This start-up is making artificial hair from bananas

CNN — During a visit to a local farm while working with development agency USAID, Ugandan entrepreneur Juliet Tumusiime realized that a huge amount of banana stems are left over from banana cultivation and simply discarded. Looking for a way to use the waste, she struck upon an innovative business idea.

Almost a decade later, now aged 42, Tumusiime is the chief executive and co-founder of Cheveux Organique, which manufactures hair made from banana fibers as an alternative to synthetic extensions.

Fashion trends among the younger population and growing purchasing power have boosted the market for hair extensions and wigs in the Africa and the Middle East, which could be worth $710 million by 2028, according to Research and Markets.

Extensions are typically made from human hair, or synthetic materials such as nylon, polyester, acrylic and PVC. Synthetics are popular in Uganda because they’re much cheaper, but they’re not biodegradable or easy to recycle. Some people complain that synthetic hair can irritate their scalp and a study of synthetic hair in Nigeria found the presence of potentially harmful heavy metals and chemicals.