Own Plant-Based Skincare Products to Soothe Her Baby's Irritated Skin
Now you can buy them for your wires go through it with just the right amount of resistance and picked up my first, perfectly cut bar of soap, I was in awe!
CREDIT: PHOTO: SHARIMAR Y. CRUZ. PHOTO ASSITANT: TAMIA WILLIAMS. JEWELRY: IB DESIGNS. COTTON KNIT DRESS WITH DUSTER: MY GIRLFRIENDS CLOSET. MAKEUP: MIA FREDERICKS
Even today, when I make my cold processed soaps, it feels like the first time. My children, 20+ years later, still shake their heads at me because of how excited I get when I make, pour, un-mold, and cut my soaps. I am still in awe of the entire process! Making sure that this line was clean and all-natural wasn't up for debate for you. Why was this so important? This line reflects my culture, my heritage, my island, and what the Caribbean represents. [It represents] how I grew up, how I lived, what I was taught and what I passed on to my children for them to use with their children, my grandchildren, and hopefully their children in the future. It is important for this line to be a green and all-natural line because that is representative of the life I live right now and one I try to show to others and explain to others as well. We and nature are one. It is so evident in how I look at the world and my environment and see how when we do not take care of it or respect it how the repercussions last for generations. In being clean and all-natural, I am hoping to remind people that nature gives us what we need to live a healthy and bountiful life, but we must show humbleness and respect to nature and remember how just as she gives, she can take. Be mindful and respectful of what she provides so that our lives may be long and fruitful within her gifts.
How do Caribbean and Taíno practices influence the ingredients you use? Like many Caribbean people do today, the Taínos and the enslaved Africans practiced plant-based, herbal medicine. Their medicine men were respected, and we still treat those who have that understanding of bush healing, of the ancestral traditions, to a higher level of respect. Those traditions, that knowledge, had an influence in the brand as that is what I turned to when my daughter was suffering, and I could not properly identify a solution for her. Her being a newborn was also an important factor in me returning to how I grew up, knowing that different plants, even fruits, could be used to treat certain conditions be it internally or externally. In truth, from the time I had my first child, it was second nature for me to go back to my heritage and go to the bush to treat minor colds, cuts, and bruised with natural remedies that I remembered my parents either using on me or from their father telling me about a bush and its properties or how he used it as well. So to turn to "blossom" (what is called basil), fever grass (lemongrass) to cool the body, simple ivy (aloe vera) to help with bruising, sun burn, or wash hair, and even corn meal — which we fed to our children as a porridge to help keep the skin clear and smooth. Also, as the old people say, [we] would rub on the skin to help take away blemishes and scars. All of this knowledge and tradition and history is what went into the initial creation of the brand and influenced the ingredients that were and still are used in the products today. Share: 12 Black-Owned Indie Beauty Brands to Keep on Your Radar Gagana Borra: AAPI Beauty Standards Jordan Yi: AAPI Beauty Standards Morgan Yi: AAPI Beauty Standards Terry Vo: AAPI Beauty Standards Kit Canlas: AAPI Beauty Standards Allison Stites: AAPI Beauty Standards Erin Kim: AAPI Beauty Standards Amber Wang: AAPI Beauty Standards Monica Djunaidi: AAPI Beauty Standards Diana O'Brien: AAPI Beauty Standards InStyle On: Pandemic Aging with Kylie Gilbert & Dr. Sunitha InStyle On: #TBT Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage InStyle Editors On: Gemini Season Laura Dern’s First Date Had a David Lynch Cameo | 10 Firsts | InStyle Demi Lovato Has Come Out As Non-Binary John Mulaney and Olivia Munn Are Dating? InStyle Editors On: Taurus Season Right Now: Jennifer Lopez Debuts High Ponytail The Ellen DeGeneres Show Will End With Its 19th Season Right Now: Cruella Red Carpet Right Now: MTV Movie Awards ARIANA GRANDE IS MARRIED !! Netflix Announced a Bridgerton Spin-Off About Queen Charlotte Ryan Reynolds Found a Way to Troll Blake Lively During His Mother's Day Tribute Archie Turned 2 Yesterday! Right Now: Cruella Movie Exclusive Clip Right Now: William/Kate UK Appearance Right Now: Brit Awards Red Carpet Round-Up Matt Damon "Hopes" For a Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Reunion InStyle On: Gossip Girl Fashion Round Table InStyle On: #TBT Alec Baldwin/Kim Basinger Ziwe Explains It All! Right Now: Meghan Markle Royals Update InStyle On: Breakups that Broke Us Spice Girls InStyle June Cover Break: Andra Day Right Now: Britney Spears Conservatorship Update Right Now: Lizzo Drunk Texts Chris Evans | Instyle Right Now: Daniel Kaluuya’s Oscar Speech Right Now: OSCARS Red Carpet Mashup Right Now: Bridgerton Renewed for New Seasons Why Kiernan Shipka Took Timothée Chalamet On So Many Dates | 10 Firsts | InStyle Right Now: JLO Instagram Post Right Now: JLO and AROD Relationship Timeline Right Now: Billie Eilish Just Debuted a Platinum Blonde Shag | InStyle Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly Double Date With Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker Right Now: Schitts Creek Movie?! Badass Women: Episode 3: Ayesha Curry InStyle On: Dating Defined: Temperature Checking | Instyle Editors On | Instyle InStyle On: #TBT Angelina Jolie and Johnny Lee Miller
What product has been your best seller so far? It varies during the season, but my Mango Hair & Body Butter has been my number one seller followed by the Carib Lime Body Spray. But I have noticed a nice increase for the Crucian Spice Body Butter. While I am happy with that last one, it just goes to show how many people are now suffering with some form of skin issues as that specific line is the one that gives some measure of relief for those who may have certain skin issues. It tells me that more and more people are being affected adversely by their environment and are seeking more natural, holistic ways for skin health and beauty. And both the Carib Lime and the Crucian Spice line come with a dermatologist recommendation for their therapeutic properties.
You've mentioned that part of the reason why you create these products is to honor your late husband. What do you think he would say to you if he was here? Frank would be so proud. With what I have achieved and done and taken the business, in all of its iterations, to now doing this interview, he would be walking around like a rooster in the yard, chest push out and proud! It was when I would truly feel like I couldn't go on, I would think of what he would say to see how far I have come, what I have accomplished and remember the dreams he had for me for this company and what he would say right now to me, and that helps me to push forward. He would be sitting here, with tears in his eyes, and saying, "Mama, I am so proud of you!"
What are some of the hardships you've faced as a woman entrepreneur in the beauty space? What's helped you overcome them? I have faced MANY difficulties, from the murder of my husband, the loss of my first company to partners who were hoping for it to fail and not succeed, two devastating category 5 hurricanes, and COVID — but I have made it through it all. I believe in this company and the products I make. I have those who have believed in it for me when my own belief wasn't strong enough. If you give yourself the grace of life, and the opportunity to fail, you will find that you are made of much more than you think and that nothing is truly impossible to you. Accept that there will be times you will find yourself in the valley of life, but that doesn't mean that you need to stay there. Look around, see what you can do to make it better and then do it. Listen, life is neither fair nor unfair. It just is. And it definitely doesn't come with a manual, but it gives us the opportunity to create the life we want and it gives us the tools to do so. We just have to remember to treat it — life and nature — with respect and we will see how in return, it will provide all that we need. From non-toxic makeup and skincare to sustainability practices, Clean Slate is an exploration of all things in the green beauty space.
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