Expo to feature classes, Super Colon

Organizers of the Hair Etc. Beauty and Health Expo say its the fastest growing multicultural beauty and health trade show in the Southeast.

At the event, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the Charleston Area Convention Center, professionals and the public can see "mini hair shows" for black men and women throughout the day.

They can also shop for beauty products, participate in make-up and massage demonstrations and get hair-design training.

Dr. Juanita Bynum, an internationally known minister, will give an inspirational talk at 3 p.m., said Candace Reese, a public relations assistant for expo coordinator Footman-Brewer Enterprises.

Bynum especially wants to empower entrepreneurs, Reese said. Many people in the health and beauty field are small-business owners, who often face many challenges and can get discouraged, she said.

Bynum also will introduce her new cosmetics and bath and body lines.

The "Shop Talk Movement" will be launched at the event, she said.

Shop Talk will educate barbers and stylists about colon cancer, a disease that disproportionately affects the black community. Then it will encourage them to pass along a prevention message to their customers, Reese said.

People often spend hours at a time in hair salons, she said. They "typically listen to their stylists," she said. "They don't always trust their doctors."

Expo attendees can tour the Prevent Cancer Foundation's Super Colon, an inflatable, interactive 8-foot-tall, 20-foot-long model of a human colon. The exhibit has been touring the nation since 2003 educating the public about risk reduction and early detection of colorectal cancer, which is 90 percent curable when detected early.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postand courier.com.