Brown Mommy Diary

10 Black Owned Businesses: Skincare, Haircare, & MORE

This past year, I have been very intentional in purchasing products from black owned businesses. Purchasing from black owned businesses means that I get to support someone who looks like me. Oftentimes, black owned businesses are small businesses that do not receive a large amount of exposure compared to well known brands that are in major retail stores. 

As a way to connect with more black owned businesses, I made the decision last year to only purchase black owned hair care products. Based upon my experience, many of those black owned natural hair care businesses have the best, quality hair care products compared to well known hair care brands that are not black owned. If you have natural hair and/or children with natural hair, check out my YouTube channel for some great reviews and hairstyles. 

This year, I am now working on supporting more black owned businesses outside of hair care. In this blog post, I want to share some products that myself or my entire family are currently using or have used in the past. Below are a few of those businesses (both big and small)l with a brief description, social media link, and their website. 

Brooklyn Tea

Description: Brooklyn Tea sells a variety of loose leaf teas. Right now, I have the “Tropical Green” loose leaf tea. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brooklyntea/

Website: https://brooklyntea.com/

ROSEN Skincare

Description: ROSEN Skincare sells clean ingredient skincare products. I’m currently using the ROSEN tropics toner and super smoothie cleanser.

Instagram: https://www.rosenskincare.com/

Website: https://www.instagram.com/rosenskincare/

The Honey Pot

Description: The Honey Pot has plant based feminine hygiene products. When it comes to feminine care, I only use The Honey Pot products. I’m currently using the normal wash and their menstrual products.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehoneypotco/

Website: https://thehoneypot.co/

Caked Up By Dolly

Description: Caked Up By Dolly sells high quality mink and vegan lashes. I only purchase lashes from this company. My favorites are pound cake, creme brulee, and danish.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cakeduplashes/

Website: https://www.cakedupbydolly.com/

Black Girl Sunscreen

Description: Black Girl Sunscreen is a natural, non-white residue sunscreen specifically for melanin skin. I’m currently using the SPF 30 moisturizing sunscreen lotion. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackgirlsunscreen/

Website: https://www.blackgirlsunscreen.com/about/

Kyra’s Shea Medleys

Description: Kyra’s Shea Medleys focuses on empowering women to embrace their natural curls. Raw shea butter, coconut oil, and aloe vera juice are some of the ingredients that they use to make their products. I’m currently using the Lavender + Rosehip 3-in-1 scrub that can be used for the face, skin, and scalp.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyrasheamedleys/

Website: https://kyrashea.com/pages/ourstory

Juvia’s Place

Description: Juvia’s Place sells makeup that caters to the melanin skin tone. I’m currently using their Glass Gloss Bundle, shade stick, I Am Magic concealer, and I Am Magic Velvety Matte foundation.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juviasplace/

Website: https://www.juviasplace.com/

Thank God It’s Natural

Description: Thank God It’s Natural (TGIN) has a range of natural hair care products. My favorite TGIN products are the TGIN Honey Miracle Hair Mask and the Miracle RepaiRx Collection.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tginatural/

Website: https://thankgoditsnatural.com/

The Butterland

Description: The Butterland produces a wide range of hair care products that are rich and moisturizing. One of my favorite BL products is the Replenishing ACV and honey hair mask.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_thebutterland/

Website: https://www.thebutterland.com/

I would highly recommend purchasing from any of the brands that I have listed above. I would love to know of any black owned businesses that you have supported. Please be sure to list the name of the business and product(s) that you purchased.

20 Black History Children’s Books

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.

It’s Black History Month! February is a time to celebrate past and present historical black figures that make up our rich history. Being a new mommy to a brown baby boy has placed my intentionality in overdrive. I feel that it is my duty to teach and provide resources to my child that teaches him about our history. With that being said, I have compiled a list of 20 Black History children’s books. With creating this list, it is my hope that this list will be a great resource to anyone wanting and willing to learn about the great figures in Black history.

20 BLACK HISTORY CHILDREN’S BOOKS

  1. Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History
  2. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
  3. Black Women in Science: A Black History Book For Kids
  4. Mae Jemison (You Should Meet)
  5. I Am Rosa Parks
  6. Maya Angelou (Little People, Big Dreams)
  7. Henry’s Freedom Box
  8. Martin’s Big Words
  9. Flying High
  10. Sisters and Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams
  11. Between The Lines
  12. Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super Soaking Stream of Inventions
  13. We March
  14. The ABCs of Black History
  15. 28 Days- Moments In Black History That Changed the World
  16. Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr?
  17. The Story of Rap
  18. Counting on Katherine
  19. A Black Woman Did That
  20. The Youngest Marcher

What are your favorite reads for Black History month?

How To Introduce The Potty: 3 Easy Ways

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.

My thoughts on potty training is that it will happen when it happens. As for now, we just want to introduce the potty so that it won’t be foreign. One thing about me, I like to listen to the wise. Even before EJ came into the picture, I have heard from several parents, including my own mother, that you shouldn’t force potty training. Ultimately, it will stress you and the little one out. So in keeping that advice in mind, I’m sharing three easy ways to introduce the potty.

Patience


Woosah! Yes, patience is key even when introducing the potty. When we first began introducing the potty, EJ would not sit down for two seconds-ha, it was awful! Sometimes he would even get fussy if we attempted to place him on the potty. I had to remind myself and my husband that this is new for him and it’s going to require some patience on both ends. We later figured out that he would stay seated on the potty if played Sesame Street video.

Routine


Routine is what you make it. For us, we decided that the best time to place EJ on the potty is first thing in the morning and when he returns home from daycare. We have been following this routine for several months now, which has been really successful in triggering EJ to use the potty– it’s like clockwork…it never fails!

Praise


Whether or not EJ urinates in the potty, we always praise him. A) I want to praise him for actually sitting down, because that really takes a ton of effort for a busy almost 14 month old and B) He most definitely receives the praise when he urinates in the potty.

For us adults, using the bathroom is a simple, easy task and sometimes we can forget how challenging this can really be for our little one(s). If you are interested in the Munchkin Arm & Hammer Potty Chair (pictured above) or the Summer Infant My Size Potty (not pictured), click the images below to direct you to the retailers website.

I really hope this was helpful to you. To stay up to date with Brown Mommy Diary, be sure to subscribe to the Brown Mommy Diary email list.

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