Hey Loves,
On Sunday, November 8th I had the opportunity to attend one of the biggest natural hair events in Los Angeles, The Afrolicious Hair Affair held by Rhonda Ray. Held at the LA Convention Center which is one of LA’s most prominent places for events, right next to the Staples Center.
As we arrived to the event, the room was filled with beautiful faces, stunning hairstyles and sounds provided by DJ Panamami. The perimeter of the room was flanked with vendors ranging from Natural Hair Products, clothing, jewelry and more. At the center front of the room was the stage ready for the runway show and panel discussion with seating on both sides.
Walking along ,we had chance to shop and talk with the various vendors. Eugene Slusher is one of my favorite people in the world. I love his shirt line “My Black Skin is…” which is an inspirational line of t-shirts. Soul Ingredients is one of my favorite natural hair care lines. The team over at Soul Ingredients is knowledgeable and want to ensure that your hair is healthy.
If you’ve been following me on my social media and blog, then you know that I’m a huge fan of the LRC products. LRC was onsite, not only offering products, but also talking to guests about their hair care regime. Two of the LRC stylists were onsite offering styling as well. Tomiko Fraser Hines is the spokesmodel for the LRC brand and was on hand to offer her suggestions for hair care and to tell us about her personal journey. Not only did she look stunning, but she was doing double duty and was on the natural hair panel also.
The day was hosted by Kim Coles and Nika Williams, they were so entertaining and energetic, keeping the crowd engaged and wanting more. The events were kicked off with the ladies welcoming the crowd and introducing first speaker, Fitness Expert Kristie Latray. We learned some fitness tips and she even brought up a few guests to the stage to get into the action with some easy exercises that we could all do at home.
After the fitness presentation, it was time for the Lil Miss Afrolicious Pageant. Lil Miss California joined the host on stage to help with the presentation. The girls were so cute and adorable. Each had to state their name, age and what it means to be Afrolicious. The pageant was sponsored by Kinky Curly, which is one of my favorite natural hair brands for their “Come Clean” shampoo and “Knot Today” Leave-in conditioner.
I’m always interested in someone else’s story, so I was excited for the natural hair panel discussion with some amazing women. The panel consisted of Host and Moderator, Kim Coles, Singer Goapele, Tricoligist and owner of Mahogany Hair Revolution, Dr. Kari Williams, Entertainment Journalist, Tanika Ray, Vlogger and Business Women, Jessica Pettyway also known as jfashiongirl87 on Youtube, and LRC Spokesmodel, Tomiko Fraser Hines. The conversation about natural hair was so in-depth and needed for our community. It was nice to get honest answers about why the panel went natural and if they have ever struggled with wanting to go back to relaxers or something easier? Kim Coles did an amazing job, with the questions and the audience was able to particiapate and ask the panel some questions as well. The guests left the panel discussion not only feeling closer to the panelists, but also feeling more confident in their own natural hair journey
Once the panel discussion was complete, the guests had a little time to visit the booths, do some shopping and just enjoy the atmosphere. I loved seeing various stylists creating some beautiful styles, such as Crochet styles, twists and locs onsite at the event.
I had to head out of the event a little early but not before getting a few pictures and and doing a little shopping. I truly hope to see you at the Afrolicious event next year. It’s one of those events that you want to know about personally and not just hear about. With the knowledge, vendors and networking opportunities, this is one of the “Must Go To” events for LA. Looking forward to what the next Afrolicious event will bring.
XOXO,
This Curvy Girl
