![Quantcast](http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-GS-HF4BKvzCmv.gif)
![6 Cleansers Made With Melanin Skin In Mind](https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTMyMTgyNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTczMjI2MDIwOX0.xW3iji-fLesMDky664l0lSLItHfnKn94dhxszsGwa9c/img.jpg?width=1200&height=600&quality=90&coordinates=0%2C49%2C0%2C304)
6 Cleansers Made With Melanin Skin In Mind
When I purchase a cleanser, I usually don't give it much thought beyond the price and whether or not it's noncomedogenic (won't break me out). But as a black woman that deals with issues like hyperpigmentation, oil overproduction, and hormonal breakouts, I started to wonder if there were products on the market with women of color as the focal point.
With brands like Fenty Beauty shaking the table in the beauty world and reminding brands that women of color matter, I did a little research to find brands that make cleansers with melanated skin in mind. I was able to round up six cleansers, five of which are made by women of color.
Bolden Skin Clarifying Cleanser
Bolden
I've seen Bolden's products floating around on my Instagram feed, but I had no idea that two black women founded the brand. Their gentle PH-balanced cleanser is made with zinc gluconate, which helps regulate sebum production while fighting bacteria, making it an ideal option for those of us with oily skin.
Marla Rene Micellar Cleansing Water
marlarene.com
Marla Rene is another line handcrafted for us by us! If you're a fan of gentle cleansers that lift dirt, oil, and even makeup, adding a micellar cleanser to your routine is a must. What makes this cleansing water special, aside from being the brainchild of a black woman, is that it's only made with eight ingredients and 90% of the elements are plant-based.
Avya Non-Foaming Gentle Cleanser
Amazon
Avya is fairly new to the market, but the brand's Kenyan-born founder Deepika Vyas crafted this beauty brand with melanin skin in mind. Their non-foaming gentle cleanser is made with anti-inflammatory ingredients like witch hazel, turmeric, and salicylic acid to balance skin and keep breakouts at bay.
Shop Here
Marla Rene Raw Honey Cleanser
marlarene.com
Whenever my skin is having a moment because I've over-exfoliated or tried a new product my skin was not happy with, I have a jar of raw honey I use to calm my inflamed skin, as honey is a humectant that draws moisture to the skin. This cleanser is made with raw honey and jojoba oil, which makes it ideal for those looking to brighten skin (honey is an AHA) while moisturizing.
Melt by Kaike
shopkaike.com
Founded by Keli Smith, KAIKE, has become a go-to for ladies looking for skincare made with natural, vegan, and preservative-free ingredients. KAIKE's Melt helps keep even the oiliest skin stay balanced. With simple ingredients like grapeseed oil, hemp seed oil, and castor oil — your skin will thank you.
Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser
Molecular Cosmetics
If you've seen Angela Bassett's skin lately, you, like the rest of us, are wondering, "What is she using on her skin?" Now, celebrities have access to pricey treatments, but Auntie Angela and her dermatologist Dr. Sturm teamed up to create skincare options that answer the concerns of those of us with darker skin tones that we can pick up online or our local department store. The price of this cleanser might have you clutching your pearls, but since it's recommended to use this product 2-3 times a week — it may last you longer than you think.
Shop Here
After doing my research, it's nice to know that there are brands out there thinking about our skin concerns that are backed by women of color.
Featured image by Getty Images
- 9 Skincare Routines from Black Women - Teen Vogue ›
- The Best Facial Cleansers for African Americans With Oily Skin ... ›
- 11 Essential Beauty Products Every Black Girl Should Use | makeup ... ›
- How to Get Naturally Clear & Glowing Skin for Black Woman ... ›
- Best In Black Beauty 2017: Skincare Winners - Essence ›
- Black Friday Skin Care Tips - Black Girl Sunscreen ›
- Get Rid of Dark Spots, Wrinkles & Blemishes || High and Low End ... ›
- Skin and Beauty Producst for Black Girls - 11 Essential Beauty ... ›
- The Best Face Cleansers For Black Skin | BlackDoctor ›
- 13 Skincare Products Every Black Girl Should Use To Get Rid Of ... ›
Bianca Lambert is a proud Atlanta native soaking up the Los Angeles sun. She is the founder of Mae B: a stationery company for women of color and a digital content creator on a mission to elevate the voices of women of color everywhere.
RELATED
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
Blair Underwood Initially Turned Down 'Sex And The City' Because 'It Was About How Samantha Was Fascinated By Dating A Black Man’
Actor and heartthrob Blair Underwood is opening up about why he turned down Sex and the City the first time he was offered a role. Many fans of the HBO series may recall Blair's time on the show in which his character was dating Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). However, he was previously offered another role where his character would date Samantha (Kim Cattrall).
During his interview with AV Club, the Set It Off star revealed that he was uncomfortable with the initial offer due to the character's fascination with him being a Black man.
“I actually did say ‘no’ the first time,” he said. “The first time they had offered the role, to be honest with you, it was about how Samantha was fascinated by dating a Black man and wanted to know if, uh, all of the rumors were true about our anatomy! And I said, ‘Listen, I’m honored, thank you, but I just don’t want to play a character based on race, on curiosity about a Black man.'”
But that didn't stop them from reaching out again. This time he was offered to play Dr. Robert Leeds, the love interest to Miranda and he decided to go for it. "So they were nice enough to call about a year later, and I said, 'Well, is it gonna be about race?' And they said, 'No, no, no, we’re not even gonna mention race!' And I think it really did only come up maybe once," he recalled.
"It did five episodes, and I think Samantha mentioned it once, saying something about 'a Black doctor' that Miranda was dating. And that’s really been a consistent thing in my career: not wanting to be boxed as 'the Black guy.'
"I’ve had that conversation with many producers along the way, and they were so great. They said, 'No, he’s just a doctor who Miranda meets in the elevator, and they have a nice little fling.' And it was amazing."
Blair has had a wide-ranging career playing everything from a lawyer on L.A. Law to playing Madame CJ Walker's husband on Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame CJ Walker. And during his interview, he revealed another role that he initially turned down, Set It Off. The movie, which is considered a classic in Black culture, stars Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. Blair's character, Keith, played a banker and love interest to Jada's character, Stony.
He explained why he said no at first and eventually accepted the offer. "I had initially said “no” to that. Because I was playing this historic, iconic African-American historical figure in Jackie Robinson, and the time, y’know, there was Boyz N The Hood, and Menace II Society was out there, and I’d finished playing this noble Negro… [Laughs]," he said.
"And I’m reading the script, and there’s a scene where Jada Pinkett’s character—Jada Pinkett-Smith now—was going to sell her body so she could make some money to send her brother to college. And I remember, honestly, I threw the script across the room. I was, like, “I don’t want to do this. I want to do something uplifting for the Black culture and Black characters, and I don’t know if I want to see this.”
After a conversation with the movie's director F. Gary Gray and the actor's manager encouraging him to finish reading the script, Blair had a change of heart. What he first thought about the movie turned out to be totally different.
"So I finished the script, and I saw that the character they were asking me to play was really the love story in the midst of all of this turmoil of all of these characters, the four ladies: Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise, and Jada," he explained.
"It was so well-written, it was such a great platform for them. And to be able to play the love story and the storyline that gave Jada’s character a leg up and a way out of this world, something to hope for, to wish for, someone to love her… I said, 'You know what? I’d like to be a part of that.'
"And I’m so glad I did, because that film resonates to this day. People all the time come up to me and say that they love that movie. So I’m glad that I did it."