Natural hair Expo beckons

The annual Natural Hair and Beauty (NHB) Expo, that showcases natural hair and beauty product exhibitions and stalls will take place again this year on 10 September at the Eros Primary School
The event will be hosted by Ms Zodidi Gaseb, the co-owner of NHB Events and Management which brings the annual Namibian Natural Hair and Beauty Expo and related events.
The expo which attracted 18 business showings and vendors last year will this year host 28 dynamic vendors. Gaseb said, “We are fortunate to have 28 dynamic vendors showcasing their services and products this year. What makes it unique is that we will have an all male panel discussion, a bigger and better expo that also caters for the young ones, a health and wellness session as well as a talk directed at children’s hair care and self esteem”.
Furthermore, she said besides the large platform for different businesses to showcase their products the expo will have 4 sections of talks and discussions. The sections will include “Back to Basics” hosted by the organizers of the expo, “The Beauty within”, hosted by Gergentia Shoombe and Physical Active Youth, “My point of view” by a panel of natural haired men talking about their experiences and their points of view on natural hair, Kiddies Hair care by Vanessa Auchas.
Gaseb said apart from the entrepreneurial aspect, the expo is a celebration of natural hair and beauty. “For so long we have been told that black hair is ugly and we want to address these issues by showcasing it is quite beautiful and versatile. We also talk about issues of race as well as self acceptance and care from within,” she said.
Products which are considered to be the best in the market and which sell the most will be confirmed by the organizers of the expo and the launch of the first-ever Namibian Natural Hair Guide which was written in conjunction with various hair experts will be launched.
The Namibian past Ted Talk participant stressed, “the processed hair ‘look’ seems to dominate on our TV and movie screens and on billboards, and young black girls are flooded with media images of us with pictures of chemically treated hair that is heralded as the only hair on black women that can be beautiful”.
She said that audience can expect vast options with beauty care and styling options with an entire section dedicated to a range of hairdos that are beautiful, with the natural hair style must take its place as one of those viable options.”
Gaseb said that the natural hair market does definitely compete with the currently existing synthetic hair industry but also merges with the industry as synthetic hair can also be used by natural haired people as a protective style. “I would rather say that there’s more on the market for everyone, where in the past it was quite challenging to get products and services for natural hair,” she elaborated.
In her final remarks Gaseb says that the expo is more than a hair and beauty show, but a celebration of ethnic hair’s originality and unique styles and also gives local producers of naturally Namibian products a platform to showcase their offerings.