It’s true; Nikki can cook. The petite-sized chef catered a lovely brunch for this writer and a group of Atlanta-beauty bloggers this weekend. The Sunday soirée was held at the Madame CJ Walker Museum nestled in Atlanta’s historic Auburn Avenue district and hosted by Strength of Nature. We indulged on salmon, Mediterranean Frittatas, diced sweet potatoes, fruit salad, French toast, a cucumber salad and many other delights while sipping Mimosas.
The brunch was two-fold, to introduce us to the Madame Museum’s impressive collection which is the work of the museum’s artistic director and curator Ricci de Forest and to welcome New York transplant, Strength of Nature’s global brand manager Camila Crews, to Atlanta.
de Forest shares, “In this room where we are standing is an actual beauty salon operated by Madame CJ Walker.”
Leaving us inspired by his words, he gave us a tour of the studio-sized museum, while dispelling myths about black hair and beauty history. For example, he showcased a trio of hot combs (aka straightening combs). First patented in the U.S. one was the invention of Annie Turnbo Pope Malone and the other two were products of both Walker and Garrett Morgan, who improved upon her design. Many including myself believed Walker invented the comb.
Crews highlights one of SON’s latest products, “In terms of innovation and texture manageability, we have Beautiful Textures’ Naturally Straight which lets you go from curly to straight and back again without any harsh chemicals or damaging your curl pattern. We tested the product on over 200 women.”
This introduction opened up a dialogue about the plethora of needs of black women when it comes to our varying hair textures.
The remainder of the event, we were provided an opportunity to share our hair stories, concerns and convey our expectations from global beauty brands like Strength of Nature, which is also the home of African Pride, Profectiv and Elasta QP. Education and customization were the consensus.
