Hey Curlies, As you all may know through my social media pages, I've been talking about this big natural hair expo coming up in Indianapolis.
The event is put on by Naturalistas in Nap, a natural hair and beauty group based in Indianapolis. I have been to many of their events in the past and they are always more than I expected. I got to speak with the founder and a friend of mine, Darice Rene, to get a little more information about this upcoming event.
When and how did Naturalistas in Nap get started? The group started in December of 2011 after I’d searched around for a way to connect with women I’d seen all over Indianapolis wearing natural hair. I wanted to find out more about their experiences, how they were managing their hair and what they were using. All I had at the time was the internet and YouTube and I knew I would be enriched by actually spending time with other women to compare notes. How many members does the group have? We’re at 629 members and we add more every day. What is the goal of the group? The goal of the Naturalistas in Nap is to provide support and connect women on this natural hair journey. I believe in sharing information and being educated about growing healthy hair so I bring in experts to teach. We've also grown close as a group so we like to add social events too. About how many events per year does the group put on? Any examples? In our first year, we went crazy with it. We hosted around 20 events and we had a BALL. Examples of events are The ABCs and 123s of Natural Hair, a Product Bazaar, the International Natural Hair Meetup Day, Neo soul Night, What do you KNOW about Natural Hair and we’ve even done Facebook Chats about natural hair. How long has the expo been going on? This is the second annual expo. It was so well received last year, the Naturalistas wanted to see it again. Of course, I’ve had to change it up a bit to give the women something to look forward to.
Healthy Naturals Expo 2012
Explain the purpose of the expo. Most Naturalistas will tell you that once they decide to embrace their natural hair, they typically start to consider other healthy changes they can make as well. The Healthy Naturals Expo is about learning how to have a better lifestyle in all areas of importance. We bring in professionals from the areas of fitness, nutrition, mental health, money and of course, hair. I have a Zumba and Yoga instructor, a Master Chef, a Financial Planner, a Therapist and a Cosmetologist all coming to show us how to live our best way possible. We’re also adding a DJ this year to keep us moving before and after segments. What do you want participants to leave the event with? Attendees will leave with practical and actionable steps to live better. Every speaker has been hand-picked because I want the information accessible and the speakers transparent. My members want answers and aren’t scared to ask questions…and I love that exchange. How many vendors will be at the event? We will have a limited number of vendors – no more than 20 that are also hand-picked. How would one become a vendor? Vendors can email me and get a packet with details – the address is d-rene@live.com. Is there a tentative schedule? There is a basic outline of the segments published on the event website which is www.healthynaturalsexpo.eventbrite.com. Please check it out. Is the expo all hair based or beauty specific as well? It’s hair and health. That’s our focus for this event. Everyone who attends will be very excited about what they experience. Sadly I will not be attending this event. I have a lot of obligations as a college senior and I just want to graduate! If any of you attend please give me feedback. I know its going to be great!
