PETALING JAYA: Karishma Menon has a pearly-white smile that is complemented by beautiful curly hair. The 32-year-old dentist is the founder of CURLrinting, an online platform for the curly-haired community.
She tells FMT that when she was growing up, there was not a lot of information on curly hair or mediated representation of women with such tresses. The overall perception seemed to be that curly hair was messy or dirty.
It was a mindset she vowed to change.
“I would look at people overseas and admire how they cared for their textured hair and were proud of it,” she says. “I knew curly hair could be beautiful.”
Karishma started CURLrinting two years ago with the aim of creating a space where people could share thoughts, tips and tricks on their ringlets. But she soon realised there weren’t many products specifically for this hair type, which inspired her to turn the platform into a business.
CURLrinting now sells hair products and accessories, sourced locally and internationally, to help Malaysians manage their manes.
Each product is vetted by Karishma herself. She pays attention to the safety of the ingredients as well as reviews, and also ensures every product is registered under the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency of Malaysia.
Karishma says she hopes to bring more brands to the platform, especially those that are locally made.
Through CURLrinting, she has connected with many people in Malaysia and from around the world. Karishma says it can be tiring juggling her day job and the platform, but she gets great satisfaction from helping others embrace their locks.
She hopes there will be more hairdressers who specialise in cutting and styling curly hair as, according to her, they are a rare breed.
“I also hope that when the pandemic is over, we will be able to have a meet-up of all different kinds of curly-haired people,” she adds, longing for a safe physical space where Malaysians can share their experiences and celebrate their curls.
In the meantime, Karishma has no plans of leaving her dental practice behind. Either way, it looks like this young woman is on a mission to make sure people wear their crowns with pride.
Check out CURLrinting on Facebook and Instagram for tips on how to cater to your curly-haired needs.