Hi Beauties!
Last Saturday I attended an awesome event for naturalistas called “The Meet Up”. The event was hosted courtesy of the Natural Affair Beauty Lounge (Owner-Takeisha Berry Brooks). This is the exact salon where I got my big chop! This was so bittersweet to come back and be a part of this event! Going natural changed my life for the better! Less stress when maintaining and above all NO HARMFUL CHEMICALS. I wish I had gone natural 10 years ago….BUT better late than never (I have been natural for about 4 years).
I loved the concept at check in for the event. You were able to write down any questions you had on a sticky note and stick it to a certain area of the wall for it to be answered later. There was a beautiful layout of food and drinks to make your mouth water and a pretty photo backdrop to take selfies and group pictures. All while the DJ mixed sounds of funky R & B music throughout the salon. The tone for the night was definitely set!
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(Wall of natural hair questions) |
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(Delicious food!) |
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(More delicious food!) |
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(Beautiful flower backdrop) |
The event kicked off with the owner, Takeisha Berry- Brooks introducing herself and the purpose of the event; to empower, inform, and celebrate naturals. She reassured all attendees that she and her staff were aimed and ready with knowledge to share. She also introduced the vendors and DJ. See below pics!
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(Mrs. Takeisha Berry-Brooks-Owner-A Natural Affair Beauty Lounge) |
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(DJ Whiskey) |
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(Kenya Adjekum-Bradshaw (left) and Rochelle Griffin (right)- Co-Founders of Head wrap and accessory company called Gift Wraps)(https://the-gift-wraps.myshopify.com/) |
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(Rachelle (right) Owner of Florally Adorned-Florallyadorned.etsy.com) |
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(Flower crown handmade by Florally Adorned) |
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(More handmade flower accessories made by Florally Adorned) |
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(Marsena Sellers-Owner of Marsena Signatures- @marsenasignatures on Instagram) |
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(Fabulous clutches handmade by Marsena Signatures) |
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(Fly fanny packs handmade by Marsena Signatures) |
 (Picture me Natural Hair care -Owner Nina Nolen- http://www.pmnatural.com/) | |||||||||||
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(Natural Cuties- https://www.iamanaturalcutie.com/)
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Next up was a live demo of how to wear a head wrap by Rochelle Griffin and Kenya Adjekum- Bradshaw- Co-founders of the head wrap company Gift Wraps. The tying of the wraps is so easy and the colors of their wraps are gorgeous! They also carry an assortment of accessories and backpacks. Rochelle was very informative on the styles and versatility of head wraps and how they can be worn. She let the ladies know that even if they wear wigs/extensions, head wraps can still be worn over them for a pretty and polished look! Kenya also demonstrated how to wear a full coverage head wrap with a big bow accent and slay honey!
  After a short intermission, Takeisha and her staff were ready for the Q & A. Her staff answered some of the following questions: |
Q. How can I
alleviate dry itchy/flaking scalp?
A.
Pre-pooing can help as well as using a shampoo with tea tree and peppermint; if
there is still no relief seek medical attention
Q. What is an alternative to using water to moisturize your locs?
A. Spraying
them with rose water
Q. What can I do to grow my hair?
A. Implement
protective styles
Q. How can I maintain moisture/protein balance with my low porosity hair?
A. Do a
protein treatment once a month
Q. What does it mean when you have little balls of hair in the sink after you comb your hair?
A. You need
a good trim
Topics also discussed were natural hair in corporate America and the stigma attached to it. Positive reinforcement was given that no matter what your occupation you should never be ashamed to wear your natural hair. Why? Because it is a part of WHO YOU ARE! As long as your hair is presentable and neat you should not be made to change your hair to fit society’s standards. Hair care tips were also given to parents on how to care for their child's hair and for parents to always encourage their child to love and embrace being natural.
The evening ended with more selfies in front of the
beautiful flower backdrop, a group picture, and mingling amongst all the
beautiful naturals in the room. Takeisha and her staff also made themselves
available if anyone had more questions or wanted to make an appointment. Talk
about hospitality and customer service!
This will definitely be an event I plan to attend every year. I love being able to gather in an intimate setting and ask any type of question in a judgement free zone. Takeisha Berry-Brooks is very passionate about natural hair and helping naturalistas love their natural tresses. Aside from this event she is also the creator of another annual natural hair event called “Naturals in the City”. I attended this event 2 years ago it was an excellent experience as well.
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(The beautiful and knowledgeable stylists that answered ALL of our questions!) |
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(Final Group pic of the night! A success!) |
A woman’s hair is important to her and there are so many factors that can affect it. Whether it be stress from work or a relationship, medication, illness, changing styling techniques, etc. With fun and informative events like these continuously being held, I think natural hair will not be a “trend” and is a movement that is definitely here to stay.
Love,
Candace
A Natural Affair Beauty Lounge is located at:
2487 Poplar Avenue, Suite 103
Memphis, TN 38111
901-320-6300
http://anaturalaffair.com/
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(I had so much fun! #teamnatural #forever!) |
