Afro Hair and Beauty Show 2014.

First can I just say, I paid £12, yes, TWELVE POUNDS to get in! 

So, about two years ago I went to the show for the first time in a very long time. I was actually wowed by the acknowledgement of the natural hair brigade. Finally, our own industry supporting and encouraging the natural, healthy route to good hair care, something that so many of us have been waiting, wanting and needing to aspire to and to achieve. 

I personally have spent years trying to go natural, stalking black hair shops for some support for the maintenance of my beautiful tresses, but it was all in vain. So I was glad that finally, 'natural' was being taken seriously,

So, yeah .... That was then!! 

This is now!!!

Afro hair show? Afro? .... Where? What's Afro got to do with it? 

These were just a few of the stalls I photographed. 

They were all saying the same thing. It was unbeWEAVEable.

And then .... I saw this ...

Really? White? Really? 

Do I need to talk about this? Are we not educated enough about C**p like this? 

I was ready to go IN.... AND the sales woman knew I was coming .... 

She was some French chick, talking stuff about no hydroquinone ... About clearer skin, about dark marks ... Listen. Don't.Get.Me.Started. The product NAME speaks for itself! It was really hard but I'm a professional, i kept it cool and just walked away ...

Seriously? 

So ... Afro hair and beauty? Where? Every where I turned I observed all that depicts unnatural and no, it was not at all beautiful.

There were quite a few make up stalls giving free makeovers and a few natural skincare stalls. 

One of the stalls seemed to know what they were talking about. Another was a group of young people who had produced a range. Aalthough I don't expect them to be chemists and qualified in the beauty industry, but it would help if they were aware of who their target market was I kept getting the impression that these guys and thrown something together and were trying to make a quick buck ...

Ms C and I gave each other side eye as these young men falsely prescribed for our hair type. We are quite simply, SisterLocked, locks if you don't know any better ... Sigh,SMH.

Total amount of natural hair care stalls ... Two. Taliah Wajid and Jane Carter. 

But what really got me going was the absence of Mixed Chicks. The whole reason I went there in the first place. What was going on?

I walked around with a face like a slapped ... Feel free to end my sentence. 

We arrived at just after 11am, circled twice and literally saw all that could be seen by 12pm. I was ready to leave! 

However, my lovely co pilot has a far more easy going persona than I. She convinced me to hang about a little longer to watch the fashion show.

Cateisha Aka Cat entertained us and managed to encourage the corners of my lips to curl upwards with a few quips I had heard before, but I admit, she carried them off with an amusing tinge. Once she was done however, so was I. I popped off to buy ONE product from Jane Carter, a drench hydrating spray (which I hope and pray I can get locally via Mr Klass in Tottenham). 

Why purchase only one product you say? Thought I was a product junkie? 

Well ...

Two cash machines in the building and not one was working. At least not when we went to get money!

Taliah Wajid was selling Crinkles and Curls 3 for £10 ... But did not have a card machine ... Neither did Jane Carter, something to do with exchange currency rates. Anyhow, that did not help my mood.  

I paid £5 for one item ... And went home. 

Did I mention that it was £12 to get in? Did I ? I want my money back!