The Mane Event

Haircare founder Nikita Mehta puts equal passion toward her Ayurvedic products and protecting Bengal tigers

After nearly a decade spent working in the fine fragrance industry, Nikita Mehta started struggling with stress-induced hair loss. No matter how many products she tried, she could not find a solution. That’s when she turned to her kitchen and began mixing her own oils.

It took months of researching and testing, but she came up with a formula that worked. Blending Ayurvedic ingredients like Ashwagandha and Dashmool, the Holiroots Hair Oil was the perfect first product for her haircare line Fable & Mane, where it is now a best-seller.

The name of the company, which she co-founded with her brother, comes from memories of her time spent in India with her grandmother. “She would massage oil into my hair while telling me short stories and fables of animals that could speak in the forest,” says Mehta. “I missed these stories when oiling my own hair later on in my life. Story time and hair care was a great ritual for the mane and the mind!”

Today, a huge part of her mission is protecting those animals that still roam the forest. She created The Fable Fund in 2019 to help restore the habitat of wild tigers, and reduce human-wildlife conflict. “Years ago I visited a big cat sanctuary and walked past a Bengal tiger. My eyes went to the cage and I felt an unease — something just didn’t feel right,” she explains. “A living being this beautiful should not be locked up in captivity.” Since then she’s been passionate about wildlife and deeply involved with local charities that help big cats thrive.

She also constantly looks to conservation and sustainability across the hair care industry, and does her part to work to reduce waste. All Fable and Mane hair oils are packaged in glass, and they source and fill their products locally to reduce the carbon footprint.