Going Natural
Why going natural means embracing your inner beauty
Ask any woman of color over a certain age and you’re likely to hear a familiar story. While the details might vary based on the person, it probably starts along these lines:
“I was five years old when I first started talking about ‘good hair’ (and how I didn’t have it)…”
“I was 10 years old when I got my first—of many—relaxers…”
“I don’t want to be in the sun because I don’t want to get any darker.”
“I’m just not pretty.”
Sadly, these conversations happen all too often between woman across multiple ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, hair types and skin tones. It’s a tale as old as time for so many of us—and definitely not a fairytale.
Thankfully, things are changing these days. Now more than ever, women of color are encouraged to love their natural texture and skin tone. It’s refreshing to say the least!
In turn, there are so many more resources and products to help us embrace our natural beauty. (YouTube, Instagram, and blogs are all a great wealth of knowledge.) And we are here for it.
At our company, we’re inspired everyday by the women in our world who are choosing to grow into their most authentic selves. These are women who are embarking on their natural hair journeys, embracing their melanin, and learning to love their unique body types.
In effort to give back to this growing community, we’ve put together this blog post to talk about all things natural beauty, including our favorite products. If you’re looking to get started or simply continue on your path to loving yourself just as the good lord made you, this is the blog post for you.
Why is embracing natural beauty so important?
As the saying goes, the longest relationship you’ll ever have is with yourself. We’ll say it again: the longest relationship you’ll ever have is with yourself. Woof. That’s kind of a lot, right? But that’s exactly why it is so important to accept yourself unconditionally. When we force ourselves to change or stretch for other people’s expectations of us, we lose sight of what makes us beautiful.
And why is embracing natural products so important?
Think about it like this. If you want to be healthy, you probably pay attention to what you eat. You might read the ingredients list, track your fruit and vegetable consumption, and avoid produce sprayed with dangerous pesticides. Why? Because you realize how what you put into your body impacts your health.
But that about what you put on your body? Spoiler alert…it’s just as important! Sadly, you’d be surprised to learn how many toxins are in our everyday hair, skin, and makeup products. These products are particularly problematic as they’re rubbed into our bodies, on our faces, and in our hair in copious quantities, daily. This is why natural ingredients are so important.
(Editor’s note: At Soielle, we truly believe that you shouldn’t have to compromise on healthy living, embracing inner beauty, or getting the best beauty products. If you agree, keep reading. You’re in the right place.)
What products do you recommend for healthy, happy natural hair?
Each person’s hair journey is totally unique. But the one thing we can recommend to each and every woman is this: get to know your own hair. What’s that look like? A good place to start is by answering the following questions:
- What’s your curl pattern type?
- Do you have high or low hair porosity?
- What protective styles fit your lifestyle?
- What products support your hair goals?
For many women of color, embracing their natural hair requires lots of moisture. While there are many options out there, we love using natural castor oil to prevent breakage and add lustrous shine. Just add a few drops to your scalp, midway through strands, and on your ends a few times a week for amazing results.
But what about styling my hair?
No one is saying you can’t have fun with your personal style: curls, box braids, and ‘fros are all equally cute. What embracing your natural texture means is that you should never feel external pressure, from magazines, relationships, or society-at large, to change your natural texture. It also means understanding your unique hair needs so that you can choose the styles that are best for your particular hair type (read: do the least amount of damage).
And what products do you recommend for healthy, happy skin?
Whether you wash your face in the morning, evening, or twice a day, adding black soap is an effortless way to elevate your skincare routine. If you’re not familiar with the black soap, it is a traditional African soap traditionally made of leaves, cocoa pods, and the bar from shea and plantain trees. The soap feels luscious—and smells heavenly. But more importantly, it is an effective product for all skin types, including those who are sensitive or have eczema, acne, and psoriasis concerns.
There are also so many great natural options for nourishing your skin including mango butter, cocoa butter,and shea butter. Each butter is made up of vitamin rich ingredients that moisturize all skin types. Pro tip: In the summer, we love this whipped version for its lightness and easy applicability.
In conclusion...
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember embracing your natural beauty is a choice. You have to make it every. single. day. And one of the best ways to do that is by using products that are good for you in all senses of the word. Whether you choose Soielle products or not, we encourage you to explore what natural products can do for you.
The reward? A love only you can imagine. Enjoy the process, ladies.
At Soielle, we believe that you deserve natural products that are just as special as you are . Shop our full collection here. And don’t forget to check out our other blogs with more details, tips, and tricks!