MIDLANDS MEET UP
HAIR
Last weekend I took the coach up to the Birmingham for the Midlands Meetup. I had no idea what to do with my hair and was rushing around so much that I ended up having to leave the house with the same plaits I'd worn to bed. It wasn't ideal, and I still missed my coach, but long story short, I made it in the end.
As soon as I touched down at the bus station I threw my hair back in one and untwisted the front which was nicely defined after using the rest of my BeUnique Mango Twist. With neither the time nor patience to create anything special, I ended up just leaving the front loose, hence why there are so many picture of my hair looking a little crazy. In my defence, if ever there were a weekend for care-free hair it was this one.
VENUE
The venue - The Custard Factory - was really easy to find and Im guessing had been converted from a factory (hence the name) into a series of bars. The surrounding sculptures and art work looked fabulous in the sunlight, and there was even a pool/ water feature.
HOSTS
The meet up was hosted by "Super Fab Rae" author of One Day In Her Life Blog, and Event Organiser Lorien. This is the 2nd year in a row that Lorien has held the meet up, which is one of very few events taking place outside of London for natural hair, and for that reason is very important. One lady came all the way from Austria to attend the event and won a pair of fabulous earring in the raffle.
VENDORS & GOODY BAGS
Although I intended to come back and have a proper look at what was on sale on the day, I got so caught up in presentations I didn't actually have time.
However it was great to meet the ladies behind the online store Black & Brown, I was also very excited to hear about the great news that Evelyn - Fro Her products will be made available in Boots this October
Lorien gave the goody bags out pretty early, but I didn't look inside until I got home - I like surprises, and oh my goodness was I surprised by the Kera-Care Natural Textures Travel bag!!! Definitely one of the BEST goodybags I've taken home.
PRESENTATIONS & PRIZES
There were presentations from Joycelyn of Afrocenchix who discussed the importance of a heathy diet and hair growth, and Lola of Lola's Curls who gave tips for transitioning - I made notes which you can check out at the end of this post (Highlights from my notebook).
There was also poetry from Hunni Gray, a Headwrap workshop from Sister E and a hair demo from Tope of Mahogany Naturals.
Considering Im not really into make-up as much as some women (I had intended to "do my face" that day but never did get round to it) I was surprised at how interesting I found the make-up demo by Kadian. She definitely made me want to try and make more of an effort with make up.
One of my favourite presentations of the day was by a man called Andrew Muhammad who surprised us ladies with a pop quiz before showing that infamous clip of the young girls discussing hair on the Tyra Banks show. He also showed a clip from another video documentary which discussed evidence of ancient Black hair care practises. After just that clip I knew I had to find out more so he's promised to send me the name of it.
Before the end of the day there was a performance by a young lady called Justene Whyte, who despite the technical hitches, ended up giving a fantastic acapella of her latest release.
Lorien & Rae closed the day with prize giveaways including prizes for the most creative hair style and most stylish as well as lots of raffle prizes.
There was enough time for a Gin & Tonic by the pool before making my way back to London town.
Well Done to Lorien for organising a much needed out-of-London meet-up!
Highlights from my notebook
Internal Hair Care by Joycelyn - Afrocenchix
- Hair is made of protein so its important to include protein rich foods in your diet.
- Oily fish is a good source of protein
- Its important to stay hydrated so make sure sure you are drinking enough water each day.
- Foods can either be alkaline or acidic and its important to create the correct balance internally.
- 80% of minerals are alkali and help nutralise excess acid in the body.
- Nutrients can be lost when food is over cook so try to include more raw foods in your diet.
Transitioning by Lola - Lolas Curls
- Think about why you're going natural, and be realistic about length and styling options.
- Keep your relaxed hair strong - Protein treatments can help.
- "Respect the demarcation line" this is the point along the hair shaft where the relaxed and natural hair join, i.e the point where your hair changes texture, and is the most delicate part so it must be handled with extreme care.
- It could be worth experimenting with cheaper products and samples first as you get to grips with your hair, before moving on to more expensive products.
- Don't keep trying to make your natural hair blend with your straight hair, this could cause too much stress and damage.
- A cheap creamy conditioner such as Tresemme Naturals could be used as a leave-in conditioning spray when diluted with a lot of water.
