- Wendy gives an ode to her late mother and shares the lessons she’s held onto.
- Wendy shares a haircare tip and says don't relax too often.
- Nonhle Thema passes the baton to Wendy and share’s her impactful history with Dark and Lovely.
There’s a new face for the relaxed hair girlies to see themselves in.
Wendy Gumede, or The Black Wendy as she is known online, officially takes on the role as the face and the first-ever voice for Dark and Lovely’s relaxed hair care range after an intimate event dripping in purple at one of Sandton’s finer venues on the evening of Friday, 26 April 2024.
It’s purple rain here in Johannesburg at the launch of Dark and Lovely’s new face and voice Wendy ‘@theblackwendy’ Gumede ?? #WendyIsDarkandLovely #PurpleRange pic.twitter.com/mRaLew5P5z
— TRUELOVE Magazine (@TrueLoveMag) April 26, 2024
The scriptwriter and content creator, who has had acting stints on popular shows like Isibaya and How to Ruin Christmas, is all about creating and maintaining legacy through her work and writing has always been a part of that.
READ MORE | Zozibini Tunzi bags a Dark & Lovely partnership plus 5 top looks
The KwaZulu-Natal native explains, “I started writing when I was 12 years old. Making up worlds, people and names and coming up with fictional, dramatic situations and getting my friends to act these out at church and on community stages in Empangeni.”
Her mother has had an immense impact on her, although, she passed away when Wendy was just a pre-teen. Now, at 32, Wendy has held onto the valuable lessons that her mother left her with.
“Dark and Lovely was not part of my plan but it’s always been part of my story,” she explains tearfully.
“My mother, Lydia Gumede, passed away when I was 11 years old. So, the memories that I have of my mother are that of an 11-year-old, so, they’re very limited, right. So, I don’t remember much but I do remember some critical moments growing up. The one thing I remember about my mom is that she sucked at telling jokes, she was horrible at telling jokes.
@truelovemagazine Wendy Gumede, actress and the new face and voice of Dark and Lovely’s #PurpleRange shares a tip for all the relaxed hair girlies. #wendyisdarkandlovely @Wendy Gumede ? original sound - TRUE LOVE
“Even as a child I’d be like, ‘Hau ma, is that the punchline? Like, are we done?’ So, I get I got my comedic side from my dad. Another thing about my mom is that she was so kind. Like to this day, she’s the kindest person I’ve ever known, she would never turn a person in need away. She taught me that if I have one of what someone needs, I should give it to them and God will sort me out.”
Wendy now gets to be a part of the Dark and Lovely family, a distinct hair care range that has been a part of many South African’s lives and stories for more than 50 years.
READ MORE | 5 tips on how to keep your relaxed hair healthy
Media personality Nonhle Thema is one of such individuals who has a strong history with the brand.
As someone who started off using her R50 tuck shop money she received from her parents in her teenage years to get her hair relaxed at the salon to becoming the iconic face of Dark and Lovely in Mzansi in 2009, Nonhle couldn’t have been happier to pass on the baton to Wendy.
Sharing how she manifested this, Nonhle says, “In the salon, they used to have the pictures of the girls. You know they have salon girls and they’re modelling hair, and they were all from Dark and Lovely and they were all so beautiful and I would sit there for those hours of doing my hair, not knowing that I was manifesting.
“I was sitting there – 12, 13 years old, 14 years, my teenage years – not knowing that when I’m looking at billboards of these girls on Dark and Lovely, I am creating a reality that is coming for me in the future.”
