Grand Opening of the Huetiful Chicago Salon

It Girl Fam,

I was recently blessed to attend the grand opening of Huetiful Chicago at 3428 S. King Drive.  This salon is special for so many reasons.

First of all, Huetiful’s founder is my dear friend Ken Burkeen. We go back too many years to count.  I’m so proud of what he’s accomplished with this international business as well as his two hair salons.  (If you live in the Atlanta-area, you should definitely check out the 2nd location). 

Secondly, I love Huetiful’s focus on healthy hair for ALL women.  Hydration is at the cornerstone of their hair care philosophy and it's made possible by a combination of Huetiful products, specially-trained stylists, and their unique hair steamers.

Last, but not least, it’s not lost on anyone that Ken could have opened his Chicago salon in a number of other locations. However, he chose the historic Bronzeville neighborhood.  I applaud his consist and continued support of communities of color locally and worldwide. 

If you’re looking for a hair salon in the Chicago area with a keen focus on natural and healthy hair, then look no further!

Below are photos from the event.

Enjoy!

Tamika
itgirlrules.com

With Huetiful's Founder Ken Burkeen

Huetiful Chicago Stylists being divas! 

Tasheara, Nina, Shawanna, Daria & Monique 

 Vloggers Meechy & Vaughn Monroe are the new faces of Huetiful

Congratulations Ladies!

With Ms. Meechy Monroe aka Tameka 

She's already pretty cool, but 

what makes her even cooler is that we share the same 1st name!

Event curator and new friend, Larvetta Smith of L3 Eventeurs

 Inside the beautiful salon space... It's really cute!

The Huetiful-branded water was a nice touch. 

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© It Girl Industries 2013

Chicago Natural Beauty Hair Event...A Celebration and An Education

It Girl Fam,

On August 14th, I will be celebrating 6 years of chemical-free hair.  Wow!  Where did the time go?

I cut ALL my hair off after 2 years of serious consideration & introspection, so there was no transition for me.  My reasons were simple - economics and time.  I spent hours in the salon every 2 weeks, I wasn't working out because I didn't want to mess up my hair and I dropped off a duffle bag at every appointment. I just had enough. I took the leap and haven't looked back.

When I started my natural hair journey, there wasn't a nationwide movement or support system like there is today. Many African-American women sincerely want to be free of the creamy crack (aka relaxers), but don't know where to start and have fear about the transition process.  Thank God for Rachel Odem as well as the national network of natural hair stylistas that are leading the movement and helping to educate woman on what to do and how to do it.  Rachel founded the Chicago Natural Beauty Meetup, which hosts natural hair and beauty events throughout the year.

I absolutely loved the event on July 29th. There is something about being in a room of approximately 100 natural women with no airs and no pretense - just warmth, sharing, and sisterhood. We all embraced and celebrated our natural hair. It was great.

Below are some pix from the event.

Enjoy!

Tamika
itgirlrules.com

Ken Burkeen, founder of Huetiful (creator of Huetiful Hair Steamers)

& Rachel O, beauty expert & founder of Chicago Naturals

Sponsors included 

Carol's Daughter, Curls Unleashed, & Koils by Nature

 Meechy and Vaughn Monroe were the featured panelists. 

They are a dynamic duo that blog and vlog about their natural hair 

experiences, products, etc. and are national speakers in the space.  

They were super sweet and gave us valuable info! 

Ms. Vaughn is on my right & Meechy is on my left.

Aren't they beautiful?

 Octavia Hooks is a subject matter expert and salon owner. 

Octavia educated us on natural hair products, hair textures, and styles.

Her models are sisters. 

It was a cool way to demonstrate how the same exact style 

can look different depending on your hair texture.

 Sista TV was the event's MC. Love Love Love your energy!

She made the program come to life.

 In between education sessions & live demonstrations, 

participants could network, chill out, or check out the vendors.

 Some of the vendors... It was a bit quiet, 

because I shot this while a session was in progress.

ⓒ It Girl Industries 2012