Black Mental Health Month is celebrated in July. We want to recognize the importance of taking care of our mental health with Black-owned wellness brands that can assist in a little extra self care this month. Check out a list of our favorite Black-owned wellness businesses to support this month inside.
There’s so much talk about wellness and self-care since Covid-19 sat everyone down back in 2020. People were forced to sit and evaluate how they were managing stress, anxiety and their overall mental health. The mental health and wellness industries have seen a massive rise in engagement as concerned consumers consider how products affect their bodies, specifically for Black and Brown people.
Wellness is the act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes, so that instead of just surviving, you’re thriving.
In 2024, Black business owners make up about 4 percent of United States businesses and less than 30 percent of all minority-owned businesses. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, that comes up to approximately two million companies owned by African Americans. In that number, nearly 40 percent of Black-owned businesses are in health care and social assistance, repair and maintenance, and personal and laundry service industries. Other industries include advertising firms, auto dealerships, consulting services, restaurants, barbershops and beauty salons, and of course, clothing companies.
The city which houses the most Black-owned businesses in the U.S. is New York, and Atlanta follows closely behind it. The highest ration of Black-owned businesses is in Washington, DC where 28 percent of all businesses are Black-owned. In recent years, the growth of Black-owned skincare line Topicals has become explosive. With a multitude of products and partnerships like their most recent campaign with multi-hyphenate creative and director Teyana Taylor.
There are many ways to observe Black History Month and to consume with the good of our communities in mind. The most important way is to support and encourage Black-owned businesses in your community. Depending upon where you live, it may be difficult, but challenge yourself to only spend with local Black-owned businesses in your neighborhood this month. If you’re shopping online for something specific, maybe ditch Amazon throughout Black History Month and find a Black-owned business that sells the product you are searching for and shop within the community instead.
Little things like this make a world of difference for a small business and especially, a Black-owned business, which makes up a small percentage of businesses across the nation.
Check out our list of Black-owned wellness brands to support:
1. Oyin Handmade
Oyin Handmade was co-founded by mixtress Jamyla Bennu in 2001 after discovering that many of the products she was using were made with harmful preservatives and non-nourishing fillers. Determined to find a better way to care for her hair and skin, she began experimenting with formulations and testing them, until her passion developed into a business. Jamyla leads Oyin Handmade with a savvy business philosophy of slow and steady growth to ensure quality and emphasize care. Each Oyin Handmade product is cruelty-free, non-toxic, made with eco-friendly sensibilities and handmade using only the finest food-grade ingredients.
Oyin Handmade now offers a full range of nourishing hair, skin, and body care products for women, men, and children, and are available on their website, the company’s flagship boutique in Baltimore and select Whole Foods stores.
2. Be Rooted
Recognizing that there was a gap in the market for a brand that spoke to her, Be Rooted Founder Jasmin Foster launched Be Rooted, an inclusive stationery and homeware brand in 2020, with a mission to empower women of color and create a space for them to see themselves in the stationery they love. Leaning into her passion of inclusivity and desire to live a purpose-filled life, Foster with a lineup of colorful journals, planners and writing instruments designed by Black and Brown artists, by 2021 Be Rooted became the first and only Black-owned stationery brand available at retail giant Target and Target.com.
3. RedDrop
Tween-focused feminine care brand RedDrop was created by Teacher and Doctor duo Dana Roberts and Dr. Monica Williams to empower Tweens/Teens and their families better prepare and understanding their periods by offering products that fit their bodies at affordable prices and without harmful ingredients. When Roberts noticed that half of the girls in her 5th grade class were beginning their periods while at school and with no resources, she began to understand the seriousness of the young girls not being prepared for the life changing moment. Partnering with her friend Dr. Williams, who was also a Mom, the idea to develop period kits, educational resources and affordable products to address the needs of Tween girls’ bodies. RedDrop is on a mission to empower young girls and their families about proper period care, creating generations of leaders that will be ready to tackle the world.
RedDrop is available on their website and on Amazon.
4. TinkyPoo
Created with your baby’s comfort and protection in mind, TinkyPoo is the woman-owned New Jersey based company launched in 2022 with a line of baby wipes and diapers made with 100% organic cotton, featuring a double-leakage barrier, an anti-bacterial layer and boasting up to 12 hours of leakage protection. As the first intentionally diverse diaper company with inclusive art showcasing babies who are Black, Brown, and Asian American and Pacific Islander, TinkyPoo is on a mission is to create opportunities where children can see their own beauty reflected to them and to experience diversity and inclusion as a standard. TinkyPoo’s CEO and Founder of Nadiyah Spencer utilized her 20 years of experience in retail manufacturing to design diapers and baby wipes that not only look good, but more importantly, are of the highest quality. The pioneering baby brand announced its first retail partnership with the newly reinvented buybuy Baby in January 2024, and today, TinkyPoo’s products are available on their website and BuyBuyBaby’s site and retail stores.
5. MOODEAUX
Moodeaux: Flaunt How You Feel. Because sometimes wellness is just about smelling delicious for yourself.
Made for the unapologetically outspoken rebel inside us all, indie fragrance label MOODEAUX® turns accessorizing your mood into mindful self-care through award-winning fragrances backed by science. Made for skin; no alcohol, dye or water. Vegan and cruelty free.
Shop at their affiliate stores Urban Outfitters and Credo or shop online at their website.
6. My Happy Flo
The supplement’s proprietary “My Happy Flo” blend includes plant-based powerhouses DIM and Indole -3- Carbinol, highly studied and shown to detox excess estrogens in the body, a culprit of painful periods and more menstrual issues like bloating, PCOS, endometriosis and fibroids. 88% of women experience less cramps after one month. In addition to less painful periods, the two supplements a day also account for your daily recommended vitamin intake including Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, B6, B12, Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, and Flaxseed.
Homebody creates wellness bath rituals powered by plants. The soaks are made intentionally to help you feel at home in your body. The products were created by Rebecca Grammer-Ybarra and Christiana Grammer. The brand supplies bath bomb soaks with CBD, antioxidants, and superfoods. The goal for Homebody is for people to be fully submerged in a plant-based solution that helps you feel at home in your body and free of worry.
Homebody can be found at Ulta, and Revolve.
8. Golde
Co-founded by Trinity Mouzon Wofford in 2017, this Brooklyn-based wellness brand is “centered in making superfood-boosted essentials for health and beauty,” according to its website. You can find a wide array of tea blends and face masks with ingredients comparable to a morning smoothie.
9. Actually Curious
If you’re looking to strengthen the bonds around you while also creating new ones, this Black owned card game is for you. Actually Curious is a card game designed to bring people together and spread empathy. These packs are ideal for dating intentionally, starting conversations with strangers, exploring personal biases, and bringing up thoughtful topics with family and friends.
There are currently three card packs: culture, curiosity, and happy hour. The brand was founded by Michael Tennant, who also leads virtual events, like empathy workshops and workouts.
Being surrounded by nature’s goodness has been scientifically connected to our overall well-being. Grounded plats is the perfect way to bring some zen into your space. The online plant shop was founded by Danuelle Doswell and Mignon Hemsley.
Grounded focuses on the healing properties of plants, such as purifying the air around you and increasing serotonin.
Be sure to shop on their website and await their retail store coming to Washington, DC soon.
