When Kemi Lewis speaks about business, she does so with the precision of a lawyer and the warmth of a mentor. Her words carry the weight of experience – not just from boardrooms or beauty chairs, but from the bold act of reinvention itself. Today, Lewis is one of Africa’s leading Beauty Business Consultants, founder of KLS Naturals and KLS Natural Hair Academy, teaching beauty entrepreneurs how to run businesses that are as structured as they are soulful.
“I left the courtroom not out of crisis, but out of conviction,” she says.
“I knew I could make a bigger impact by empowering others.”
From Law to Locs: A Leap of Faith
For years, Kemi Lewis built a steady career in law – the kind of respectable path that many aspire to. But while the Corporate Legal Word gave her a voice, it didn’t give her freedom. In 2012, after embarking on her own natural hair journey, she noticed a startling void in Nigeria’s beauty industry: few professionals truly understood how to care for natural African hair, and even fewer salons offered structured service.
So, she decided to create one.
In 2013, she launched KL’s Natural Beauty Bar – a salon designed not just to style hair, but to celebrate it. Within months, word spread. Clients came seeking transformation, not just in texture, but in confidence.
“When a woman sits in my chair, she’s not just asking for a style,” Kemi reflects.
“She’s asking to be seen – in her most authentic form.”
Her salon quickly became a movement. By 2019, Kemi had opened three branches, serving more than 10,000 clients and employing a team of over 50 staff, each trained in her signature method of structured natural hair care.
The Business of Beauty
What truly distinguishes Kemi is her understanding that passion alone doesn’t sustain a business – systems do. Through her consultancy and academy, she teaches stylists to think like CEOs: to manage operations, price for profit, and build scalable structures that don’t depend solely on their hands.
Her academy, the KLS Natural Hair Academy, has become a hub for aspiring beauty entrepreneurs. It’s not just about learning how to twist or braid; it’s about mastering leadership, marketing, and customer experience.
“Talent is wonderful,” she says. “But if you can’t manage your books, your team, and your time – your talent becomes a burden.”
From financial literacy to workflow automation, Kemi’s teachings blend beauty and business with refreshing clarity. Her workshops and online classes have trained hundreds of stylists across Africa, many of whom have gone on to launch thriving salons of their own.
A Brand with Heart and Structure
KLS Naturals is more than a salon brand – it’s a philosophy. Kemi’s approach combines the ritual of self-care with the rigor of business excellence. Each location reflects her core values: professionalism, innovation, integrity, teamwork, and customer-centricity.
The salon interiors are airy, minimalist, and serene. mirrors framed with soft lighting, staff moving in calm rhythm, clients immersed in comfort. Beneath the elegance lies structure: standard operating procedures, detailed client records, and carefully measured product usage. Every detail is intentional.
“Structure is freedom,” Kemi insists.
“Once your systems work, you can focus on creativity and growth.”
This mindset has become her signature – one that beauty business owners across the continent now strive to emulate.
Challenges and Turning Points
Behind the polish lies perseverance. In the early years, Kemi faced skepticism from nearly every corner: why focus only on natural hair? Why leave law for a risky beauty venture? Some stylists resisted her structured approach, preferring the chaos of traditional salon culture.
But she persisted.
One story she often shares is that of a client who arrived with severely damaged relaxed hair and a bald patch. Over 18 months, with personalized treatment and care, her hair flourished again – and with it, her confidence. That transformation solidified Kemi’s purpose: beauty could heal, empower, and redefine identity.
“That client didn’t just regrow her hair,” Kemi recalls softly.
“She rediscovered herself.”
Teaching the Teachers
As her influence grew, Kemi realized that true impact meant multiplying herself. The KLS Natural Hair Academy became a training and mentorship center where stylists learn not only technical skills, but the soft power of professionalism. Her modules cover leadership, communication, and brand building – subjects rarely taught in traditional beauty schools.
Her students don’t just leave with certificates; they leave with confidence and clarity.
“I want them to know they are not ‘just hairstylists,” she says.
“They are entrepreneurs. They are changemakers.”
Through the academy, Kemi has effectively professionalized a sector once dismissed as informal. Her graduates go on to build businesses that uplift communities – creating jobs, paying taxes, and redefining what success looks like in the beauty industry.
Beyond Hair: Empowering a Movement
Kemi Lewis’s influence extends beyond salons and classrooms. On Instagram – @officialkemilewis, she mentors thousands of followers through daily lessons on business growth, mindset, and structure. Her content, often addressed to “beauty bosses,” blends heartfelt storytelling with practical wisdom.
She also uses her platform to celebrate women who take ownership of their dreams. Her posts are peppered with affirmations like:
“You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to start.”
Through Linktree, she curates access to her online courses, consulting sessions, and products – creating an integrated digital ecosystem for beauty professionals ready to level up.
Vision 2030: Building a Legacy
When asked what’s next, Kemi’s eyes light up. Her goals are clear: to expand KLS Naturals internationally, scale the KLS Academy into a pan-African institution, and launch her own product line inspired by Ayurvedic principles, designed specifically for textured hair.
“We aim to teach and reach thousands, if not millions,” she says.
“Our products should be available wherever there’s a woman embracing her natural beauty.”
Her long-term vision is not just expansion but transformation of an entire industry, and of the perception of what a beauty business can be.
Kemi Lewis stands at the intersection of two revolutions: the rise of natural hair and the professionalization of Africa’s beauty industry. Her work challenges outdated notions – that salons must be chaotic, or that beauty can’t be serious business.
She has shown, through method and mentorship, that structure is a form of self-love – both for the business owner and the client.
“It’s not just about looking good,” she concludes.
“It’s about running your dream like it deserves to succeed.”
Explore Kemi Lewis’s World
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@officialkemilewis — Beauty Business Consultant
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@klsnaturals — KLS Naturals Beauty Bar
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@kls.naturalhairacademy — KLS Natural Hair Academy
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@kemilewis — Personal/Brand Handle (per client request)
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Linktree/kemilewis — Courses, Consulting, Products
