“I love my hair because it’s a reflection of my soul. It’s dense, it’s kinky, it’s soft, it’s textured, it’s difficult, it’s easy and it’s fun. That’s why I love my hair.”
Tracee Ellis Ross
Last month I had the pleasure of attending and working the 5th Annual Love The Hair You Wear (LTHYW) event in Washington, D.C.
Created by entrepreneur and trailblazer in the natural hair community, Vecoya Banks, LTHYW is an exclusive event that “was created to help women of color embrace their natural hair roots, increase self-esteem, and enjoy the company of other natural beauties”. While there, I saw women sporting natural afros, long locs, tapered cuts, and a plethora of protective styles. #BlackGirlMagic at it’s finest!
Upon entering the event, guests received their swag bags which were stuffed with products and samples from the sponsors of LTHYW5.
They included products from Cantu’s new TXTR collection, a mask treatment from The Mane Choice, conditioners from Oyin Handmade, Palmers, and African Pride, as well as samples from Curls, Aunt Jackies, and TGIN. Needless to say, your girl won’t need to go hair product shopping any time soon!
While waiting for the event to start, guests could mix and mingle with each other at the bar, photo booth, or vendor section. Several Black owned businesses were present, including London & Grant skincare, and beauty line, Zorii Cosmetics.
LTHYW started with two segments featuring both male and female hair models. The men’s hair segment, which was led by Ace Banks, dived into the natural hair journey from a man’s perspective. It was very interesting to hear men discuss their beard and hair grooming habits. I know that my husband take’s pride in his beard, so it’s good to see that he too has a community of Black men who he can share advice with. The women’s section provided the audience with feedback on Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula line. I loved that the women gave very honest feedback on these products and went into depth on how their hair responded to using them. Natural hair stylist, Cedya, then performed a live hair demo using Curls Poppin Pineapple Collection. I absolutely loved the variety of the segments!
Concluding LTHYW5 was a natural hair panel. Vecoya moderated this discussion which included Lifestyle Influencer LaVondra @typicalblaqueen, Entrepreneur and Natural Hair Salon Owner Tisha @tishajperry, & Financial Strategist , and blonde bombshell, Jessika @shegotbanks . These beautiful women talked about their natural hair journey and how they learned the beauty of their natural tresses. They also gave us tips for coloring our hair and even answered questions from naturalistas in the audience.
This empowering event showed me the impact that Women of Color as a community can have when we come together and embrace our true and natural beauty. Self care and self love are two things that I stand for and I am so happy to see events like this which encourage us to live authentically. Click here to find out more about Love The Hair You Wear 5. Check out my highlight from this year’s event!
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