It can be hard to find a stylist who can work with natural hair. Bantu makes it easy.

Meron Berhe was catching up with her friend John Eke, a software engineer, over coffee when suddenly the conversation shifted to Berhe’s new iPhone.

“He said he wondered if his app would work on my phone,” recalled Berhe. She said she didn’t even know that her friend had created an app, let alone its purpose.

Unbeknownst to Berhe, Eke had developed Bantu, an app designed to connect users with reputable stylists who work with the kinky, curly and coily hair of the black community.

Sounds easy right?

Well, when you consider that black and brown women spend the most of any other demographic on hair products and services but have limited access to professionals capable of working with their hair types, it can make things a little more complicated. According to Mintel, the 2012 estimate of the black hair care market was $684 million and the 2017 projection is $761 million.

“John created Bantu because at school people would ask him all the time where they could go to get this done, that done, so because he really was just tired of telling people he designed the original application,” said Berhe who was so impressed with Eke’s working idea that they began to brainstorm ways to improve it for future users who were traveling, had moved to a new city or desired a specific style. Richard Kyereboah joins the duo as the app’s third co-founder.

“He starts telling me about it and it was incredible…The first version was only available in two Canadian cities and you could only find stylists who could braid, twist or do weaves,” said Berhe, now head of the Public Relations and User Engagement initiatives for Bantu.

Since that first product development meeting held in that Canadian coffee shop, Bantu now boasts 64 style services and a wider range of locations to choose from, including Canada, the US, France and England.

For women of color looking for something different, Bantu gives them options they didn’t have before.

Bantu is not only a useful tool for those looking for hair services but a great opportunity for stylists looking to grow their clientele. They can create profiles, upload product and service descriptions and photos showing their work. Stylists can then be searched by services offered, price point or their ratings.

“We are doing this to help clients but also to help hairstylists improve their business as well. You can check them out view their profiles leave reviews and that helps out the next person that’s checking it out.” Said Berhe. By offering Bantu for free, stylists are able to grow their business by easily interacting with customers and ultimately attracting new business.

Buzz from the black community is steadily pushing Bantu into the spotlight and Berhe, who interacts with the majority of users says the level of excitement is humbling for the three founders.

“This is a passion project for us. It’s long hours but when I see people’s reactions, its reaffirming. There’s others girls who are so thankful and appreciative and it is rewarding,” said Berhe who credits the efforts of Eke and Kyereboahn, who worked in their spare time to produce the app.

Bantu is currently available for download through the iPhone app store and will be coming to Android users over the next several months. Android users interested in beta testing this application can sign up online at www.bantuapp.com. For more information on the application visit the app website or connect with Bantu on Twitter or Instagram at @bantuapp. Bantu is also on Facebook at Facebook.com/bantuapp.