Each morning, Sophie Leah looked in the mirror and saw an unrecognisable reflection staring back at her.
She’d been taking strong medication to cure her acne, but it had come at a cost.
The prescription had left Sophie’s hair in terrible condition; stringy, thin and utterly untamable.
No matter what formula or shampoo she tried, nothing seemed to fix it.
One day, utterly out of options, Sophie decided to take action herself and created her own concoction.
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She did some digging around in the cupboards and found a few different ingredients that could potentially help, throwing some coconut oil into the mix for good measure.
Amazingly, it worked a treat.
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After a number of uses, Sophie realised her hair was starting to look better than it ever did before.
Sophie showed the results to her partner – who was equally impressed – and the pair came up with an idea. Maybe they could share this formula with others and make a business out of it.
They called their creation ‘Hola Coco’; setting up a social media account and encouraging friends to spread the word.
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Within months, momentum had gathered and the item was picked up by the tabloid press – being featured in the Daily Mail and on various beauty blogs around the UK.
What began life as a humble Instagram page has since blossomed into a popular brand, with their flagship product – the Coconut Oil Hair Mask – being lauded by customers as one of the best contemporary solutions on the styling market for dry or damaged hair.
Containing Coconut Oil and Shea Butter (which are said to have extreme hair nourishing qualities) the mask works by penetrating hair follicles, adding intense softness and silky shine.
The solution is left in for around 15 – 20 minutes (or longer) before rinsing – and is suitable for all hair types. It can also be left on overnight for an intense reparative treatment and shampooed off in the morning.
Hola Coco is also 100% vegan and ‘cruelty-free’ – packaged in recyclable 500ml containers sold at £29.99 a pop (lasting customers 100% longer than comparative products).
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The hair mask is stocked in several salons across the UK and Ireland and stockists have been recommending it as an at-home treatment to keep their client’s hair healthy while hairdressers have been closed during lockdown.
The look of the brand is fresh and exotic, but what’s catapulted Hola Coco into successful territory is the fact the product promises results. They are so sure customers will love their coco-creation that they offer a 30-day money back guarantee.
The success of the Coconut Oil Hair Mask has given owners the capacity to widen their product range.
Additions include the Bamboo Wide Tooth Comb – described as “working perfectly alongside the hair mask distributing it from root to tip” – and the Hola Coco Microfiber Hair Towel – which is outlined as being “extremely gentle on hair and super absorbent”.
The couple behind the brand claim there are “definitely more products in the pipeline,” in the months ahead.
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But for now, Hola Coco is committed to turning their little Manchester brand into a household name.
The full 2026 MOBOs Fringe programme for the first-ever awards in Manchester has been revealed
Danny Jones
Now the BRITs have been and gone, it’s time to switch our focus to the next big awards show: the 2026 MOBOs, which is also coming to Manchester for the very first time, and they’re bringing the popular Fringe event along with it.
Get ready for more big showbiz hustle and bustle to hit the city centre before you know it; we, for one, are so ready.
Similar to the aforementioned BRIT Awards, the MOBOs also hold a regular ‘Fringe’ music, arts and cultural festival with each annual edition.
You can see the full range of this year’s largely free-to-attend MOBOs Fringe lineup and the extensive schedule in its entirety down below.
Manchester, it’s your time.
The full #MOBOFringe 2026 programme is here – nine days of music, culture, panels, parties and showcases across the city ahead of the #MOBOAwards on 26 March.
As you can see, there’s a lot on the cards this year, with different activities and activations happening all over central Manchester.
Featuring everything from exclusive live sets, sport and other entertainment, to various selectors and even a creative summit, it’s jam-packed with countless aspects beyond just that music that help make the industry as a whole tick.
Venues involved include The Whitworth Gallery, faithful Green Island Festival partners, the Niamos Centre, multi-purpose bars and events spaces like Side Street and Renae, as well as important music venues like The Deaf Institute and Aviva Studios – a.k.a. the home of Factory International.
Each hosting a variety of different dates over the course of its nearly week-long duration ahead of the MOBO Awards themselves, there’s something for everyone and anyone interested not just in Black music and entertainment but Black-British culture and more.
For instance, we already heard about the exclusive basketball match between Manchester and a fellow European competitor, and tickets are live as we speak. You can see the full Fringe programme in more detail online.
Running from Thursday 19 to Tuesday 24 March, the event week is shaping up to be a cracker.
As for the inaugural Manc MOBOs ceremony at Co-op Live, it gets underway just a couple of days later on the following Thursday (26 Mar).
serving as the perfect way to close the Fringe and this year’s edition as a whole.
Tickets for the MOBO Awards Manchester debut are live as we speak, with general admission prices starting from less than £30. You can grab yours HERE.
As for those expected to be in attendance, the likes of Olivia Dean and local rapper Aitch have already been confirmed for the live music lineup, and to see the full list of nominees, look no further…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via MOBO Awards)
Style
JD and Nike are hiding free pairs of Air Max shoes in InPost lockers at the Trafford Centre
Daisy Jackson
JD are celebrating the return of the Nike Air Max 95 ‘OG Neon’ with a major giveaway, hiding pairs of the limited trainers inside InPost lockers at the Trafford Centre.
There’ll be a chance for Mancs to unlock exclusive prizes, including those iconic shoes, plus Air Max 95 jackets, pants, and t-shirts.
JD started teasing the drop of the Neons last week, with a video of a stock room filled with Air Max boxes and a crew packing.
Then details started dropping too, with Liverpool grime star Kasst 8 revealing himself as the sender.
In the campaign, the unapologetically Northern artist appears stationed on JD x Nike Air Max branded lockers, firing off texts reading ‘I’ll be there soon’, ‘SHIPPED OUT’, and ‘Check your InPost’.
And now JD has revealed its major competition with Nike, giving you the chance to bag a pair of Air Max 95 OG Neons.
Special Air Max branded InPost lockers will be stationed in-store at JD at the Trafford Centre (and at Liverpool One), each one stuffed with Air Max shoes and apparel.
To be in with a chance of unlocking a locker, you just need to submit your details HERE.
Then select winners will be chosen from a random draw and sent a unique code, which you can take to your chosen locker and reveal what you’ve won.
The Air Max 95 OG Neons are an iconic shoe designed by Sergio Lozano, with a human anatomy-inspired design that includes ribcage laces and vibrant neon accents against grey gradients.
JD have been teasing the launch of this campaign, with the Air Max 90 and 95 Neons dropping in-store and online on Thursday 5 March.
If you missed last year’s Air Max OG Neon drop, JD’s throwing you a lifeline.
Enter before 9am on Tuesday 3 March HERE for your chance to unlock – winners will be picked at random and contacted this week to collect at JD Manchester Trafford Centre.
The Manc -
21st April 2021 
