The challenges of finding a local hairdresser and battles with ill health led one woman to launch her own business and create a space where others facing health issues can feel supported. Desiree Nurse, 52, founded Cleopatra's Beauti Spot in Chatham, Kent, back in 2007. It followed her relocation to the area, where she initially struggled to find a stylist who could manage Afro hair.
Before long, however, the venture evolved into something much deeper than a traditional styling venue. Desiree found that many of her clients were not looking for fashion wigs but rather hairpieces to help them cope with hair loss caused by various health conditions. This discovery inspired her current mission to provide specialised care and understanding to those going through difficult health journeys, reports Rachael Davis.
Two years ago, Desiree launched Cleopatra's Legacy, a supportive space for people navigating challenges affecting their hair and body image, whether rooted in health concerns, domestic difficulties, ageing, or the pursuit of gender-affirming care.
From Personal Struggle to Community Support
Desiree's journey into haircare began when she relocated her family from London to Chatham. Still employed at a private dental practice in London, she made the daily commute into the city and found herself having to travel back at weekends for hair appointments.
"I would leave in the morning, the children would be in bed. I'd come home, they'd be in bed. I had no family time," she said of her two children, Raine, now 32, and Tyee, now 21. Around the same time, she received a diagnosis of lupus — a chronic, incurable autoimmune condition that causes symptoms including extreme fatigue, joint pain and swelling, skin rashes, and hair loss — and the relentless travelling and pressures of her role made coping all the more difficult.
It was her mother who planted the seed of opening her own haircare business. "I pondered on the idea, and then I prayed about it, and I decided to just take the plunge."
Building a Business with Purpose
Desiree launched Cleopatra's Beauti Spot, named in honour of her grandmother Cleopatra, in a modest unit, armed with nothing but a £3,500 credit card limit and a dream. The salon thrived, providing services including braiding, extensions, and fashion wigs. Nevertheless, an increasing number of customers were dealing with conditions causing hair loss.
"They would come to us distressed after getting that news... cancer or dermatological issues, different sorts of hair loss," Desiree said. She wanted to do more to help, so she got in touch with Medway Maritime Hospital to highlight that their patients were struggling with NHS-provided wigs. The hospital began referring patients directly to Desiree's salon for haircare.
"That would involve either wigs or specialist types of adaptations. We would do adaptations on wigs for people that had cochlear implants; I would see people that have had brain surgery and have indentations, and I would use a wig and make padding for them," Desiree said.
"We have any and everybody coming through the door: from ages of five to 85, we have men, we have women, we have people who are transitioning who want wigs, who want breast forms. We have older women that want to maintain their dignity and their hair's thinning for different reasons. We have parents coming with their children for haircare. We have people in foster care – white families with mixed-ethnicity children who don't know how to manage their hair."
Overcoming Personal Health Challenges
Desiree's determination to do more for her community was strengthened when she suffered a stroke in January 2023, which left her without speech and unable to use the right side of her body. The challenging recovery period, she said, "propelled my purpose, because I grew up in an environment where I use my pain and I choose to focus on a purpose."
"What I know from growing up with my grandmother is that every problem has a solution. It might not be the solution you want, but every problem has a solution."
The non-profit community initiative is committed to offering compassionate support and practical solutions for individuals facing health challenges that affect their hair and body image. As well as offering haircare services, Cleopatra's also assists people with mastectomy bras, adhesive nipples, post-surgery garments and breast forms.
Expanding Impact Through Community Recognition
Desiree is hopeful that the community interest company will continue to go from strength to strength. She recently received a £10,000 grant after winning the Selco Community Heroes competition, which recognises community initiatives across the UK.
"What the Selco Community Fund has helped us to do is secure the size of premises that we need for the wider impact… To be able to help every individual that comes through these doors," Desiree said.
Selco's 2026 Community Heroes Campaign is now accepting applications, offering cash prizes of up to £15,000 alongside additional funding and building materials.
"People underestimate the power of the space of the hairdresser's. What we do in here, we can translate into early interventions and prevention – with the right training and backing and conversations, we can impact every community, and change lives and outcomes. Ultimately, my goal, while I'm still here on this earth, is that anybody that comes into this space would have a positive outcome when they leave," she said.
