There were 14 respondents for the in-depth interviews and 151 for the survey.
3.6 Procedure
This study begun with face to face interviews with fourteen very different respondents. The interviews
were all recorded with a voice recorder and were later transcribed. The results of this aspect of the
research are discussed in a later chapter.
Using the results of the face to face interviews, a questionnaire was developed for a survey. This was
done to see if the respondents who were purposefully selected, represented the entire population of
natural haired women in Ghana. The questionnaire was generated by Google Forms. The link to the
online form was shared via various social media platforms; Wordpress, Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp
and Instagram. Google Forms enabled the questionnaire to be answered by respondents outside the
Greater Accra Region.
Some hard copies of the questionnaire were also sent to natural hair salons for the clients to fill out. The
salons were Twists and Locks, a natural hair salon at Osu and Andromedas, a salon of relaxed and
natural hair clients alike, off the Spintex road. Finally, some respondents were told of where to find the
form verbally.
The results of the survey were tabulated and analysed with the SPSS software. This tool generated
detailed statistics that the researcher used to interpret the results of the survey. The results of the survey
are also discussed in a later chapter.
18
3.7 The Questionnaire

The questionnaire that was used for the survey had a total of 17 simple questions. The questions were
divided into three sections. The first section was the demographics section. Respondents were asked
four multiple choice questions about their age, location, educational backgrounds and income levels.
The second section was the product section. The respondents were asked two multiple choice questions
about how long they had had natural hair for and how much they were willing to spend on it.
The third and largest section was the motivation section. Respondents were asked eleven questions
about how important the factors derived from the interviews were to them. These eleven questions were
answered with a likert scale from 1 to 5. 1 signified that the respondent strongly agreed with the
statement in the question, 3 signified that the respondent neither agreed nor disagreed with the
statement and 5 signified that the respondent strongly disagreed with the statement in the question.
19
CHAPTER FOUR
ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1 Introduction
The previous chapter discussed the methodological issues of this study. It discussed the research design,
sampling technique, selection criteria of respondents and the procedures used to acquire information from
respondents. This chapter tries to answer the research questions in the first chapter. It discusses the
findings such that we see the relationship between them and the themes in the literature review.
The chapter begins by presenting the findings from the face to face interviews. The different reasons why
the respondents have taken to natural hair are presented. Subsequently, the results of the survey are
discussed in similar detail.
The chapter then analyses the findings to know exactly how important each of the variables is to the
respondents.
4.2 Reasons Why Ghanaian Women Wear Natural Hair

This subsection discusses the results of the in-depth interviews. The different things that the respondents
stated to be the reasons why they wear natural hair are stated and expanded. These things are
individualism, cost, beauty, the quality of hair they have, religion, health, fashion, sports
and the
opportunity that natural hair gives them to make their own products and style their own hair. It was found
that a lot of these reasons are intertwined in the minds of the consumers and one consumer has more than
three of the above listed factors influencing her to keep natural hair.
20
4.2.1 Individualism
Some of the respondents were not enthused about relaxers at all. To them, the whole natural hair
phenomenon goes beyond aesthetics. It is a sort of cultural issue. They do not understand why they should
change what they originally look like to be like something they are not. To them, it is an issue that
shouldnt even be debated; they just cannot see themselves with relaxed hair. They lay off relaxers
because they just want to look their original selves. As one respondent so concisely put it; I just feel
like I look like myself when I keep my natural hair. Like this is how Im supposed to look. So I just like
this because thats me. - (22 year old student)
4.2.2 DIY Do-it-yourself
Due to the fact that the natural hair market has been catered for by brands who originally sold relaxers,
natural haired consumers have become very apprehensive about the products on the market (Antonia,
2014). They fear that the products may still contain harmful chemicals and substances that may be
harmful to their health and be detrimental to their hair growth. This is a concern that some of the
respondents shared. For this reason some of them have been forced to make their own products. Some
also just enjoy making their own products, doing their own hair among other things. Such consumers,
though they can afford to buy expensive natural hair products prefer to make their own products just
because they can. One respondent said: natural hair gives you the opportunity to do a lot of things
yourself instead of relying on hairdressers for certain things that you can do on your own- (22 year old
student).
Natural hair gives them the opportunity to make their own deep conditioners and shampoos with average
things they can find at home like eggs, honey, and baking soda among others. They cannot make their
own relaxers, spritz or setting lotion which they would need if they had relaxed hair. They would have
to go to the salon anytime they need to get their hair done and this takes the thrill out of things.
21
4.2.3 Sports
Findings show that some of the respondents find natural hair convenient when it comes to sports. The
two main sporting activities that respondents were engaged in are swimming and personal workouts.
Some of the respondents explained that as a swimmer, natural hair is convenient because after swimming,
one can just comb out her hair and carry on with the days activities. Relaxers on the other hand cause
people to have to wash out the chlorine from their hair to prevent hair damage and then blow dry their
hair before they can carry on with other activities. One respondent expressed this concisely by saying:
Because, erm, when you swim a lot, keeping natural hair is easier to maintain than when you have
permed hair. The chlorine, I mean everything that has to do with swimming is friendly with natural haired
people. - (22 year old student)
Swimming is the main reason why some other women transitioned from relaxed hair to natural hair.
Women who have a personal workout routine are inclined to keep natural hair because after a rigorous
workout, one would like to take a shower from head to toe. This is not always possible with relaxed hair.
It is possible most of the time with natural hair. For this reason, some prefer to keep natural hair.
4.2.5 Religion
Some of the respondents also expressed religious sentiments about their natural hair. They believe that
to change the original texture is to spite God and to keep it as it is honours Him. One respondent who is
a member of the Apostle Revelation Society said that her church leaders advise the members not to relax
their hair for the same reasons. Although the religious leaders do not force their members to wear natural
hair, the women just comply with these teachings of their own free will. Another popular church called
Deeper Christian Life Ministry also encourages its female members to wear natural hair in Ghana.
22
4.2.4 Cost
Consumers are deemed to be rational, and are expected to spend as little as they can on a product or
service (Kassarjian & Robertson, 1968). It therefore comes as no surprise that some women are motivated
to wear their hair natural because of the cost of maintenance. Though some respondents find maintaining
natural hair in Ghana to be very expensive due to the high cost of products and hairstyling services in
Ghana, some find it relatively cheap. They believe that their natural hair journey will be successful
without the expensive products and expensive trips to the hairdressers. By doing most things themselves,
a lot of the costs will come down. One respondent expressed such sentiments by saying: Because I make
my products, I dont necessarily spend much. And I also think that a lot of people are tricked, they are
lied to about, maybe you need this product when you really dont need it, and so it may be expensive for
some people. (21 year old business admin student).
Such a person may not make her own products because she enjoys it but because it is cost efficient.
Another lady said: because at times, you have to go to the salon, and if you are going somewhere youll
have to wait for a while. And I dont have much time to spend at a particular place, so I decided to go
natural. - (30 year old accountant)
Thus, some other respondents are not only motivated by monetary cost efficiency but also time and effort
efficiency as well.
4.2.6 Type of Hair

The Andre Walker Hair Typing outlines four main types of hair (Walker, 1997). As per this hair typing
system Afro-textured hair ranges from type 3a to 4c predominantly. Because 4c is the tightest and coiliest
hair, it is the most difficult to manage. The lower one goes down the scale, the easier it is to manage the
23
natural hair (Byrd, 2011). Some of the respondents expressed their interest in maintaining natural hair
due to the type of hair they have. Because they have type 3 hair which is more manageable, they do not
see the need to get a relaxer seeing as (to them) relaxers are used to make hair more manageable. One
respondent explained this by saying: My natural hair is fine. Its soft so I can keep it well. It wont be
difficult me. So thats why I decided to go natural. I wont have to add any chemicals to it for my hair to
break and things. - (19 year old business admin student). Yet another respondent said: the quality of
hair that I have erm, endears itself to natural hair. My hair is not tough. Its not kinky. Its not rock solid.
And I realize that, you know its easier. Thats why I transitioned. - (46 year old UN staff)
4.2.7 Health
From the in-depth interviews, it was found that some of the consumers keep their hair natural for health
reasons. One respondent said that she is glad she has natural hair because she knows she is not causing
any harm to herself by wearing natural hair (25 year old market researcher). Other respondents explained
that their primary reason for wearing natural hair is because their hair got damaged from relaxers. Their
hair either got too thin or stopped growing and natural hair was just a healthier option. They are happy
with the volume of hair they have now going natural.
4.2.8 Social Media

Though not a primary reason why people go natural, social media is a definitely a factor influencing the
natural hair movement. A lot of the young respondents who are active on social media are motivated by
the pictures and articles of other natural haired women. The more of such images they see, the more they
aspire to become a kinky haired beauty and maintain their natural (Antonia, 2014). Also, for some of
them, social media is a virtual natural hair classroom. Nimocks (2015) in discussing this phenomenon,
24
explained that social media creates a virtual space for women in the natural hair movement to talk about
their natural hair routines, regimens and even products. The findings from the interviews are consistent
with her argument. One respondent said: I like Instagram a lot because I like looking at pictures. I
follow a lot of natural hair pages to see different styles, products and other people who have natural
hair - (21 year old French student). When asked about the blogs she reads, another respondent said:
looking at their journeys, their motivational speeches and then they give you methods on how to make
things easier in keeping natural hair and everything. Everything pertaining to natural hair and how to
manage it. So, you know that, they become your mentor and your icon and you know that they going
through that successfully means that you can also go through that successfully and then you just
follow- (22 year old Marketing student).
No matter their age, whenever they are lost about what styles to do and how to manage their hair, they
just get on social media platforms to get information. The primary sources of their information are
YouTube videos and Blogs. They are also motivated by pictures they see on Instagram and Facebook.
4.2.9 Fashion
Fashion trends have always been something that catch the attention of people. From clothes to hair to
technology, people are influenced by what other people do almost all the time. With regards to natural
hair, the story is the same. Some of the respondents are just wearing natural hair just for a new look. Such
people will return to relaxers if the journey gets too tough or if the fashion trend changes. One of the
respondents expressed her thoughts this way: I think I want to have experience of natural hair. I will
just go through the journey. Its a journey after sometime I will know whether to go back to relaxed
hair. - (27 year old Marketing and Sales Executive). An older respondent said that when she saw that
25
natural hair was becoming more the trend, she took advantage of it and transitioned to natural hair as
well.
4.2.10 Beauty
Healthy looking hair has always been important to people; women deeming it a symbol of beauty and
men, a symbol of their strength (Dichter, 1964). According to the findings from the in-depth interviews,
the women of this age are no different. To some of the respondents, the look, feel and texture of natural
hair is beautiful. Though this was not the primary reason for any of respondents to go natural, some of
the respondents did imply that they shared this sentiment.
The above factors; individualism, cost, beauty, the quality of hair they have, religion, health, fashion,
sports and the opportunity that natural hair gives one to make her own products and style her own hair ,
were used to generate a survey to see whether the findings from the in-depth interviews could be applied
to the general population.
The findings from the survey, which are slightly different from the qualitative findings, are discussed
below. These findings answer the second research question; what segment of Ghanaian women is
predominating the natural hair movement?
4.3 Segment of Ghanaian Women Predominating the Natural Hair Movement

This section of the study identifies segments that predominate the natural hair movement. Segmentation
is done on two bases; demographic and psychographic segmentation
26
4.3.1 Demographic Profile of Respondents

This subsection discusses the demographic characteristics of the respondents to the survey. They have
been profiled based on age, income level and highest level of education.
4.3.2 Age of respondent.
Frequency %
Valid %
Cumulative %
less than 25
79
52.3
52.3
52.3
25 to 30
28
18.5
18.5
70.9
31 to 35
18
11.9
11.9
82.8
36 to 40
12
7.9
7.9
90.7
41 to 45
4.0
4.0
94.7
46 to 50
4.0
4.0
98.7
older than 50 2
1.3
1.3
100.0
Total
100.0
100.0
Valid
151
The table above indicates the ages of the respondents that took part in the survey. The results show that
most of the respondents (52.3%) were less than 25 years old. This group is followed by those within the
age range of 25 30 (18.5%) and 36 40 (7.9%). There were 6 respondents within the age groups of
41-45 (4%) and 46 -50 (4%) each. The lowest numbers of respondents were those above 50 years old
(1.3%). There were only two of them. It is interesting to note that at this point, the younger the age group,
the higher the number of respondents and the older the age group the fewer the number of respondents.
27
4.3.3 Income Level of Respondent
Frequency %
Valid
Valid %
Cumulative %
less than 500 cedis 68
45.0
45.0
45.0
501 to 1500 cedis
21.2
21.2
66.2
1501 to 2500 cedis 13
8.6
8.6
74.8
2501 to 3500 cedis 16
10.6
10.6
85.4
3501 to 4500 cedis 8
5.3
5.3
90.7
4501+
14
9.3
9.3
100.0
Total
151
100.0
100.0
32
The Average monthly income of respondents was found to be as follows:

68 respondents (45%) earned less than 500 cedis. 32 respondents (21.2%) earned between 501 and 1500
cedis.13 respondents (8.6%) earned 1501 to 2500 cedis. 16 respondents (10%) earned 2501 to 3500 cedis.
28
4.3.4 Educational Levels of Respondents
Frequency %
Valid %
Cumulative %
4.0
4.0
4.0
4.6
4.6
8.6
Tertiary Education
100
66.2
66.2
74.8
Professional Education
38
25.2
25.2
100.0
Total
151
100.0
100.0
Basic Education
Senior
High
School
Education
Valid
The table above represents the highest level of education that each of the respondents of the survey had
required. Majority of them (66.2%) had acquired tertiary level education and these were 100 of the
respondents. These were followed by 38 respondents who had professional level education (25.2%) and
7 who had senior high school education (4.6%). The smallest group of people were those who had only
acquired Basic education (4.0%)
From the above demographic data, we find that a lot of the respondents are youth. Over 50% of
respondents are younger than 25 years old and only less than 20 % of our respondents are 36 years or
older. We also find that 85% of respondents earn less than 3500 cedis. An even larger number of them
(42%) earn less than 500 cedis. The highest level of education majority of our respondents attained is
tertiary education. 87.4%
29
Thus, we can say, based on the data in the above tables that, the segment of natural haired women
predominating the natural haired women consists of young, middle income earners who have attained
tertiary education.
4.3.5 Psychographic Profiles of Respondents

This subsection discusses the psychographic characteristic of respondents to the survey. They have
been segmented based on their various reasons why they transitioned and still keep natural hair. The
segmentation variables are: Health, Hair type, DIY, Africanism, Fashion, Sports, Cost, Religion and
Social media.
4.3.5.1 Health
Health
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Strongly agree
99
65.6
65.6
65.6
agree
18
11.9
11.9
77.5
neutral
10
6.6
6.6
84.1
disagree
3.3
3.3
87.4
19
12.6
12.6
100.0
151
100.0
100.0
Strongly disagree
Total
From the above table, we see how respondents graded health on a likert scale from 1 to 5. 65.6% of
respondents strongly agreed with the statement: natural hair is a healthier option than relaxed hair.
30
11. 9% of respondents simply agreed. This makes 77.5% of respondents who agreed to the statement.
6.6% of respondents were indifferent about the statement and 15.9% disagree with the statement.
4.3.5.2 Religion
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly agree
24
15.9
15.9
15.9
agree
4.0
4.0
19.9
neutral
2.6
2.6
22.5
disagree
6.0
6.0
28.5
Strongly disagree
108
71.5
71.5
100.0
Total
151
100.0
100.0
Valid
The above table shows how respondents graded religion on a likert scale from one to five. We find that
only 19.9% of respondents agreed with the statement: I wear natural hair for religious reasons. 2.6%
of respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. 28.5% of respondents simply disagreed
while 71.5% of respondents strongly disagreed with the statement.
31
4.3.5.3 Beauty and Hair type
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly agree
90
59.6
59.6
59.6
agree
22
14.6
14.6
74.2
neutral
19
12.6
12.6
86.8
disagree
5.3
5.3
92.1
12
7.9
7.9
100.0
151
100.0
100.0
Valid
Strongly disagree
Total
From the above table, we find that a total of 74. 2% of respondents agreed with the statement: I like
the look, feel and type/texture of my hair. 59.6% of them strongly agreed while 14.6% of them simply
agreed. 12.6% of respondents were indifferent about their hair type and 13.2% of respondents
disagreed with the statement.
4.3.5.4 Sports
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Engaged
Valid
30
19.9
19.9
19.9
Not engaged
150
80.1
80.1
100.0
Total
151
100.0
100.0
32
The above table gives us a very interesting report of how many respondents who engage in sports and
those who dont. While less than twenty percent of respondents agreed with sports as a motivating
factor for going natural (19.9%), almost the whole group of them (80.1%) strongly disagreed with
sports as a reason for wearing natural hair. Thus we find that very few
4.3.5.5 Africanism
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly agree
54
35.8
35.8
35.8
Agree
20
13.2
13.2
49.0
Neutral
47
31.1
31.1
80.1
Disagree
10
6.6
6.6
86.8
Strongly Disagree
20
13.2
13.2
100.0
151
100.0
100.0
Valid
Total
The above table shows how respondents responded to the statement: it is best as a black woman to
wear natural hair and portray African beauty. 35.8% of respondents strongly agreed with the
statement. 49% of them simply agreed, 31.1% of them were indifferent about the statement and 19.8%
of them disagreed with the statement.
33
4.3.5.6 Fashion
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly agree
62
41.1
41.1
41.1
Agree
15
9.9
9.9
51.0
Neutral
38
25.2
25.2
76.2
Disagree
10
6.6
6.6
82.8
Strongly disagree
26
17.2
17.2
100.0
151
100.0
100.0
Valid
Total
From the table above, we understand how respondents feel about beauty and fashion with regards to
natural hair. 41.1% of respondents strongly agreed with the statement while 9.9% simply agreed. This
makes a total of 51% of respondents who agree that natural hair is a factor to consider. 25.2% were
indifferent about it while 23.8% of them disagreed with the statement.
34
4.3.5.7 DIY (Do-it-yourself)
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly agree
62
41.1
41.1
41.1
Agree
35
23.2
23.2
64.2
Neutral
23
15.2
15.2
79.5
Disagree
11
7.3
7.3
86.8
Strongly disagree
20
13.2
13.2
100.0
151
100.0
100.0
Valid
Total
4.3.5.8 Cost
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly agree
40
26.5
26.5
26.5
Agree
18
11.9
11.9
38.4
Neutral
28
18.5
18.5
57.0
Disagree
13
8.6
8.6
65.6
Strongly disagree
52
34.4
34.4
100.0
151
100.0
100.0
Valid
Total
35
The table shows that only 38.4% of the respondents agreed that natural hair is cheaper than relaxed
hair. Of the remaining 61.6% of respondents, 18.5% of them were indifferent about the cost of natural
hair. This left a total of 43.1% of respondents who disagreed with the statement.
4.3.5.9 Social Media
Social media (likert scale)
Frequency Percent
Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent
Strongly agree
43
28.5
28.5
28.5
agree
22
14.6
14.6
43.0
neutral
25
16.6
16.6
59.6
disagree
13
8.6
8.6
68.2
Strongly disagree 48
31.8
31.8
100.0
Total
100.0
100.0
Valid
151
The above table shows how respondents graded the statement; other natural haired women on social
media encouraged me to go natural on a likert scale from 1 to 5. 28.5% of respondents strongly agreed
with the statement and 14.6% of them simply agreed. 16.6% of respondents were indifferent to the
statement. 8.6% disagreed and 31.8% of them strongly disagreed. We find that more respondents agreed
than disagreed with the statement.
36
Social media tips

Frequency Percent
Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent
Yes
Valid No
Total
127
84.1
84.1
84.1
24
15.9
15.9
100.0
151
100.0
100.0
The second table representing social media contains information of how many respondents get hair care
tips from social media and how many dont. 84.1% of respondents said that they get hair care tips from
blogs and social media while 15.9% said that they did not.
37
4.4 Motivational Factors in Order of Importance
Minimu
Maximu
Mean
Std.
Deviation
Health
151
1.85
1.407
Hair type
151
1.87
1.282
DIY
151
2.28
1.407
Africanism
151
2.48
1.380
Fashion
151
2.49
1.501
Social media
151
3.01
1.631
Cost
151
3.13
1.626
Religion
151
4.13
1.526
Sports
151
4.98
.244
Valid
(list
151
wise)
Psychographic segmentation is based on the intangible intrinsic qualities of a consumer. These qualities
go a step further than demographic segmentation variables to explain why a consumer will choose to buy
one product over another (Solomon, 2006). From the above table we find the factors arranged in
ascending order, with the most important factor at the top and the least important at the bottom.
4.4.1 Health
We find that the factor with the lowest mean (1.85) is Health. This means that many women wear their
hair natural in Ghana primarily because they deem it to be a healthier option. This is, from the findings
of this study, the number one reason why women wear natural hair in Ghana.
38
4.4.2 Beauty and Hair type

The health reason is closely followed by Hair type with a mean of 1.87. This means that many women
wear their hair natural in Ghana. A large number of women also wear natural hair is they have more
manageable and less kinky hair types. These manageable hair types are types ranging from 3a to 4a.
Types 4b and 4c are very kinky and coily. Some of these women also deem their natural hair to be very
beautiful and for which reason, have chosen not to alter the texture and curl pattern of their hair
4.4.3 DIY
This is the third ranking reason why women wear natural hair in Ghana. Ghanaian women love to either
make their own products at home or style their own hair or both. With a mean of 2.28 it can be deduced
that managing ones own hair is quite an important reason for transitioning to natural hair in Ghana.
4.4.4 Africanism
Africanism turned out to be the fourth most important reason to the respondents. For some of the
respondents of the survey, Africanism plays a major role in their natural hair journey. With a mean of
2.48, we see that Africanism is quite important natural haired women in Ghana. To such women, natural
hair projects the African identity and to relax ones hair is to relinquish ones African identity. It is not
among high ranking reasons because in Ghana, we do not have much racial and cultural diversity. Seeing
as most people in Ghana have hair types ranging from 3a to 4c, it is very unlikely that wearing hair will
make one stand out as an African. It is still a subliminal reason because though Ghana is not culturally
diverse, it has adopted quite a lot of western culture and natural hair makes some women feel that they
have not abandoned the African heritage.
4.4.5 Fashion
Fashion was the fifth most important reason why women wear natural hair in Ghana. It follows very
closely behind Africanism with a mean of 4.49. Young people love to be fashionable and seeing as more
39
than half of the respondents are youth, it is safe to say that being fashionable is very important to the
natural haired women in Ghana.
4.4.6 Social media
Social media is the sixth most important reason why women natural hair in Ghana. To be the sixth among
eight reasons, it is safe to say that social media is not a very important reason why women wear natural
hair in Ghana. This factor scored a mean of 3.01; very close to the neutral point on the scale. People
neither disagreed nor agreed with this factor as motivation to go natural. This is because even though a
lot of them get hair care tips from social media, they do this after they have already made the decision to
wear natural hair.
4.4.7 Cost
We find that cost is not a very important variable to respondents. Notwithstanding the fact that majority
of the respondents were low to middle income earners, cost was not a major issue to them. In fact, cost
scored a mean of 3.13, ranking seventh among nine reasons. A lot of them did agree that natural hair is
cheap while a whole other lot believed that it is not. Thus, whether cheap or not, for health and other
reasons a lot of them were willing to spend as much as they needed to on their hair.
4.4.8 Religion
Religion scored a very high mean of 4.13 and it ranked eighth among nine reasons. We find that religion
is a factor that motivates many natural haired women in Ghana.
4.4.9 Sports
We find that sports is the least important factor to the respondents of the survey. Though not the primary
reason why some do natural hair, it is still a subliminal factor that motivates natural haired consumers.
We find that, of the few consumers who are motivated by the sports factor, a large number of them are
40
either swimmers or people who do personal workouts very often. It is noted that the segment of sports
motivated natural haired women is very small and almost insignificant.
..
41
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Introduction
The previous chapter analysed and discussed the qualitative and quantitative findings of the study. It also
established a relationship between the findings and the literature review. This final chapter summarizes
the whole study first by answering the research questions in Chapter 1 and then outlining how this study
contributes to academia and practice. The chapter presents limitations and offers recommendations for
future research. Finally, the chapter presents the overall conclusion.
5.2 Review of Research Questions

At the beginning of this study, a few research gaps were identified and the study was aimed at bridging
them. The first of these was the inadequate research in Ghana to explain the reasons for the natural hair
movement comprehensively. Existing literature show that a lot of women are opting for natural hair
because they consider it more African, fashionable and cost effective, among many other reasons (CanTamakloe, 2011). However prior studies were unable to identify which reasons were most important to
the natural haired Ghanaian. The second research gap that was identified was the inability to identify the
segment predominating the natural hair movement in Ghana. To bridge these gaps, the following research
questions were posed in chapter one:
1. Which segment of Ghanaian women is predominating the natural hair movement?
2. What factors influence a Ghanaian woman to wear her hair natural?
The above research questions were answered in this study as follows.

A literature review discussed the evolution of natural hair from the early fifteenth century to date. It also
42
discussed an overview of natural hair products, the need for natural hair products and the various natural
hair types. Lastly it discussed consumer behavior and the various pricing strategies that a marketer can
adopt.
The third chapter of this study; Research Methodology, discussed the approach used to collect, process
and interpret data. This approach was the mixed methods approach; where both quantitative and
qualitative methods were combined. Initially, qualitative data was collected from face to face interviews.
The factors that respondents described to be their motivation for doing natural hair were used to prepare
a questionnaire and conduct a survey. The chapter also explained the selection criteria of the respondents
and the sample size.
The fourth chapter described, analyzed and discussed the findings from the research. The findings were
discussed concisely so as to directly answer the research questions and also show the relationship
between the findings and the literature review.
The study ends in this chapter where all answers are plainly stated and recommendations are made for
future research.
5.3 Contribution to Knowledge

A lot of studies have looked into natural hair in view of environmental studies and anthropology. This is
one of recent studies that consider the natural hair movement as a marketing subject. This is one study
that helps us recognize that natural hair is more than just an identity or cultural issue but is primarily a
health issue in Ghana.
43
We also understand from this study that some motivational factors rank higher than some in the minds
of the consumer. The most important being health and the least being sports.
Consumers have helped us understand that this movement is very likely to last very long and is not just
a fashion trend. Consumers also place very high values on their hair and notwithstanding the cost, they
are willing to pay as much as they can afford, to maintain healthy hair.
5.4 Limitations of the Research

This research was only able to capture women in the southern parts of Ghana. Certain regions like the
Upper East, Upper West, Northern and Volta regions are not represented in the study. Thus, the primary
limitation of this study is its location. It was unable to reach the northern parts of the country.
5.5 Recommendation for future Research

A lot of studies have looked into natural hair in view of environmental studies and anthropology. This is
one of recent studies that consider the natural hair movement as a marketing subject. It is important that
more of such studies are done in Ghana to help the natural hair product industry understand its clientele
better.
This study was only able to interview respondents from the Greater Accra, Central, Western, Eastern,
Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions in Ghana. Future researchers can conduct studies that have respondents
from all the ten regions of Ghana to gain an overall national perspective into the motivations for wearing
natural hair. For Ghanaian businesses that would want to go beyond Ghanas borders, researchers can
also get respondents from across Africa to get an insight into the African perspective of natural hair.
44
The study also identified demographic and psychographic segments that are large enough for marketers
to serve. It is highly recommended that future researchers look also at benefit segments among natural
haired consumers so that marketers can produce a marketing mix for them as well.
5.6 Recommendation for Industry

Marketers must have a marketing mix that appeals to the segments predominating the natural hair
movement in Ghana. They can do this with the recommendations outlined below.
It was found in this study that the number one reason why the average Ghanaian woman prefers natural
hair over relaxed hair is that it is a healthier option. It is thus highly recommended that natural hair
product manufacturers keep all their product ingredients natural.
It is good that natural hair product marketers position their brand in such a way that it appeals to the
consumer who is focused on healthy living and personal development seeing as this calibre of consumers
predominates the natural hair movement.
It is also good that natural hair product marketers get a brand ambassador whose image is consistent with
the young, educated, middle income earning women. Consumers love a brand that is consistent with their
own self-image (Dichter, 1964).
Considering that 84.1% of respondents get their hair tips from social media, it is also highly
recommended that natural hair product and service providers become very active on social media. They
can manage social media accounts that provide hair care tips to consumers. They can also put up pictorials
and video tutorials on social media platforms to engage consumers with their brand and create brand
awareness.
45
5.7 Conclusion
This study was conducted with an aim to understand why the average Ghanaian woman wears her hair
natural, identify the segment of consumers who wear natural hair and finally identify which factors are
most important and which are least important to the average natural haired woman in Ghana. A few
studies that have been previously conducted on the natural hair movement both in Ghana and around the
world were discussed (Can-Tamakloe, 2011; Hawkins, 2014; Nimocks, 2015). There were also some
discussions about the different factors that affect consumer behaviour (Hawkins, Best & Coney, 1986;
Leon, Schiffman & Kanuk, 2010).
An initial qualitative work was done via face-to-face interviews with 14 respondents and it was found
that the reasons why natural haired women in Ghana wear natural hair are Health, Hair type, DIY,
Africanism, Fashion, Social media, Cost, Religion, Sports and beauty. Among these reasons health and
hair type were identified as the factors most important to respondents while sports and religion were the
factors of least importance to the respondents
Marketers are thus advised to serve the demographic segment of consumers who are young, middle
income earners and who have attained tertiary education. They are also advised to target the
psychographic segment of respondents who are wearing natural hair for health and beauty reasons.
46
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Publising Ltd.
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www.eleanorjadore.wordpress.com
Jahangir, R. (2015, May 31). How Does Black Hair Reflect Black History. Retrieved from BBC News:
www.bbc.com/news/uk-england- mersey-3148273
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Khawaja Mubeenur Rahman, Dr. Roshan Kazi and Sandip Sourav. (n.d.). Aalysis of Hair Care
Products with Reference to Shampoo Market in India. National Monthly Refereed Journal of
Research in Commerce and Management, 177-184.
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Prentice Hall.
Leon G. Schiffman and Leslie Lazar Kanuk. (2010). Consumer Behaviour. Prentice Hall.
Loudon, D. L., & Bitta, A. J. (1993). Consumer Behavior: Concepts and Applications. McGraw-Hill,
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Luter, C. (2014, June 20). The History of Natural Black Hair, Plus How 2014's Afro Has A Whole New
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Appendix 1
Interview Questions (In-depth interview)
M OTIVATIONS
1. Have you transitioned from relaxed to natural hair?
2. How long have you had natural hair?
3. Do you think maintaining natural hair is expensive? Why?
4. Why did you decide to go natural?
5. Why do you keep your hair natural?
6. How many of your friends and family have natural hair?
Buyer Segment / Demographic Information
7. How old are you?
8. What do you do for a living?
9. What is your educational background?
10. Where do you live?
Buyer Segment / Psychographic Information
11. How do you spend your leisure time? ( foreign travel, exercise, knitting, reading, art, DIYs,
crafts, cooking, browsing, Bible Study)
12. What are some of your interest? ( health, art, music, fashion, self-improvement)
13. What websites do you visit most?
51
Appendix 2
Natural Hair Product Consumer Behaviour
Dear respondent, my name is Yehowadah Oddoye. This survey is a part of my final thesis submission
in the University of Ghana Business School. Data collected is solely for academic purposes. You can
contact me by e-mail at noyodd@st.ug.edu.gh if you want to receive feedback on the finished project.
This study is being conducted for natural haired women in Ghana alone. If you do not fit this
description, please recommend this questionnaire to someone else who does.
*Required
1. Could you please indicate your age bracket?*
Mark only one oval.
Less than 25
25 to 30
31 to 35
36 to 40
40 to 45
46 to 50
50+
52
2. Could you kindly indicate your area of residence?*

Kindly be specific with your response. For example, 1. Snitt Flats, Adenta. 2. Anadji Estates, Takoradi
and 3. Addo Gonno, Nungua.
______________________________
3. What is your educational background?*

Mark only one oval.
Basic Education
Senior High Education
Tertiary Education
Professional
4. Could you kindly indicate your income bracket below?*
Mark only one oval.
less than 500 Ghana cedis
501 to 1501 Ghana cedis
4501+ Ghana cedis
Products
53
5. How much are you willing to spend on personal natural hair products over a period of six
months?*
Mark only one oval.
Less than 50 Ghana cedis
110+ Ghana cedis
6. How long have you had your natural hair for?*
Mark only one oval.
Less than two years
2 to 5 years
More than 5 years
Motivations
Why did you decide to wear your hair natural? Please state to what extent the following circumstances
affect your decision to continue on your natural hair journey, using a scale of 1 to 5. Where 1 shows
that you strongly agree and 5 shows that you strongly disagree with the statement. 3 is a neutral point
on the scale.
7. I engage in sports of any kind and natural hair makes partaking in sports easier for me*
Mark only one oval.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
54
8. If yes, kindly indicate which sport

__________________________________
9. It is best as a black woman to wear natural hair and portray African beauty*
Mark only one oval.
1
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
10. Natural hair is trending right now in beauty and fashion*

Mark only one oval.
1
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
11. Natural hair is cheaper than relaxed hair*

Mark only one oval.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
12. Natural hair gives me the opportunity to manage my hair myself and make my own
products*
Mark only one oval.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
55
13. Natural hair is a healthier option than relaxed hair*

Mark only one oval.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
14. I keep my natural hair for religious reasons*

Mark only one oval.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
15. I like the look, feel and type/texture of my natural hair*

Mark only one oval.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
16. Other natural haired women on social media encouraged me to go natural*

Mark only one oval.
56
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
17. Do you get natural hair care tips from social media?*
Check all that apply
Yes
No
57

The Mane Reason - UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS NATURAL HAIR PRODUCTS IN GHANA

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UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

THIS LONG ESSAY WAS SUBMITTED TO THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT OF THE

Naa Odoley Yehowadah Oddoye

Dr. Kobby Mensah

2.6 Natural hair types .............................................................................................................................9

4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................20

5.4 Limitations of the Research............................................................................................................44

1.2 Problem Statement

1.3 Research Objectives

1.4 Research Questions

1.5 Significance of study

1.6 Organization of Study

2.2 The Natural Hair Debate

2.3 The Changing Beauty Aesthete

2.4 Overview of natural hair products

2.5 The Need for Hair Care Products

2.6 Natural hair types

2.7 Consumer Behaviour Perspectives

2.7.2 The Behavioural Perspective

2.8 Market Segmentation.

2.8.1 Geographic segmentation

2.8.2 Demographic Segmentation

Solomon, Polegato & Zaichkowsky,

3.2 Research Design

3.4 Selection Criteria

3.5 Sample Size

3.7 The Questionnaire

4.2 Reasons Why Ghanaian Women Wear Natural Hair

4.2.6 Type of Hair

4.2.8 Social Media

4.3 Segment of Ghanaian Women Predominating the Natural Hair Movement

4.3.1 Demographic Profile of Respondents

4.3.2 Age of respondent.

4.3.3 Income Level of Respondent

less than 500 cedis 68

501 to 1500 cedis

1501 to 2500 cedis 13

2501 to 3500 cedis 16

3501 to 4500 cedis 8

The Average monthly income of respondents was found to be as follows:

4.3.4 Educational Levels of Respondents

4.3.5 Psychographic Profiles of Respondents

4.3.5.3 Beauty and Hair type

4.3.5.7 DIY (Do-it-yourself)

Valid Percent Cumulative

Social media tips

Valid Percent Cumulative

4.4 Motivational Factors in Order of Importance

4.4.2 Beauty and Hair type

5.2 Review of Research Questions

The above research questions were answered in this study as follows.

5.3 Contribution to Knowledge

5.4 Limitations of the Research

5.5 Recommendation for future Research

5.6 Recommendation for Industry

2. Could you kindly indicate your area of residence?*

3. What is your educational background?*

8. If yes, kindly indicate which sport

10. Natural hair is trending right now in beauty and fashion*

11. Natural hair is cheaper than relaxed hair*

13. Natural hair is a healthier option than relaxed hair*

14. I keep my natural hair for religious reasons*