I think most of us are staying away from sulfates, parabens, and drying alcohols when it comes to our hair products. If you want to take it a step further and avoid products that aren't harmful to you or the earth, you may want to consider a green beauty routine. A "natural", "clean", and "green" routine is basically the same thing; it's all meant to be sustainable, eco-friendly, and made from natural ingredients.
If this sounds like a routine you'd like to switch to, here are 5 green hair products you're going to love!
amika Curl Corps Defining Cream
amika
This is definitely for my girls with fine curls. amika Curl Corps Defining Cream is a great green option for type 3 and type 4a/b hair that helps coat curls to keep them from frizzing, splitting and sagging.
NaturAll Club Fresh Avocado Deep Conditioner
NaturAll
NaturAll Club Fresh Avocado Deep Conditioner is made with fresh avocados and fresh fruit with natural oils to add moisture and nutrients to your curls, leaving it soft, moisturized, detangled, and shiny for days.
Alikay Naturals Moisturizing Black Soap Shampoo
Alikay Naturals
Alikay Naturals Moisturizing Black Soap Shampoo removes buildup without stripping hair of its natural moisture. This clarifying shampoo is made from raw Black Soap to heal damaged hair from deep within the follicles.
CurlMix Flaxseed Gel
CurlMix
CurlMix has a few variations of this flaxseed gel, including fragrance and fragrance-free options. My personal favorite is the pure flaxseed gel with organic jojoba oil. Besides the fact that it is creamier and more moisturizing than other gels, it leaves your hair soft, defined, and moisturized without the crunch or flakes.
Soultanicals Marula-Muru Moisture Guru
Soultanicals
Soultanicals Marula-Muru Moisture Guru is definitely for the girls with dry hair. I happen to be one of them; you can use this alone or add it into your routine as a leave-in. The cream nourishes hair strands and provides intense moisture with rich ingredients like murumuru butter, marula oil, and pracaxi oil.
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Camesha created the organization after her struggles with mental health and the lack of community she experienced. The Chicago native explains how she created Sista Afya to be rooted in “culturally grounded care.”
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“So at my organization, Sista Afya Community Care, we focus on providing mental health care through a cultural and gender lens,” she tells xoNecole. “So when we think about the term intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, we think about the multiple identities that lead to certain experiences and outcomes as it relates to Black women.
“So in the context of culturally grounded care, being aware of the cultural history, the cultural values, and then also the current issues that impact mental health outcomes.”
Words like “strong” and “independent” have long been associated with Black women for some time and many of us have begun to embrace the soft life and are using rest as a form of resistance. However, some of us still struggle with putting ourselves first and overall shedding the tainted image of the “strong, Black woman” that had been forced on us.
Camesha shares that while there’s more and more communities being created around empowerment and shared interests like running, she still questions, “are Black women really comfortable with being vulnerable about sharing their experiences?”
Being vulnerable with ourselves and others play an important role in healing the instinctive nature of always being “on” for everyone. “I'm currently facilitating a group on high functioning depression, and yesterday, we talked about how when Black women may be struggling or have shared their concerns with other people. They may be minimized, or they're told to just be strong, or it's not so bad, or I went through something worse back in Jim Crow era, so you should be thankful,” she explains.
“So I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people. So that is probably a very common theme. I think we've made a lot of progress when we talk about the superwoman syndrome, the mammy stereotype, the working hard stereotype, the nurturing stereotype. I think we're beginning to unpack those things, but I still see that we have definitely a long way to go in that area.”
I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people.
Roman Samborskyi/ Shutterstock
While we’re unpacking those things, we know that we’re still women at the end of the day. So as we continue to serve in various roles like mothers, daughters, sisters, and caretakers, we have to make caring for ourselves a priority. Camesha reveals four ways we can still care for others without abandoning ourselves.
Trust
First things first, trust. Camesha explains, “Some of the burdens that Black women have can be linked to not feeling like you can trust people to carry the load with you.
“It's hard because people experience trauma or being let down or different experiences, but one of the things that I found personally is the more that I'm able to practice trust, the more I'm able to get my needs met. Then, to also show up as my best to care for other Black women.”
Know Your Limitations
Another thing Camesha highlighted is Black women knowing their limitations. “The other thing that I would like to bring up in terms of a way to care for yourself is to really know your limitations, or know how much you can give and what you need to receive,” she says.
“So often, what I see with Black women is giving, giving, giving, giving, giving to the point that you're not feeling well, and then not receiving what you need in return to be able to feel well and whole individually. So I really think it's important to know your limitations and know your capacity and to identify what it is that you need to be well.”
Don’t Take On A Lot Of Responsibilities
Next on the list is not taking on so many responsibilities, sharing herself as an example. “The other thing is taking on too much responsibility, especially in a time of vulnerability.
“One thing that I personally struggled with was being so passionate about community mental health for Black women, and saying yes to everything and taking on so much responsibility,” she reveals. “That affected me to do well in serving Black women and then also impacting my own well being.”
Practice Self-Care
Lastly, she notes the importance of practicing self-care. “The last thing is really practicing regular self care, regular community care, so that it's embedded into your daily life. So for me, having prepared meals, going to the gym, getting eight hours of sleep, spending time with friends and family, all of those things are part of my self care that keep me at my best,” she explains.
“Then community care, leaning into social networks or social groups, or spending time with other interests or hobbies. That's a part of my community care that keeps me going, so that I can take care of my needs, but also to be able to show up best in care for others.”
Find out more about Camesha and Sista Afya Community Care at communitycare.sistaafya.com.
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