Nadege A. Mehe
"To a valiant heart, nothing is impossible," wrote Corneille, and the story of Ôtentik is first and foremost a story of heart. It is initially a story of a wounded heart. Nadège A. Mehe, the founder, mother of 4 daughters, could no longer bear the painful hairdressing sessions with her children. A pain common to all people of African descent, even though their hair is among the strongest, most resistant, and most malleable of humankind. Such pain that all people with kinky, textured, or curly hair sometimes prefer to use artifices with serious consequences such as alopecia or baldness. Having grown up with two herbalist grandmothers, she put her heart into identifying which natural ingredients and routines could finally relieve her daughters and all Black or mixed-race families.
After extensive research in family records, clinical tests, and travels abroad to find new natural products, she was finally able to offer the Revival range and launch the Ôtentik company.
Beyond the product itself, what warms the hearts of our entire team and even more so our field consultants who support our clients, is seeing all these women who now proudly wear their natural hair. Our signature, "The choice to be me," comes from one of our clients.
"One sees clearly only with the heart; the rest is invisible to the eyes," said the Little Prince, yet we have managed to combine both. To see with our eyes the beneficial results of our hair treatments and with our hearts the restored self-esteem in our clients.
Ôtentik is a story from the heart, and "where there's a will, there's a way."
Our values / our mission
Our values are deeply rooted within us and guide our actions and aspirations. We are driven by the passionate mission to redefine the hair identity of Black and mixed-race women, enabling them to embrace their most authentic selves, without compromise, and by simply giving them the choice to be who they truly are.
01 - Authenticity
To be authentic is to be honest and transparent in one's actions, attitudes, and positions, and to act in accordance with one's deep convictions. At Ôtentik, through authenticity, we resolutely affirm your desire to accept us as we are, but also to accept each person as they are in what makes them most Ôtentik.
02 - Boldness
Boldness fuels our creativity, guides our decision-making, and enhances our ability to step out of our comfort zone. At Ôtentik, boldness is an important character trait that guides us towards achieving ambitious goals and fosters innovation and progress in the various aspects of our initiatives.
04 - Diversity and Inclusion
Inclusivity is a value that is at the heart of our initiatives and our business model. Collaboration, the inclusion of all stakeholders, and sharing with the greatest number of people are strong values that we believe in at Ôtentik.
05 - Integrity
At Ôtentik, integrity rhymes with the observance of ethical and moral principles by all, but integrity especially refers to the characteristic of something being whole, having undergone no alteration. We are strongly convinced that integrity is the driving force behind the pooling of various forces converging towards a common objective, which is, for us, the best guarantee of success.