Founder of Khosikazi SelfCare, Cathrine Nzimande, was born and raised in the East Rand and currently based in the Northern suburbs of Johannesburg. Khosikazi Selfcare was officially launched in 2022 but its conception stage was around 2018 when she grew interest in energy cleansing and healing, using natural salts and botanical herbs.
The name Khosikazi has great significance for Cathrine, it came at a time of deep self-discovery and awareness while she was doing a lot of research around ancient Kings and Queens (AmaKhosi namaKhosikazi), “that’s when I discovered that a kings divine counterpart was called iKhosikazi. I started calling myself Khosikazi as a practice of self-love, affirmation, or “mantra”. And I want the public to know that this brand was created out of deep love and intention that African products can be classy and premium”.
What is your favourite Mzansi brand, also what inspired you to start your own brand? “My go-to Mzansi brand for skin correction is Optiphi, I indulge in their facials and am 100% obsessed with their Body Curve Scar therapy”.
“I have an aromatherapy background and find it so fascinating to alchemise all these elements, I soon realized the healing/relaxation benefits it has on the human body and from that point on all I wanted to share all this goodness”.
What are some of the challenges you faced when you started with Khosikazi Selfcare, and how did you overcome those? “The challenges faced with starting and building the brand are getting consumers to trust the quality vs price of our products, we remain consistent with marketing, and only using first-grade ingredients to produce high-quality products. Building brand awareness is key and you also need to stay true to your vision, our products are very raw and earthy we are fully aware that we won't attract everyone, and we knew from the inception phase that our brand will have an acquired taste of customers”.
Without giving away your secret methods, what goes into manufacturing these products and what distinguishes you from other selfcare brands? The process of manufacturing our products is firstly sourcing A-grade ingredients:
- Our herbs are food-grade and specifically sold to tea manufacturers
- We use natural salts that aren’t iodized.
- Our oils are all COLD PRESSED meaning they are made without heat or chemicals.
- We only use glass packaging to be more environmentally conscious.
Secondly, as a small business, we empower women first. Most of the suppliers and hands-on help are women.
“I am personally involved in the actual process of making and packing the products to ensure the vision is held to the standard and its true intention, this is my baby after all”.
“What sets Khosikazi Selfcare apart from other brands is the earthy and spiritual undertone to it, we want to encourage people to start practicing these self-cleansing and loving bath rituals. “loving thy self”.
What has been the highlights of your Selfcare brand thus far? “The highlight of the brand firstly is finally launching it online and most recently being able to place it in-store at Edenvinne, the first beauty store to house local brands.”
Lastly, when not busy pushing the brand – what do you do to keep sane? “When not busy building the brand, I'm constantly grounding myself and focusing on my ascension journey. I'm deeply spiritual so it comes with ease to centre myself and fill my cup again. I 100% advocate against toxic productivity, we are not just here to work, we came here to live, experience and enjoy life. “I enjoy the pleasure of doing nothing”.