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INSPIRED: Danielle Obe developed her waterproof scarf after struggling with her own daughter’s hair and praying for a solution

THERE’S A wave of entrepreneurial innovation sweeping through the black Christian community, and one woman who’s caught the business spirit is Danielle Obe.

She has designed a product that will be a godsend to all black females everywhere who want to swim, but won’t because they dislike getting their hair wet and the length of time it takes to make their hair manageable after coming out of the pool.

The product she has designed is called My Waterproof Scarf and, unlike a normal swimming cap, this latex scarf provides total covering for any type of black hairstyle – weaves, braids, extensions – and keeps hair dry while in water.

Danielle, 37, is a former management consultant turned full-time mum, who lives in Kent with her husband and their three young children, whom she home schools. The inspiration for the product came while Danielle was searching for a way to keep her young daughter’s hair dry at the local swimming pool.

ORDEALS
“My girls had big afros, sometimes they’d have extensions and braids, and I’d take them swimming,” she explained.

“I’d have major ordeals with my second daughter.

“She just doesn’t like water around her eyes or soap around her face.

“We’d go for a swimming session, struggle to put on a cap, she’d then have her swimming lesson come out the water, but her hair would be soaked.

“I’d have to shampoo it and it would be a big deal, and I went through this cycle over and over again. And one day my daughter said, ‘What’s the point? Putting on the cap, my hair’s [going to] get wet’ – and I said I’d have to find a solution.”

SWIMMING SCARF: Danielle Obe's product

Determined to find a way to keep her daughter’s hair dry, Danielle asked God for a solution.

She recalled: “I prayed about it and thought there’s got to be a way.”

Inspiration came quickly and Danielle started carrying out research to see if creating a waterproof product in the bandana shape she envisioned was possible – she found that it was. Through trial and error, and testing the scarf on black women, Danielle has perfected the product so it’s now ready to market.

FAITH
During testing, she also found that women can use it as a steam cap or shower cap. As far as Danielle is concerned, it’s her faith and prayer that’s guided her during this business journey.

“It’s been the pivot of everything,” she said.

“Without the Holy Spirit I wouldn’t have this product. I wouldn’t have innovated it. It’s also strengthened my faith.”

Danielle is preparing to launch her product in the next few weeks with a roadshow.

She has also contacted Swim England, the national body for swimming, in the hope that they will endorse the product in order to encourage more people from a BAME background to take up swimming – for fitness or competitively – as there is now a product on the market to keep their hair dry.

Visit mywaterproofscarf.com for more details.