Tailah Waajid's World Natural Hair Show: Natural Hair Does Care!
One thing that can be said about the natural hair community is that it is just that, a community! Over the course of this weekend I attended the 20th Anniversary of Taliah Waajid's World Natural Hair Show. I have been blessed with the opportunity to network with women of color from here in Georgia, to as far as New York and expanding even as far as London! When I tell you that this show was not one to miss, I am not exaggerating. I saw women of all shapes, colors and sizes, women of various cultures and religions, women with every possible curl pattern, whether natural, relaxed or a weave, women from literally ALL walks of life. We all came to share insight and ideas about, and to celebrate all that is, OUR HAIR!
Of course, this being the shows's 20th year, Taliah Waajid and her team did a fantastic job bringing in great vendors, workshops and entertainment. The variety of products and services on the show floor was delightfully overwhelming and a true depiction of how much hair care for people of color has grown and expanded over the years. No matter what your hair needs were, I would bet money that there was a booth there with the right product for you. So allow me to give you guys a taste of this great event! Hopefully you'll feel some of the melanin magic that I've felt while I was there.
Let's start with the value!
The tickets were only $5 plus tax for each day via Eventbrite. The also had a 2oth Anniversary Big Bag Bundle for $50 which included 2- day full access to the show with all amenities such as The Men's Den, The Pamper Zone, The Fitness Zone, all the workshops as well as, goodies and freebie from a few of the vendors. I was really excited when I got my bag because it included one of the items I planned on purchasing from Taliah's Shea-Coco line, the Monoi Oil Serum. There was also a separate line for people who purchased the big bag bundle so ya girl was also able to skip the long line of people with general entry tickets. I felt so special! #winning
Most of the vendors were offering amazing show prices! Some had all products for just $10 dollars such as Camille Rose, while others were offering 30% off store prices such as Shea Moisture and the Mane Choice. They also have a variety of local and international vendors selling their natural hair/beauty products, clothing, jewelry/accessories and artwork. It was an amazing opportunity to network and learn about these small local businesses and be able to support their efforts! So overall, I would definitely say it was worth it. This was my third year attending the show and I was not disappointed.
Workshops that work for you!
There were a wide variety of sessions for their Live DIY Hair workshops, Makeup, Skin and Nail workshops, Health and Wellness workshops and Financial workshops. It covered topics such as, the benefits of organic makeup, detoxing, nutrition and stress reduction and how to restore your credit score. The classes provided valuable information that we can use and apply to our everyday life. They even had a Power Panel which featured the most powerful women in hair care sharing their empowering stories about their journey to success. More on that to come later.
Vendors...Vendors...Vendors... Galore!
As I mentioned before, there was a huge variety of vendors across the board. From big to small, local to international and well known to not so well known. Most vendors such as ORS, Luster's, Cantu, Madame CJ Walker and Hawaiian Silky had free samples as you walked around the show floor. All of them provided great products/services and some of the bigger booths such as As I am, Shea Moisture, Taliah Waajid had live demos. Here are the vendors who were the highlight of the show for me:
I learned about them at the first World Natural Hair Show I attended in 2015. A friend of mine recommended their Honey Miracle Hair Mask, which has now become a staple in my wash day routine. Trust me when I tell you, it's like the ultimate "hair-gasm" in a bottle! No exaggeration necessary haha. Their booth laid out all their products including their shampoo and conditioner, leave in conditioner, twist cream, daily moisturizer, as well as, their new edge control and styling gel.
Everything was going for $10, their soaps were 3 for $10 and their travel pack was $15. So of course I purchased another Honey Miracle Hair Mask but I also bought their new Curl Bomb Styling Gel because they say it's comparable to Ecostyler but won't cause flaking so I'm definitely giving it a try! here's what I got from their booth.
Camille Rose's booth was popping the whole show! I mean, long lines that wrapped around and products that were so high in demand that they sold out of some of their more popular item like their Curl Maker. Usually, their prices can range anywhere from $13 to $22, at their booth everything was on sale for $10 and I was happily able to get away with everything I wanted from their line. My only wish is that they expand their booth size and bring more products to accommodate the growing demand for their products for future shows. Besides that, they are definitely a favourite for me every time I attend this show.
Shea Moisture has always been a good staple in my hair and beauty routine. Their recent ad campaign has recently come under fire for completely white washing their product and image, I'm guessing, in an attempt to broaden their target audience. It is even said that they have changed up their formula with less natural ingredients. I have to say I am disappointed in this revelation because their products have always done wonders for my hair. But I'll leave that for another post.
Their booth at the show is always popular. Not only did they have a 30% discount on all their products but they also have two of their stylists doing live demos. I got the chance to speak with one of them and he gave great insight on my hair and provided advice on the best type of products, Shea Moisture or otherwise, to use on my hair based on my texture and curl pattern. Here's what I got from their booth.
I'm in love with her Shea-Coco line So I did get the Shea-Coco Leave in Conditioner to go along with the Monoi oil I got in my Big Bag Bundle. But what I truly wanted to highlight is their new line exclusively for men's hair and beard care. I was only able to drag my husband to the show with the promise of great options for his hair needs and luckily for me, Taliah Waajid delivered by introducing her new Uncle Jimmy's line for men. Here's what my hubby left with from their booth.
Now this brand is very new to me. I was walking by a booth when I noticed the juiciest twist out I had ever seen! So I walked over to the woman who owned those beautiful tresses and learned that she actually had done them 7am that morning with the twisting cream from Grand*Tressa, made with all natural ingredients AND what I was looking at was the end result of her taking down the twists at 10:00am that same day.
Needless to say, I was very impressed not only with the product, but with their belief that women should love their hair no matter the curl pattern. Their product is meant to enhance what you have, not sell you on the idea of an "acceptable curl aesthetic. So yeah, I left with a jar of the same twisting cream which was only $15.
They are based right here in Snellville, GA. so if you are looking a new product that is all natural and also want to support a local small business please check out their website. I know I will!
As I am is a name that I have seen many times when product hunting. I must be honest and say that I have never really tried their products. Their booth had the perfect option for a person like me who is sort of on the fence about their selections. They had all their products on sale as well but they also had a $5 sample bag that included a sample size portion of every single product they offer. This way I could try their products first before I truly invest in the regular size bottles. Here's what was included.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the two pieces of art that I received from the beautiful and talented, Sasha Martoni. I walked by her booth where she was selling some of her work for $30 or two pieces for $25. Her work, in my opinion was a celebration of black women and black hair and I was captivated. She did not have many large pieces but my husband and I will definitely be getting in touch to see we could get a custom size of some of her work. There were other artists like herself at the show but her pieces spoke to me so much that it was hard to pick just the two. Nevertheless, here are the pieces I got and cannot wait to frame.
If you are interested in getting pieces like mine or would like to check out more of her artwork, please check out her website, follow her on Instagram or email her at sashabarron20@gmail.com.
Looking ahead...
Overall, I would definitely say this 20th anniversary celebration was a huge success! Hats off to the beautiful Taliah Waajid and her team for paving the way for such an amazing event and helping women of color to see more products by women like us and for women like us! From the vendors, to the workshops, to the live entertainment, there was plenty to see and do. As our community continues to grow so will this show and I will definitely continue to be support it. Even now as I continue to relish in my little product haul for this year, I am looking forward to more from this event. Wishing you all lots of love, peace and natural hair grease as I count down the days to the next Taliah Waajid Natural Hair Show!
