"Mornings are all about self-love for me. I like to start my days with meditation or listen to podcasts or affirmations that do me good and give me courage. These podcasts are primarily genres from Black Women, Entrepreneurs, or Psychology. These help me start the day with positive energy.
For me, taking care of myself and my body means practising self-love. This does not only include beauty products. Nonetheless, I apply them with mindfulness with every application and signal my gratitude with my whole body, which needs a lot of moisture, using gentle touches. This ritual is part of my morning and evening routine. I use Clean Beauty products such as The Ordinary's Hydrators and OilsNatural Moisturizing Factors + HA face cream or Queen Helen's Cocoa Butter Face & Body Cream, among others."
Hair salons as a feel-good community
"A few more words about my hair care: hair is extremely important to Afro people; it's deeply embedded in our culture. We are constantly worrying about how to style it. Be that next week or next month. There's a lot of talk about hair. Even male genders share hair products, give each other tips, and always try new things. A study proves that ordinary Afro people spend 9% more on beauty items than all other ethnicities, especially women. I'm definitely one of them!
Because I'm constantly trying out new hairstyles since I decided to wear my hair natural four years ago, I do it without chemical stretching agents. That is, I do it entirely without chemical stretching agents! Since wearing my natural kinky hair, I have find myself beautiful. My hair grows very well and it is 100% healthy. Hair care products tailored to my needs, like Afro Love's Nourishing Shampoo or UFD's Curly Magic Curl Stimulator leave-in conditioner, help me to take care of them in a natural way. And, of course, my hair needs a lot of moisture. For example, when I wear an Afro, I moisturize my hair with warm water from a spray bottle. That way, my hair absorbs the care better."
"For most Afro people, visits to the hairdresser are like visits to a therapist. There's an authentic feel-good atmosphere in the salons: now and then, people eat or dance in the salon. Of course, a four-hour visit to the hairdresser is regular – depending on the hairstyle. Either way: there's always something going on in an Afro-Coiffure. In any case, it's not dull."
Sport as therapy
"Sport is also essential for my well-being - it's like therapy. My favourite thing to do is endurance training in the gym, and I dance as often as possible. Sports give me strength and strengthen my soul, and on the other hand, after sports, I feel reborn and can think clearly again. When I don't feel so good physically - this happens to me mainly during the menstrual week - I practice yoga for about 10 to 20 minutes. In addition, I do a Yoni Steam 1-2 times a month to cleanse myself internally."
Feeling myself, my soul, and my body is a positive synergy that gives me strength and security, just like a cocoon.
"Since I travel a lot for work, I have deliberately reserved Sunday just for myself, then go for a walk, and I love to spend Sunday in the summer in a park with a good book or to soak up the sun.
Last but not least: beauty is as individual as we humans. For me, however, beauty means being gentle with yourself, laughing, and having a positive aura."
