SELF CARE GIFT GUIDE
For you or the Badass Black Girl, Woman, Friend, Sister, Girlfriend or Wife in your life
2020 has been a tough year. So many levels of stress from the pandemic, election drama, and the stress of protests has many of us craving some time out to tune in. When it’s time to chill out and pamper yourself, are you prepared? Or do you know someone who could use a little spoiling, but needs a little nudge? Whether you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift for someone special or if that someone special is yourself, this list of products is bound to help you rebound from the latest crises. Read on for my favorite products in self-care. All of these are Black owned businesses, so you’ll be supporting the community and small businesses by shopping at these internet storefronts.
THE GOODIES
Forvr Mood
Set the mood for a much-needed spa day with these candles from Jackie Aina’s lifestyle brand Forvr Mood. The custom scents, with names like “Caked Up,” “Cuffing Season,” and “Matcha Business,” will help you unwind and refocus. If you want to go all in on #selfcaresunday, you can pick up a pure silk headband or pillowcase and seriously indulge.
Rayo & Honey
In today’s climate, feeding one’s soul takes an extra level of mindfulness. Step up your game and surround yourself with positive socially conscious and literary affirmations from Rayo & Honey’s Roachelle Negron. There is an array of gifts at her website including keychains, hand-etched mirrors that encourage you to “believe in who you see” or tiny pins that allow you to label yourself in an era when it feels like the world has already labelled you.
BRAVE. BLACK. FIRST.
Learn more about the historical legacies of more than 50 Black women with Brave. Black. First: 100 Postcards Celebrating More Than 50 African American Women Who Changed the World from author Cheryl Hudson and illustrator Erin K. Robinson. Based on the children’s book Brave. Black. First, each postcard contains trivia about the trailblazer illustrated on the front of the card, and the set comes with two copies of each postcard so you can mail one off and keep one for yourself.
Ravynn Creates
For the girls who love to read and recommend the latest book, Ravynn Creates has this too cute totebag to help you haul your latest reads. What’s in our Bookworm totebag? Badass Black Girl of course!
Mess in a Bottle
You have more power then you know, and this amazing apparel company will show you how to find it. Mess in a Bottle brings architect Kalilah Wright’s sense of style to the forefront with boldly emblazoned t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, and bags with slogans like, “torn btwn eating a snack and being a snack” and “a Black woman created this.”
Black Chocolatiers
Indulge yourself with some decadent chocolate and help support Black-owned businesses. Shoppe Black has curated this list of Black chocolatiers to tempt your tastebuds and boost your feel good vibes.
Cream Blends
Self-care is about the body as much as it is about the mind and soul. Quench your skin’s thirst with body butter, body oils or soaps from Cream Blends. This natural skincare line with fragrances like Michigan Cedar will ensure you love the skin you’re in.
Leyla McCalla
Jazz it up on a sunny Sunday with Leyla McCalla’s Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes. Set to Hughes’ poetry, these complex, yet spare compositions, which are a blend of Haitian and American folk music, will have you feeling all right.
Black Girl Sunscreen
Protect your skin form the sun’s harmful UV rays. Black people need sunscreen too! Our melanin doesn’t shield us from sun damage. Not only does sunscreen protect your skin from cancer-causing solar radiation, it also staves off wrinkles. Black Girl Sunscreen is specifically made for Black girls and won’t leave a white residue. Get some now.
Legendary Rootz
Legendary Rootz is an awesome clothing company to inspire your Black Girl Magic. Raven Nichole founded the company with the aim of filling a need for representation of Black ideals and a safe space for the community. They have a good variety of merchandise, many with empowering messages, but I’m eyeing up this “Black Girls Are the Purest Form of Art” t-shirt for myself.
Badass Black Girl: Questions, Quotes, and Affirmations for Teens
Of course, no gift guide to self-care would be complete without a book recommendation, and I know just the book to get you back to feeling powerful and ready to take on all 2020 has to offer in the way of stress. Whether you are a young Black girl or an older Black woman, Badass Black Girl is a must-add to your reading list. Filled with inspirational quotes and insights about amazing Black trailblazers that will inform and empower you, it’s the kind of book you didn’t know you needed to read until you picked it up, and the kind of book you just don’t want to put down once you get started.
We all know Black girls rock―but they also relax. Coloring books are a great way to get inspired, relieve stress, and now―unleash your inner badass. With this unique coloring book, Black, Brave, Beautiful, you can relax by coloring soothing images of some of their favorite things, like mandalas, animals, flowers, sweets, and more. A girl's coloring book like no other, Black Brave Beautiful provides stress relief alongside words of encouragement to make the perfect addition to any collection of young adult and girl power coloring books.
Remember you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to practice self-care, so feel free to shop for these products right now. By making being good to yourself part of your daily routine, you’re treating yourself with kindness and care, and you need that to take on the world.
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