Drawing a vibrant community of Black culture celebrating the beauty and diversity of curly hair, CurlyCon LA 2025 unfolded in downtown Los Angeles, becoming a central hub for fully immersed installations that included expert-level panels, live styling demonstrations, and a marketplace designed for curly care.
“CurlyCon is important because I love seeing all multicultural backgrounds in one room,” CurlyCon goer Myricka Hairston said while waiting at Trap Kitchen Food Truck.
“We all have different textures, yet the same products will come together for one thing—just to see the different textures of curls is amazing. It’s beautiful to see natural hair. We don’t see much natural hair anymore. Everyone in their natural state is so gorgeous,” Hairston shared. She loves Rizos Curls to define her coils.
Curly Culture organized CurlyCon LA 2025, which was held on Saturday, March 22. The convention worked as a portal into the curly community. The schedule featured insightful dialogues with hair experts. Topics such as “Damaged to Defined,” which focused on transitioning to healthy curls, and “Raising Curly Kids: Hair, Identity, & Empowerment,” which explored the intersection of hair and cultural identity.
“Decoding Curl Chemistry” offered attendees a deep dive into the science of textured hair care, while “The Beauty of Type 4 Hair: Myths, Care & Confidence” addressed the unique needs of the Type 4 hair community.
“I think CurlyCon is important for a few reasons,” Airess Padda said. She attended CurlyCon because she needed this when she was growing up. Awareness is one of them.” She shared that she’s been living in L.A. for 16 years, but before then, Padda hated her curls when she was younger.
Padda continued, “Society did that to me. Even in the household I lived in, we were taught that having curlier, kinkier hair was unmanageable. Either our parents were perming our hair or trying to figure out ways to ‘deal’ with our hair,” Padda said.
The model continued to share her journey to L.A. and how it changed her perspective of her hair. “It’s sad because it took someone else validating that for me. I didn’t know that for myself. But once I got some awareness, I learned to really love my curls and embrace my curls.” Padda really appreciates that CurlyCon gives girls the confidence to wear their natural curls.
Padda shared that CurlyCon brought a sense of peace and belonging. She uses Camille Rose to keep her curls lightweight.
The event also featured a marketplace with various activations, food trucks and a “Curly Cocktailz” bar.
Household names such as Lush, Cantu, Mixed Chicks, Camille Rose, and Rizos Curls were present in the Marketplace, providing guests with a hands-on experience to support healthy curly hair.
Additionally, CurlyCon LA partnered with local organizations to provide beauty resources to families affected by the recent Los Angeles wildfires.
Beauty was everywhere. The marketplace looked like a slice of jungle paradise, lined with beauty chairs and guests receiving live hair demonstrations while trading hair care secrets.
The convention attracted experts in the beauty industry, CurlyCon goers were able to meet their favorite beauty influencers like Alyssa Marie and Yanina Oyarzo. Vegan guru, Tabitha Brown also uplifted guests while giving out her book when she was on panel.
Curly Culture’s Founder, CEO and mom-to-be, Ava Pearl, established Curly Culture to provide a safe haven for those managing curly hair.
“I feel amazing for what has been accomplished,” Pearl said, reflecting on the event’s roots and how much it has grown.
“This is only year two, and we have already grown into a new marketplace, which we didn’t have last year. It seemed like a lot of our guests enjoyed it, and we plan to do something else next year, another little surprise.”
Pearl shared her joy in the expansion and the lives that are being nourished by creating a space to feel whole and beautiful.
“This was something I needed when I was younger. I feel like a lot of entrepreneurs create good products or events, and it is usually something that they need. I think this type of event really heals all of our inner child.”
The event’s success emphasized how crucial it is to design welcoming environments that value natural hair textures and encourage beauty for people from all backgrounds.
Ready for next year? Follow CurlyCon on Instagram, @curlyconla
For more Black news, follow L.A. Sentinel, @lasentinelnews
Betti Halsell is the Digital Editor and Staff Writer at the Los Angeles Sentinel, dedicated to amplifying diverse voices and addressing pivotal issues within the Black community. Her work bridges local news with South L.A., fostering meaningful conversations on economic, social, and cultural change.
