UZIMA NATURAL HOLISTIC EXPO
EVENT REVIEW
Last month I attended Uzima Holistic Expo
I was invited by organisers Michelle (Naturally Nubian) & Sister E (Calabash Hub) who gave me a special all access pass for the day. If I begin by explaining that "Uzima" is a "Swahili phrase meaning- springs of life, energetic, vitality, wholeness, healthiness and well being" (source), straight away you have a good idea of what the day involved.
The colourful display of fresh raw foods and organic juices filled the entrance of Conway Hall in Holborn. I never thought I'd be a fan of raw foods but as soon as I stepped in, the entire layout looked so enticing.
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| Raw Food Spread at Uzima by Rainforest Creations |
The vendors of the day were in the main hall selling everything from accessories and artwork to clothing and of course hair care. I was happy to see some familiar faces including I Love Afro, Akua Wood and Dianne Hall, as well as @Stylisoulstar Holding the fort for Mahogany Naturals.
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| The Main Hall |
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| I Love Afro |
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| Accessories |
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| Curls |
I already have my copy of How I Grew It Long by Dianne, but this time I treated myself to Hair Care Rehab from the Shea Butter Cottage stall. It's the 2nd book by the author of The Science of Black Hair Care - Audrey Davis-Sivasothy, so I'll let you know how I get on.
I was very pleased to meet .... Of Almond & Avocado. I'm used to seeing Almond & Avocado online but I'd never before seen them vending at an event. I'm hoping to see ... and her lovely daughter at more events in the future. I also made a purchase from the stall, but as its a present for a friend, I can't tell you what it was. (sorry)
Various talks were held in the seminar room and guests were able to pay £5 to enter the seminar of their choice, but for those who preferred to stay in the main hall there was on stage entertainment though out the day. As I'd decided to make the most of my guest pass, I attended talks by Morris Roots, Kadian, and Action Jackson.
Although I have no intentions to loc my hair I love learning about how to care for them, and passing on tips to the naturals I do know who wear their hair in locs.
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| Morris Roots lecturing on locs |
Morris took questions from the audience on various issues including what to do about fluff in locs and explained that people shouldn't get stressed out about it because hair itself is a fibre and is therefore going to attract fibres, and although you may never be able to remove all fluff from locs, Morris did suggest that one of the best ways to disguise fluff in locs is do do a black rinse.
(I've added some more of the notes I took from Morris' seminar at the bottom of this blog post. Check out my Notebook Highlights below.)
After the seminar there were so many people who wanted to speak to Morris I didn't get a chance to say "Hi", but I did watch him put together a few spare of the moment styles on a couple of women who asked, which I thought was really kind; and I was amazed at the speed with which he created fantastic styles.
I've never been particularly bothered about skin care until listening to Kadian talk at The Middlands Meet Up; so I was definitely looking forward to her seminar at Uzima. She went through a lot of stuff that I can't wait to try especially the Oil Cleansing Routine.
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| Kadian |
The final seminar of the day was by Action Jackson, who you may remember from Curlfriends Day Out. Knowing how encouraging his talks are, myself Lola, Ketisha and Wunmi, sat in the front row, and before the end of the session were up at the front giving the whole room a group demo of how to get "Disciplined / Focused / Done!"
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| "We are disciplined!" |
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| "We are Focused!" |
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| "We are done!" |
And, this time I managed to get my hands on an Action Jackson "I Am Amazing" band. Yay!
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| (L-R) Me, Lola, Wunmi, Ketisha & Action Jackson at Uzima Expo 2012 |
After 6pm the main hall was cleared of vendors and chairs were laid out to allow the on stage entertainment to take the main focus.
Poets on the evening included Comfort, Floetic Lara, Oneness Sankara and many others, while the hair and fashion show featured hair by M&H Bespoke Hair Styles.
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| Comfort |
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| Floetic Lara |
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| Oneness Sankara |
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| Dance performance by Amazons of Batuke |
The final act of the night was One Drum, who collaborate traditional drumming with incredible dance and acrobatics. I don't think words would do it justice but I think you can can judge from the pictures below that they were pretty spectacular.
Highlights From My Notebook
Morris Roots Seminar:- Our skin is in harmony with the sun, which is why we notice positive changes in our skin and hair when we visit hot countries.
- Hair care at the gym - The steam room is preferable to the sauna to ensure moisturised hair.
- We are what we eat - A lot of symptoms are the result of what we eat.
- Your hair can break more when you are sick - Your hair can signify that something else may be wrong.
- Hair is going to attract fibre because it is fibre.
- Disguise fluff in locs by doing a black rinse.
- Be careful - Hair conditions can be transmitted by comb.
- Arrange an appointment with a Tricologist to have hair conditions diagnosed properly.
- Interlocking: Locks that have been turned into themselves in a four-way system. The virgin hair has been turned into itself and tied in like crochet so ther's no more virgin hair exposed.
- Interlocking is recommended for medium/ thin hair/locs, but not recommended for thick hair/locs as passing it the loc can be damaging.
- Interlocking is good for longevity and wont come undone as quickly as twisting.
- You dont need to worry about hair typing to start your loc journey.
- "Locs are like a child. You have to raise it in stages."
Kadian Skincare Seminar:- The body (including hair) takes about 3 weeks to adjust to anything.
- The Paleo diet - Sugar-free
- Balancing the PH of skin will help address continued skin issuses
- Most soaps sold in stores are "detergents" not soap. Real soap leaves the vegetable glycerine in it. Black soap is good.
- Castor Oil is good for make-up removal.
- Castor Oil is the key ingredient in the Oil Cleansing method.
- Although the castor Oil plant is poisonous it has healing properties.
- Aloe Vera Juice is good for healing fresh scars and is also a good facial toner.
- Light oils like coconut oil are good for moisturising especially for acne.
- A morning skincare routine should be simple as its unnecessary to over cleanse.
- Manuka honey (between 15+ & 20+) is an anti-inflammatory and good for treating spots.
- Greek Yoghurt is also a good spot treatment
Action Jackson Seminar:
- Dont let what you're chasing blind you from what you already have
- It's not optimism, it's mental science.
- Never attach your self-worth to your goals.
- Mental Rythm + Daily Routine = Results
