Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Royal coils
Natural hair expo set in Fort Lauderdale.
Natural hair — that is to say unpermed, unrelaxed, unweaved — coiffures have been steadily gaining ground among people of color, particularly here in Carib-fab South Florida.
So much so that the 15th annual Royal Coils Natural Hair and Beauty Expo will return to Fort Lauderdale on Sunday. The exposition, this time staged at the Westin Fort Lauderdale, includes the latest in hair, beauty and wellness trends as well as product sampling, pampering stations, vendors, runway hair shows, live hair demonstrations and panel discussions with experts.
The expo is produced by sister stylists Simone and Yanique Hylton of the Natural Trend Setters salon in Tamarac. Here is more about the event from Simone in an email interview.
What is different this year at the expo?
This year, we are excited to be adding a braid bar and a beard lounge for patrons to have an interactive experience with our sponsors’ products. We are also offering complimentary workshops for individuals who would like to improve their natural-hair techniques from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. As for the most apparent shift, we have relocated our show to a venue that will better serve our clientele. This year, we will be hosting our show at the Westin Fort Lauderdale, which sits midway between MiamiDade and Palm Beach County. We hope that these improvements will allow our attendees, both new and returning, to have a one-of-a-kind time at this year’s hair show.
If you had to describe this event and what will happen at it in one tweet, what would you say?
This event will deliver black excellence, trendsetting hairstyles, and fashion to encourage unity, love and culture within the community.
This event used to be held in December, so why did you move it to June?
Being that South Florida is in summertime about 11 months out of the year, many events are brought to South Florida during the winter season in other parts of the country. This lends December to be packed with alternative events such as Art Basel. With hair shows being an experience many in South Florida are unfamiliar with, many potential patrons would often elect to go to other events. Due to this, we chose to move the event to the summer season so that we could educate people on how great of an experience this event would be.
Where did the theme “I’m My Sister’s Keeper” come from and what does it mean in this context?
The theme came from us noticing how sisters are evolving by sticking together. We know that this mentality is inevitable and that we will have to utilize it to progress as a people. By embracing this notion of sisterhood and brotherhood, the culture itself will be moved forward. This is the message we are trying to deliver with this year’s show and theme. MyRoyalCoils.com.