Do you get nervous when a bunch of tattooed men in motorcycles ride by slowly while you are stationary in your car? You know the urban cliche that white people sitting in their cars immediately lock their doors on seeing black people approaching? Well I get the same overwhelming urge for self preservation anywhere near a group of tattooed bike riders. Unfair & irrational and not PC? Yes and yet I can’t help it, hmm. Forgive me, I’m just being random.
We were down in London for the Natural hair week event about a week ago. We’ve been having the most glorious weather here in the UK for the last couple of weeks, it’s only recently returned to the default rain in the last few days but the humidity and heat has been shocking.
Older people here always go on about a great summer they had back in the 70’s (before my time) but I’m sure in the years to come, provided global warming doesn’t throw another curve ball at us, we will totally be taking about this summer.
While we were down south after the hair show we stopped by the Ruislip Lido for the day. Can I just say that if you ever find yourself in need of a cheap and fun day out for kids and yourself and provided that you have decent weather, just pop over to the Lido.
It’s not the clear blue waters of the Med or the white sandy beaches of Hawaii but the little beach is charming and with the sun blazing down, you can literally feel all your troubles melt away.
Jasi got to play with the sand making and destroying sand castles and make and unholy mess of her clothes but when the weather is so good, one just cannot get annoyed.
I really ought to remember never to take Otis’ picture when the sun is behind him, you just can’t see his features (lol) but it was getting pretty late at this point. 8 pm if I remember correctly and it was still 27 degrees (80 degrees Fahrenheit)! I will probably be that person telling my grand-kids Oh that summer of 2013 was lovely. The best one we ever had in a shaky granny voice.
Hair now. After the hair show (which I will get to in a minute) and all the humidity, I didn’t expect my signature braid and curl to last overnight with the usual pineapple method so I decided on a dry rebraid for a fluffier curly style the following day. The style was pretty decent when we left the hotel . . .
But after the few hours we spent at the beach, it didn’t fare so well. Oh how I would like to blame the wind for making my hair stand on end like this but alas, it was a calm day. lol
Now on to the hair show itself. It’s probably best to start by saying that the UK is a bit behind in the natural hair swing of things. The trend is the same here as in the US but we are a bit further behind.
For that reason I tend to find that our hair shows are very basic for lack of a better word. Actually I’m not sure what exactly to expect when I attend a hair show but it does bring to mind the saying ‘Preaching to the choir’. Majority of the women who attend natural hair events are in fact already natural.
There are a few relaxed ladies probably on the fence about transitioning but by and large most women there have on average about 6-10 inches of natural hair so clearly most have been natural for over a year.
I would imagine that most of them already know the basics about natural hair yet most hair shows I’ve been to so far just seem to go over the basics again and again.
I wouldn’t mind so much but when it’s stuff that I already know inside out, truth be told I tend to get bored. Maybe the formats of these things could be improved by turning them into discussion forums where we can get advice from each other about natural hair but honestly I just never know what it is I’m supposed to be learning at these events.
Most of the time you just get speakers talking about the history of our hair or what people’s reaction has been to their hair etc etc. I’m not so vain as to imagine that I already know all there is to know about hair but I rarely learn any new solid info.
The Afro hair and Beauty Live event was pretty obvious in what it was supposed to be because it was all about brands, natural hair products and demonstrations. So you knew the message there was Get your wallet out! but all other events have become a bit samey IMO. I don’t think I will be attending one of these events again in quite a while.
On a different note two people recognized me from BHI! It was surreal but we had a good long chat about hair. Anyway I bought a few products, as one does at these events to support the new black owned companies.
I will have a review of the Noire essence products soon. That green block there is actual henna made by Lush cosmetics (who knew they did hair stuff?). It’s made from cocoa butter, henna, indigo and essential oils and smells absolutely divine. It’s supposed to dye your hair black and I can’t wait to use it!
Well you may be aware that I’m currently participating in a protective styling challenge on BHI for the next few months. Actually I’m planning to do it until the end of this year. I can maintain my length but I simply cannot retain any while messing with my hair every week.
I really want to trim two inches off at the end of this year for thicker ends so I’m going to buck up and protect my hair militantly until the end of the year.
I’m doing mini braids for the first month, mini twists for the second month and a curly wig for the third.
Oh how I miss the curls of early summer . . .
