Event - Curlvolution - Curlfriends day out!

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Curlvolution baby

I'm disciplined. I'm focused. I'm done. 

I'm disciplined. I'm focused. I'm done. 

That was the mantra that came courtesy of motivational speaker Action Jackson, the host for Saturday's 'Curlfriends day out'. The day was organised by the fabulous Curlvolution and took place at the Crown Plaza Hotel in London's Docklands.

The event was truly inspirational with a whole host of gorgeous ladies rocking their mainly natural tresses in all their  fabulous glory. Action Jackson kept things moving along nicely with words of encouragemnt, stories of self affirmation and plenty of humerous anecdotes. We also watched clips from the hilarious Chris Rock docu movie 'Good Hair' which set the scene for the day.

My sister and I attended the event along with the kids. I don't quite know what I was thinking when I decided to bring them along, so needless to say I spent most of my time trying to keep a toddling 11 month old occupied, whilst being pestered to death by my girls who wanted copious amounts of sweets from the sweet bar. I didn't get the chance to mingle or take as many pics as I'd like but I still feel I took a lot from the day.

Action Jackson doing his thang...

Hair blogger and vlogger legends, Laila aka Fusion of Cultures, Pelumi - Care for your hair blog, Crystal Afro - United Kinkdom blog, Fiona - Love your tresses blog and Wunmi - Woman in the jungle vlog, took to the stage and answered an array of questions and queries from the audience about their own natural hair journeys and advice on best products and regimes. It was great to hear the different stories and witness the sharing of knowledge on such a big scale.

There was a nice selection of vendors selling a variety of natural hair products, as well as stalls selling bespoke, handmade jewellery. There was also a nail bar offering special deals on group bookings - hmm nice idea for a hen do maybe?? 

Most vendors had special events rates which were too tempting to ignore. So of course I got involved. Would have been foolish not to and after months of pining I finally got my hands on some Jamaican black castor oil from Akua Wood of Shea butter cottage.

Yay - I got me some JBCO!

Jamaican black castor oil is brilliant for promoting healthy hair. One of the main benefits of Castor oil is its ability to help grow and thicken hair and seal in moisture when applied to damp hair. It is extremely softening on hair and skin and acts as a humectant, helping to maintain moisture levels. Goes without saying then that I am really looking forward to using it.

I also bought some Be Unique Mango Twist butter and Moisturising Custard from the Be Unique Hair Care stall. I have heard rave reviews about this range and was really indecisive about which products to go with. Luckily the lovely Crystal Afro was on hand to give me some really good product advice based on her own experience with them. 

Laila (Left) Crystal Afro (right) at the BeUnique stand

Of course I went with her recommendation and I'm glad I did. I used the Mango Twist on Saturday night on damp hair ( I spritzed with my water, olive oil and conditioner mix) added to each section and plaited. On Sunday morning when I took my braids out I was really impressed with the results. My curls/waves were more defined, smooth and shiny than they have ever been. Woo hoo. I'll try again on freshly washed hair and this time take photos to make sure the results were not a fluke. I'm pretty certain they were not.

Anyway back to the event. Two ladies had there big chop carried out live and in front of nearly 300 people. Stylists from Adornment 365, the expert natural hair salon based in Brixton did the honors. One lady had only an inch of regrowth so her big chop was pretty dramatic as she was left with a very low crop. Lady number two had been transitioning for a few months like I did so she had her ends cut and her natural hair was braided into a funky fro hawk. Both ladies cried, I don't think so much because their hair was being cut but more because of the emotions tied up with returning to the hair that God blessed them with. 

It's a big deal when you make the decision to begin accepting and embracing what grows naturally out of your scalp. Well maybe that's not the case for everybody but that's certainly what going natural meant for me. It was amazing to watch yet so emotional at the same time  (I welled up) and their big reveals which included a clothes and make up overhaul too was truly STUNNING!

The brave volunteers getting their hair chopped
in front of hundreds.

The big chop reveal.
The lovely ladies looked amazing.

There was spoken word poetry and a model shared advice on how to grow long natural hair and retain it. She'd also written a book too. I bought some more lovely button earrings courtesy of Beautella's Boutique. 

My Beautella's Boutique stash

Then I darn near had heart failure when my eldest daughter went missing for nearly 10 mins. Felt like an eternity. I couldn't find her anywhere, then just as I was about to scream the place down I find her sitting in the front row with her new best friend Laila happily eating a massive cupcake....kids!!!! I was so relieved but gave her a stern talking to about wandering off and not telling me where she was going. Lesson learned. Don't think I'll be bringing my kids to future events like this, although they did make lots of friends with other children so that was sweet to watch.

Daughter number two with her new found friend. It was after taking this pic
I realised my eldest had gone AWOL. All three girls had been joint at the hip.

I really enjoyed Curvolution's Curlfriends day out because it was informative and motivational and there was plenty of encouragement to speak to other attendees and build meaningful connections. 

Curlvolution team congratulations on a magnificent event. I would definitely encourage all those who have had their appetites whetted by this post to attend future Curvolution events. I for one can not wait.