Brenda Kamwathi

My name is Brenda Kamwathi. I'm 28 years old, born and raised in Nairobi, and I'm a trained beauty professional, now running my own salon offering hair, makeup, and nails. But my story didn't start with a salon.

It started with a season where I was trying to keep my life together while carrying big dreams and real financial pressure.

I began my beauty journey in 2016, when I joined university. I was looking for something to do part-time and makeup felt like a natural fit because it had been a childhood inspiration. At first it was just something I could do on the side, but year after year it grew into a deep passion. I taught myself how to do makeup and then I kept building by learning, practicing, and showing up for clients.

Over time, I built my clientele the way many freelancers do through friends, referrals, weddings, events, and content shared online. In the beginning, I'd make about KES 5,000 a week. Later, I grew to about KES 50,000–70,000 a month from makeup gigs. Weddings offer great pay and I could make up to KES 20,000–30,000 a day for a wedding.

Even with that growth, I still felt stuck.

I wanted to expand my portfolio and serve clients more fully, but I didn't have the money to invest, and I didn't know what the next step should be. For two or three years, I carried the idea in my mind: I need to add hair professionally. As a makeup artist, there were many times a hairdresser didn't show up, or couldn't make it, and I found myself stepping in to do the hair anyway. I knew hair and makeup together would be a powerful combination but I didn't know how to start or how to afford proper training.

Then I saw an ad online on the Lintons Academy page. It was a scholarship for a hair course offered through Hair by L'Oréal. I applied. And when I got the call that I had been selected, it felt like a door had opened at exactly the right time.

When I applied for the scholarship, finances were tough. So when I got the call, it was more than good news. It felt like I had been granted a valuable tool in my hands. This was something I had desired for years, but couldn't reach.

When I joined the program in September 2024, I came in “green” in hair. I knew only simple styles. But the training completely changed how I see the beauty industry. It wasn't just about learning styles, it was understanding the industry, the standards, and the science behind the work.

I learned how to approach hair from a place of professionalism: treatments, technical skills, and product knowledge. One moment that stayed with me was when a L'Oréal color expert looked at my own hair. I had bleached it without fully understanding the damage. He explained what was happening, and then treated it, without cutting it, using L'Oréal products. That moment cemented what I had been learning in class on the power of the correct application of a product.

From the course, I gained real technical skills; things like roller setting, braiding, and chemical application. To this day, I still carry my notes with me because I take the learning seriously. I didn't want to just do hair. I wanted to understand hair.

After the training, I went into apprenticeship at Massi Hair and Beauty, where I worked for nine months, starting as an assistant hair stylist on commission. It wasn't an easy path, but it strengthened me. I wasn't just building skill; I was building the discipline of a professional.

Today, that training has become a foundation I'm standing on.

I have a registered business and a physical salon space. I'm running this business with my twin sister, which has been a childhood dream for us. We've had support from family and friends on all fronts and we're building something we're proud of.

Success for me now looks like this: I'm no longer only a makeup artist. I'm a multi-skilled beauty professional. I have the capability to serve clients more completely, I've grown in confidence, and I have income that can support me and my young family.

But I also know the journey doesn't end with me.

My desire is to give back by teaching hair and makeup skills to women who can't afford college or institutional fees. I want to pass on what I've learned, so others can gain dignity, independence, and income.

And if I could leave one message for a young woman who is uncertain, afraid, or starting from nothing, it's the same principle I'm living by this year: Do it scared anyway.