Last month I attended CurlFest for the second year in a row. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s literally a festival for curly and natural hair, hosted by Curly Girl Collective. It takes place in Brooklyn, NY and it’s a really empowering safe space where mostly women of color gather to show off their bomb hairstyles, epic summer fashion, and magical melanin greatness.
As someone who is biracial and grew up not knowing a lot about curly haircare due to the fact that no one in my family had hair like me, it’s a really wonderful event to sample new products, see tons of new hairstyles, and really embrace all that God gave me. I attended the festival at Prospect Park with two of my friends from graduate school, Rachel and Nichole.
The three of us traveled their together (which was quite a hike since me and Rachel live in Queens) and when we arrived there was a MASSIVE line to get in. I was shocked because last year I had just walked right in. The festival had clearly grown a lot bigger. And with all of the line confusion, we had another problem: my friends had silver passes and I didn’t. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quick enough and they had sold out, so my girls and I got separated in different lines for hours. Since I was just entering with general admission, I got in way before my friends did.
I was alone and it was busy as hell, but I was so happy to be inside with all of the music, art, and free samples. I used my time to take candid photos of all the beautiful people and stand in line at different vendor booths (yes, more long lines). I got free products from Carol’s Daughter and Target and eventually Rachel and Nichole found me.
Although the free samples and poppin’ photos were what most of us came for, it’s always really amazing to be surrounded by fellow black women. Since last year’s CurlFest, I have learned so much more about curly haircare, black hairstyles, and embracing my multiple-textured curl pattern. I’m so grateful for events like CurlFest for allowing us to gather and glow together.
Outfit Details:
Sheer floral print bodysuit: Forever 21 // Black one-piece swimsuit (layered underneath): Forever 21 // Velvet skirt: Thrifted // Sunglasses: InStyleCo. Boutique // Sneakers: Comme des Garçons Play x Converse
Check out my post from last year’s CurlFest and this article I wrote for CafeMom!
What’s the one hair product you cant live without?
xoxo, Kayla
