On Saturday, June 16, 2012, natural, transitioning and locked women in Raleigh came together to enjoy the North Carolina Natural Hair Care Expo at The Dream Center.  This event was presented by Malaika Tamu-Cooper, held throughout two days and included product sampling, demonstrations, hair shows and more.

Upon entering the venue, attendees were greeted by two representatives that gave you a wrist band and bag filled with informational goodies and samples.  Vendors were lined on both the inside of the venue and throughout the hallways with items for hair, skin and wearable art.  The wearable art caught my eye because the jewelry items were unique and oftentimes handmade.  There were also food vendors available and photo opportunities.  Not long after entering, I was able to catch Taji’s Natural Hair Styling’s hair show.  The styles presented by Taji and her staff showed natural and locked hair in such a beautiful light.  There is no surprise that she has one of the most well-known salons in the Raleigh area.  Immediately after her hair show was complete, she began doing live demonstrations of hair styling, including her salon’s infamous soft-updo.

Another highlight of the event was meeting the various vendors.  There was a hair product for any and every hair type!  One vendor I had the opportunity to meet was Val from Hairizon, which is a specialty gift shop for hair, body and fashion products in Durham, NC.  She was a pleasure to speak to and her table included a variety of items, including the famous Uncle Funky’s Daughter hair products.  Despite the name, the fragrance of the products was amazing and I can’t wait to try their Extra Butter, which looks like it would be amazing for twist and braid outs.

Overall, this event was a wonderful opportunity for natural ladies in the community to come together and be inspired by one another while learning about new products.  I definitely think this is a great chance for newly naturals to gain inspiration and find products that may work for their hair.  As this event grows, I can definitely tell that this expo will need more room in the future.

To find out if the Natural Hair Expo is coming to your town, click here.

Stay beautyful!

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