Season’s Greetings all!
I took a trip home to Dublin to spend Christmas with my family and decided it would be an excellent opportunity to meet up with some of Dublin’s naturals. I have quite a few friends in the area who are natural and I could easily have a session with them, but instead I chose 3 beautiful ladies that I had never met before but had got connected with through social media. I also invited my little sister, Hannah who recently went natural. YaaaaaaY!!! And a close friend for moral support.
We chose the day and met at Toscana, an Italian restaurant located across the monumental Dublin Castle on Dame Street. It offered a relaxed dining experience with an impeccable service and unique atmosphere. It created such an ambiance that was so relaxed that it allowed us to mingle and bond over HAIR!!!!!!!!!!!
Indeed, the evening was such a delight. An intimate gathering that filled each of us with this electric, contagious energy that transpired in our utterly passionate and honest discussions about our hair regimen. I realized then that I wasn’t the only one! SHOCKER!!!!!
My personal hair journey consisted of 8 month transitional process, whereby my natural hair grew while wearing mostly weaves. On the other hand, one of the ladies couldn’t do that. She opted for the ‘JUST DO IT’ campaign and big chopped straight away. This just goes to show that this journey is so personal to each person. As the night continued with a lot of laughter, I realized that regardless of the transition, whether sudden or gradual, we were all united. We had one thing in common, our natural hair and [HER] story.
My personal goal for this meet-up was to mingle with naturals and offer support for one another, discuss hair care, exchange tips, share experiences, style challenges and discuss the politics behind natural hair and how others might view us. This was achieved over our delicious pizzas, salads and chicken wings.
I really had a great night with this group of ladies and to think we spoke about HAIR throughout the evening, (well…except for the time we got angry at the new bus fares in Dublin!!! Lol). To think we could sit and talk about our individual journeys with such joy is something I love about Natural Hair. It has a way of bringing people with different backgrounds and experiences together and it brought us together. I learned a lot from these inspirational women, but one thing I’ll take back to Houston with me is, ‘Together we can Inspire Each Other’
– Chantel Shonowo, Naturally Happy Hair Ambassador