Amid SA's youth unemployment crisis, this young Soweto entrepreneur is betting on eyelashes and the beauty industry.
Tebogo Mbewu, founder of Lash’d by Him, is one of a handful of South African men working in eyelash extensions, an industry still largely closed off to local men. Picture: iStock
Walk into most South African beauty salons offering eyelash extensions, and the person doing the work is almost always a woman. Where men have carved out a presence in the beauty industry, it tends to be in hair or nails, and even then, sparingly. Lash technicians who are men remain a rarity, and the few who do exist are frequently found to be foreign nationals rather than South African-born.
It’s against this backdrop, and amid a youth unemployment crisis that continues to squeeze opportunities for young South Africans, that Tebogo Mbewu is trying to shift the picture.
The founder of Lash’d by Him is one of a small number of South African men working professionally as a lash technician, and he’s doing it deliberately, as both a business decision and a statement about who gets to work in beauty and why.
As The Citizen learned when speaking to Mbewu, who works in Soweto’s vibrant Mofolo North, the industry was never a stretch. It was the family business, just never officially.
A childhood surrounded by beauty entrepreneurship
Growing up in Soweto, Mbewu was exposed early to the beauty industry’s earning potential. His neighbourhood had informal salons operating out of rented back rooms, and during school holidays, he’d help out by sweeping hair and keeping the space clean for clients in a business that rented space from his family.
“That was just an eye-opener that these people had people just braiding or whatever the case may be, and they’d make money from that. That was my first inspiration in business.”
His mother’s experience reinforced the lesson. After losing her job, she began doing nails from home, supporting Mbewu and his two brothers through the transition without the family feeling the impact.
“It became so normal to see strangers in our living room, sitting on our couches, watching TV and her doing nails,” he recalled. He and his brothers would even be sent to buy the products she needed for the job.
Choosing lashes over nails
Although his mother’s trade pointed him toward nails, Mbewu’s research into the industry led him elsewhere. He noted that while it isn’t unheard of for South African men to work in nails or hair, very few do lashes.
“There’s two that I know of in South Africa that do nails, one in Rustenburg and the other in Randburg, but it’s very rare, especially for a South African man,” he said, adding that he believes the Randburg-based technician originates from outside the country.
Mbewu pursued formal training and accreditation before building his business, saying he’d been quietly perfecting his craft for years before going public.
“I always knew that I wanted to do this the professional way, that I wanted to learn this skill and get accredited professionally. I’m still at a point where I just want to get better.”
Family support and a household of practice clients
Mbewu, who also has a public career in art, said his family – predominantly made up of women – backed his move into beauty without hesitation.
“They just told me to do my best,” he said. That support came with a practical upside: his sisters became his early practice clients, receiving free lashes as he refined his technique.
Building slowly, on his own terms
Mbewu described his business as progressing steadily, with a deliberate focus on quality over speed. He limits the clients he takes on to ensure each appointment gets the time it needs.
“I don’t want to rush with making money in mind. I want to take my time and better my skills with the few clients I have that I’m accepting… I take my time, that’s what I tell all my clients, so that the work is top quality.”
Asked about challenges, Mbewu said he prefers not to frame obstacles that way.
“I don’t look at things from the perspective of a challenge. I don’t want to look at something and demotivate myself from seeing it that way. I always make a plan for whatever might arise.”
One recent highlight, he said, was a social media post that surpassed 100 000 views, which he saw as validation of his approach. At the time of writing, the video (embedded at the top of this article) had amassed more than 209 000 views. He’s also faced scepticism from some who question his career choice.
“Other people have their own opinion that I’m doing this to get girls, but I’m really just trying to put bread on the table and create an experience that’s amazing,” he said.
A message to other men considering beauty careers
Mbewu said he hopes to be among the first South African men to build a career in lashes and to encourage others to consider the beauty industry, noting that it remains dominated by foreign nationals in South Africa.
“We can keep the business at home, keep the money at home instead of it going out there into other countries,” he said emphatically, adding, “Not that it’s a problem really, but we can do this as much as other men out there from other countries.”
His advice to men weighing a career in beauty services centres on the dignity of any honest income.
“No one feeds you,” he said. “Whether I come with my R1 000 buying groceries and I made my money through lashes, and the next guy is a mechanic, and the next guy is a bartender, and the next guy is a CEO or an accountant – our value is the same. That R1 000 we’re all pulling out from our pocket is still the same, and I can feed my family with that R1 000.”
He pointed to South Africa’s unemployment rate as reason enough to consider the industry.
“It’s a very lucrative business that’s consistent. The numbers are very good… why wouldn’t you venture into something that’s very lucrative and that caters to a country full of working women who need to look good?”
