The month of February has found us celebrating many things – Valentine’s Day, Heart Awareness Month and Go Red Day, the beginning of Lent, and Black History Month. The latter became official in 1976 when President Gerald Ford called upon the public “to seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every endeavor throughout history.”
We should honor these accomplishments every day not just in one month! Since I am the beauty gal, I thought I would dedicate this post to some AH-MAZING black women who have founded their own beauty brands. There is a common misconception that if a brand is black-founded or black-owned, it is only for black men and women. Not true! Check out my favorite brands below that work for everyone, no matter your background.
Nyakio
Nyakio Kamoche Grieco grew up visiting her family in Africa, where she watched her grandmother grind coffee to exfoliate her skin. That started her love for using ingredients from her homeland to create vegan and effective skincare products. On a side note, did you read about Space Mammal Apparel on Roz’s blog last week? David is Nyakio’s hubby. Can we say #couplegoals? My favorite product, which can be found at select Targets, is the Manketti & Mafura Anti-Aging Oil. It is a cold-pressed, dry oil that you will use every day!
Dr. Rose Ingleton
Rosemarie Ingleton, M.D. is a trusted authority in dermatology with over two decades of research and clinical expertise in customizing beauty regimes. Her line is clean and efficacious. My go to product of late has been her Complexion Brightening Booster, which is a combination of lactic, malic, and citric acids plus peptides to keep the skin bright and glowy.
Kubra Kay
Personally, I think finding this brand was part of some greater plan in life. I participated in a Zoom beauty panel last year and this brand’s founder, Khadidja Toure, was a speaker as well. You know when you meet someone and you know they are just good people? Well, that was her to me. Wanna know who was one of the first people to check on me during last week’s crazy Texas weather? Khadidja. And we have never met in person! My fave product is her seriously nourishing moisturizer, the Vitamin A&E Night Cream. It is thick and rich and I use it everywhere, especially last week when I was frozen.
Briogeo
Nancy Twine used to assist her grandmother making homemade hair care products as a little girl. Today she is founder and CEO of this fast-growing brand for hair of all types. My favorite, especially during these COVID quarantine self-care times, has been the Don’t Despair, Repair! Hair Mask. I found my hair softer, smoother with less fly-aways!
Danessa Myricks Beauty
I was lucky enough to meet Danessa once at an event for a skincare brand and I knew I was in the presence of greatness. Her energy, her product knowledge and her smile was a triple threat that I knew would lead her to quick success. I hate to say I was right…but she just launched on Sephora.com and they are all sold out. She also has her own site where you can find the versatile and Allure Best Beauty Buy Colorfix 24 Hour Cream Color that can be used on eyes, lips and face. Try Desert Rose for a great neutral pop of color.
I could go on and on and on and talk about the superior brands founded by black women who are impacting the beauty industry on a daily basis….and let us never forget the pioneers (from Madam C.J. Walker to Iman!). This is literally the tip of the iceberg! I hope you give these brands a try and leave a comment below if you have other brands you want featured or reviewed.
