How the UK’s Largest Sikh Influencer Is Redefining What Hair Power Means
Main image – ByErim
Influencer founders are now so common in beauty that the category has developed its own genre of scepticism. The public has seen enough “I’ve always been obsessed with skincare” origin stories to ask, fairly, whether the product came first – or the commercial opportunity did.
Erim Kaur’s answer, when I ask her directly, is refreshing. “The platform definitely came first,” she tells me. “I was sharing my hair journey and my life long before ByErim existed, so the trust and community were already there.”
The point she makes is that she didn’t reverse-engineer her community into a customer base. “I didn’t build a platform to sell something; I built a community by being open and authentic, and the product naturally followed from that demand.”
In an ever-busy (and increasingly, ever-sceptical) niche, that distinction matters, I feel. But, as ever, the more interesting story isn’t the brand at all. It’s the woman behind it.
Read on.
The early loss that shaped everything
Kaur was eight years old when her mother died of cancer – something she has often spoken about publicly.
Speaking previously to CNBC Make It, she reflected on how deeply that experience shaped her understanding of beauty and identity. “I really wanted to emulate the way that my mother looked,” she said. “It was scary to see her lose the identifying part of what people saw as something that contributes so heavily to her beauty.”
She has also spoken candidly about the practical absence that followed. “I didn’t even know how to tie my hair,” she told the same publication. “She died before she taught me.”
It was her grandmother – her Dhadi – who stepped in. In her grandmother’s kitchen, experimenting with oils and herbs, Kaur learned the traditional practice of hair oiling. The formulation that her kitchen-side experiments led to would eventually become her first product.
When it stopped being a side project
When I ask Kaur about that first ByErim product, she goes straight back to that origin point.
“The idea for ByErim’s first product was rooted in my childhood and my late mother’s hair oiling rituals,” she tells me.
After her mother died, she continued using the traditional blend – and over time, followers began noticing. “People began noticing how long and healthy my hair was through my social media posts,” she says.
Requests followed. “As demand grew, I decided to turn that deeply personal ritual into a product,” she explains to me, “refining the original homemade blend with professional cosmetic chemists to ensure it was safe, stable, and effective at scale.”
Kaur is equally open about how accidental the “business” part initially felt.
Image – ByErim
“At the beginning, I never intended for it to become a full-time business,” she tells me. “I was simply sharing something that meant a lot to me.”
“When I started making small batches of the oil and they kept selling out, I realised this wasn’t just about hair; it was about heritage, identity, and connection,” she says.
The turning point, she explains, was the emotional feedback. “The messages from women telling me how it made them feel more confident or closer to their own traditions really shifted my mindset,” she tells me. “That’s when I knew ByErim had the potential to be more than a side project… a purpose-driven brand built around community and culture.”
The unglamorous bit nobody posts
If the public narrative leans towards “overnight success”, Kaur corrects it quickly when I ask what the early years actually felt like.
“The early days felt anything but glamorous,” she says. “I was packing orders myself, answering every DM, reinvesting every penny back into stock, and constantly worrying about whether I’d made the right decision.”
There were “slow months” and “a lot of behind-the-scenes pressure that no one saw online,” she adds. “It felt scrappy, uncertain, and exhausting at times – but also deeply personal and purposeful, which is what kept me going.”
But, “when a product sample fails or cash flow gets tight… those moments can feel crushing,” she admits.
The lesson? “Resilience matters more than perfection,” she says. “Growth isn’t linear, and setbacks aren’t failures – they’re part of learning how to scale something meaningful while staying true to your values.”
Social responsbility
Kaur is widely described as the UK’s largest Sikh influencer and I ask her what that means to her.
“I’m very conscious of it, and I don’t take it lightly,” she tells me. “Representation isn’t something I grew up seeing much of… so I understand the responsibility that comes with visibility.”
At the same time, she says she tries to stay grounded rather than overwhelmed. “I focus on staying grounded in my values, particularly seva (selfless service), which really guides how I build the brand and show up online,” she explains.
@erim For my Kaur sisters ? (loosely translated, Kaur – a common middle name or last name for Sikh women – means princess) #erimkaur #kaur #princess #punjabi
? Krish Kapoor – Mithoon & John Stewart Eduri & Arijit Singh
Her intention, she tells me, is simple: “If I can encourage women to feel proud of their hair, their culture, and who they are, then I feel like I’m doing something meaningful.”
When I ask her what philosophy she most wants her followers to take away, she doesn’t hesitate. “For me, it’s always been that beauty starts with acceptance,” she tells me.
“The most powerful thing you can do is stop trying to ‘fix’ yourself and instead learn to care for what you naturally have,” she says. “Whether it’s your hair texture, your culture, or your identity – when you embrace it rather than fight it, that’s when real confidence comes through.”
Everything she creates, she adds, follows that principle. “Everything I create with ByErim is rooted in enhancing, not altering, who you already are.”
Brand dilution
Balancing tradition with modern beauty expectations hasn’t always been straightforward, she admits when I ask what’s been hardest.
“Traditional Indian hair oiling is slow, intentional, and rooted in ritual,” she tells me, “whereas the modern beauty market often prioritises speed and instant results.”
Staying true to that origin has required discipline. “Meeting industry standards for formulation, packaging, regulation, and marketing has taken care and discipline,” she explains. “There’s also the challenge of educating a wider audience without diluting the cultural roots of the product – making it accessible, but never stripping it of where it comes from.”
@officialbyerim Winner of the ? BEST HAIR OIL ? at the Hair Awards 2022 ??? #ByErim #Winner #Waiting #ErimKaur #hairstyle #hairtok #hairtransformation
The emotional high point, she says, remains the community response. “Messages from women telling me they feel proud of their hair or connected to their culture never get old,” she tells me.
The takeaway
Looking ahead, she tells me, ByErim is “stepping into Boots for the first time,” expanding into “major pop-ups including Westfield,” and launching “a brand-new product” she’s been developing for months.
Personally, she says the focus remains steady. “It’s about continuing to lead with purpose, build the community, and make products that celebrate heritage while fitting seamlessly into modern life,” she tells me. “The journey is only just beginning.”
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