The Great Kinky Hair Christmas Affair- a Recap and a GIVEAWAY!

My right arm dully ached from being awkwardly held in place as I wielded the blow dryer over my head.  Most of my hair had already been lightly stretched and plaited, and by three o'clock that early morning, the last plait had finally been wound around a plastic cold rod.  I exhaled in relief, clasping the rod into place and eyeing the neat hotel room. The gift bags were assembled by the door and my assistants- my cousin and sister, had been briefed.  This event was to go as smoothly as possible.  I crashed into bed and briefly bargained with sleep, mulling over the number of ways matters could go off course.  What if the infamous Lagos traffic trapped us in a never-ending commute from hell?  What if no one showed?

The morning was a flurry of makeup brushes, last minute outfit changes, and meticulous hair primping.  The braid out had emerged beautifully, but the moment we streamed outside and into the humidity, the relaxed definition I'd worked so hard to achieve had all but vanished.  In an attempt to control the impending frizz, I decided to tie down my hair with a dark blue bandana that I had quickly snatched on my way out.  Nevertheless, as our pleasant taxi driver, who earlier had smiled at the look of amusement on our faces, after introducing himself as Goodnews, pulled up to the entrance of the The Social Place, I shed the nervous energy and approached the steel gate.  I imagined there'd be throngs of event attendees, most already eagerly shopping and awaiting the series of workshops that we'd prepared for them. 

 The Great Kinky Hair Christmas Affair was a collaboration between myself, Nibi from the Kinky Apothecary, and my name sake, Ijeoma from Klassy Kinks.  
Staying Natural, Year 0 to Infinity, my workshop, would explore the overlooked mental aspects of being natural (because half of the battle is in how we perceive natural hair), and the technical elements in retaining healthy hair.  

Loved what my hair was doing here.
We trooped onto the venue grounds which were tastefully decorated in accents of pinks and silvers.  The staff uniformed in black slacks and tops moved about efficiently, some carrying trays of champagne, while others were busy setting up tables and banners.  A small array of people were clustered off to our right, and in their midst was Ijeoma.  Honestly, I spotted her hair first- a brassy reddish brown riot of fabulous curls.  She was to present a workshop on maintaining healthy hair while protective styling with braids and twists.  Nibi was also summoned upon our arrival, and she sort of floated over to us, reminding me of a tiny fairy. 

Quick introductions were made, a round of air kisses and hugs were shared, and a short tour of the premises was given. Afterwards, we began the long wait for the arrival of our guests.

(L to R) Ijeoma of Klassy Kinks and Nibi of The Kinky Apothecary

"Where the hell is everyone?  This isn't a party!" 

 My sister looked at me, exasperated, as if I could offer her a real answer.  Tempers easily flair in hot weather.  Shrugging impotently, I retied my scarf for the millionth time in an already lost battle to frizz, and stood in front of a fan, arms akimbo.  A few hours had passed.  I couldn't believe that I'd convinced myself that attendees would be waiting my arrival.  I'd forgotten where we were.  Nigerians are notoriously late comers.  I recalled something I'd read about African peoples being so in tune with the natural world and the sun that we attended ceremonies and events when it felt right.  People would come when they were ready. No wahala.

My scarf working overtime

So, in the meantime, we chatted...

Ijeoma's hair makes me really really consider color

and I fussed with my hair...lol.

But, folks did start to trickle in, and eventually, our workshops were under way.  I answered questions including a curious one I kept getting- 'are you a real Nigerian?' 

I plan to explore this further in a future post.

 

I distributed gift bags and Ijeoma treated us to a live protective style tutorial.

Disheveled lol.  The humidity just had its way with me sha.

 By the event's end, my hair had shrunken into a textured fro.  I had stopped wearing my hair this way when I started gaining considerable length because of the knotting my ends would experience, but on this night, I finally decided to accept it.

I love doing these workshops, as I get to share information that helped me through my journey, and I get to meet you guys- hey Natural Girl hey!
 I'm already planning for the next.

This trip had me dealing with a ton of things unforseen, including not being able to distribute samples of one my top natural hair brands and event sponsor,  Nene's Secret, to attendees.  In lieu of that misfortune, I am hosting a giveaway for y'all in Nigeria!

Starting today, twelve of you lucky winners will receive two FULL sized Nene's Secret products including the Gorgeous Gro and My Mom's Hair Masque.

Simply be sure to do the following-

1. Like Nene's Secret on Facebook OR follow them on Instagram

2. Comment "Enter Me' under this post, on Facebook, OR tag me on Instagram so I know you've entered the contest.

That's it.  Easy peasy.

All contest participants will be entered into a drawing, and 12 of you will randomly selected.

The contest is only open to Nigerian residents and ends on 02.21.2014.

Good luck, guys!