Halima*(25) didn’t take her hair braiding business seriously until after university in Hungary, when she became financially independent. Today, she earns about $1,300 a month braiding hair on weekends, and she’s weaving in lifelong friendships along the way.
This is Halima’s story, as told to Elohozino.
When I first moved to Hungary as a student, my dad was supporting me financially, so braiding hair wasn’t even on my radar. I actually started by accident.
One day, a friend randomly asked me to do her cornrows, and I realised I was pretty good at it. Then my cousin asked, and I did hers too. People kept asking who did their hair, and just like that, my customer base began to grow. It wasn’t like I was perfect at the time either. Most of my braiding experience was from playing with mannequins and dolls I owned when I was younger. But even with refining my skills and having more people to service, I still didn’t take it seriously until after graduation, when I moved to Budapest and became completely responsible for myself.
Honestly, the journey has been quite smooth and rewarding, but I probably feel like this because it’s not something I do full-time. The biggest challenge was finding clients after I moved to Budapest.
I put in the work to push my brand. If I see a Black woman on the road, I’ll stop to tell her I braid hair, and show her my Instagram. Within a year, I was fully booked and basically became the number one braider in the city. Demand got so intense, I started hiring assistants because I couldn’t handle it myself. But it’s been difficult finding someone to come on board full-time — once people see how time-consuming braiding hair is, they are often not as committed.
In a month, I get about 15-20 clients, and that’s based on my capacity. I try to take 4-6 clients every weekend, and I charge about $55-$110 per hairstyle. With that, I get at least $1,300 monthly (that’s about ₦2 million, with the FX rate today).
My full-time job pays me about $1,800 a month. If you do the math, I could be earning even more if I did braiding full-time. But I haven’t committed to it yet because I genuinely can’t do it alone.
That being said, the extra income covers a lot of things that make my life more comfortable. For example, I don’t wash or do my own hair. I also struggle with financial discipline, so if something feels even slightly stressful, I just pay to get it done. Living in Europe, I also travel a lot — and I never check my account while on a trip. As for black tax, I don’t really support my nuclear family, but when extended family ask for help, I give what I can when I have it.
My favourite thing about braiding is the time I spend getting to know my clients. Most of them are Black women, so while I’m doing their hair, we talk, gist, eat, and share stories. It really helps us bond and strengthens our connection. That’s something I truly enjoy. It’s also deepened my relationship with many of them. A lot of the friendships I have in Budapest actually started with braiding. Sometimes, I’ll ask a client if they’d like to go out for brunch or dinner, and we bond even more over that. Funny enough, one of my clients got married in 2023, and I was on her bridal train. I’ve also seen many of them grow, get married, and become mothers. It’s been a beautiful experience.
Right now, I’m working on expanding my business. I actually took a short break from braiding after realising I’d hit a plateau; the business wasn’t growing beyond a certain point because of my full-time job. So now, I’m focused on building a proper strategy and plan because I want to get back into it, but with more intention. I’m also looking for someone to join me and help grow the business. I’m open to teaching anyone who’s willing to learn. I’ve had interns before, and I’ve taught a few people in the past. One of them, who’s also a friend, did my hair recently. She also works full-time, so she can’t commit fully, but the work she did was really impressive.
I always recommend hair braiding to anyone who’s interested. A lot of people don’t believe it can sustain them, but that’s not true. Black women are everywhere, so you’ll always be in demand. And beyond the joy of making and spending your own money, it’s a great way to meet people.
*Names have been changed for anonymity.
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