Woman inspired by mum’s health battle helps others – and now makes seven figures
Erim Kaur was inspired to start her luxury haircare brand, ByErim, after watching her mum battle cancer – and she now helps other people suffering from hair loss
A woman who started a haircare brand after watching her mum battle cancer has found huge success with her family-inspired company – as she’s now turning over millions of pounds every year.
Erim Kaur, 26, founded luxury hair and beard care business ByErim in 2019 after spending over a decade testing hundreds of different formulations in the kitchen with her grandmother.
In its first year, the company turned over £1.5 million and is now valued as a multi-million-pound business – and Erim told the Daily Star that her successful business journey wouldn’t have been possible without the support of her family.
Erim watched her mother fight cancer and lose her hair as a result of chemotherapy before she sadly passed away when Erim was just eight years old.
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And the woman now wants to help others who are struggling with hair loss through her company, which sells oil products designed to promote healthy hair.
She said: “[My mother’s death] was huge for me. We were very close, and losing her has been something that I’ve never forgotten. I was just eight when she died, and she was one of the biggest female influences in my life.
“Losing my mum when I was so young was such a painful process and something that hugely shaped me as a person.”
Erim admitted watching her mum lose her hair was difficult to cope with, as her mum had a deep connection to her “beautiful long hair” – which is also dearly valued in her Sikhism faith.
And the businesswoman also battled hair loss of her own after developing alopecia caused by stress, which is when she teamed up with her grandmother to try and find a solution.
She added: “I was 11 when I first started to notice it was falling out as a result of PTSD, and I found that the recipe for the hair oil that we now use in ByErim helped to anchor the hair to my root and bring it back faster each time I noticed periods of hair loss.
“Your hair is part of your identity, not just your image, and losing it is hard. For me when it initially started, I was already working through grief and understanding how to live without my mum so losing my hair was part of that.”
The beauty influencer – who has over 245,000 followers on Instagram – was already used to taking part in weekly homemade hair oil masks at home due to her South Asian roots, and was keen to incorporate that tradition in her business.
Hair oiling is the practice of gently applying oil to the scalp and smoothing through the lengths of the hair to increase moisture, lustre and shine.
It’s been done for years, and in many South Asian families, it’s something that is done at home as a bonding exercise.
Erim explained: “Hair oiling has always been a regular part of my routine and finding that perfect balance to keep my hair healthy and strong has been something I’ve crafted for years.
“I suffered from alopecia and found that the hair oil I had been used to making with my grandmother and the women in my family really helped. I’ve been using this recipe since I was 14, and I couldn’t live without it.”
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Before starting her business, Erim worked at a nightclub and saved up her tips to start ByErim with £10,000.
On launch day, ByErim sold out of the first 250 bottles in four hours, while the next batch of 500 bottles sold out just two hours after being made available.
And almost three years on, Erim is still excited to be able to continue helping others with their healthy hair journeys.
She said: “That’s still something that excites me, as it proves we’ve found a demand and are helping people get the healthy and strong hair they want.
“I’ve seen results myself, so it’s been brilliant to see how it’s helped others and how much our customers love using it.”
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