Let me start with the fact that African American women spend over $7.5 billion per year on beauty products? And did you know that Black brands make up only 2.5 percent of revenue in the beauty industry?  Let that marinate before you begin reading this post ….

Ok, so I started a business over the summer. I often say that you have no idea what the Universe has in store for you. I say that regarding this business because it was something that if you asked me about it in June of this year, it wasn’t even a twinkle in my eye. I have always created different moisturizing concoctions for my skin. I even used mineral oil at one point (before I knew that that was a huge faux pas). I have never found anything in a store on a shelf that I liked for my skin. As I got older, moisturizing my skin each day has become a ritual. It is the time during the day when I embrace, love, and thank my body for all that it has done and continues to do for me. At some point over the summer I decided to share my body butter with a curated group of friends across the country. I picked people that I know well and love and people who weren’t travelling during the week I did the drop (it was incredibly hot this summer, so I had to make sure people were actually going to be home). It was exciting to share my product with people, to announce the business and to debut the website … but it was not easy!!! I have a new appreciation for logos and packaging, marketing … and shipping!

All of that said, what I discovered along the way is how much I love doing it. I have so much more to learn and to figure out, but this is definitely one of the most amazing things I have accomplished. I am immensely proud of my products (which include body butters, body scrubs, hand cream and lip balm) – I stand by them, and I use every one of them daily. My older brother hates when I say this, but I have gotten many compliments over years about how amazing my skin feels … IJS.  I ultimately received great feedback from the initial drop I did over the summer. And unfortunately, I didn’t hear from a few people (sigh … come on people!) … all I will say is please support Black businesses – this a labor of love and I/we need you. Please take a look at my site: www.thebeautifulbodybutter.com! I love it and I hope you will too. XOXO