Whether you’re Peanut Butter, Butter Pecan, Caramel, or Chocolate skinned, you at some point will find your way dibbling and dabbling in makeup trying to find what works best for you. But with so many myths out there and only a handful of brands that may even have a foundation in your exact skin tone, you may feel a bit intimidated when it comes to what you can and can’t wear and what does and does not look good on you! The same is even true about hair care. There are so many old teachings and practices that are still believed when it comes to textured hair care. Throughout my “Black Beauty Myths Unleashed” series, I’ll be taking a few myths, researching them, and providing links and resources that you and I can find helpful while we experiment with hair and fill up our makeup cases! Let’s jump right into it!
BLACK WOMEN SHOULDN’T WASH THEIR HAIR OFTEN True and False. Each person’s head of hair is different, no matter the race. True: African American textured hair shouldn’t be washed WITH SHAMPOO often as Shampoo is known to strip hair. And stripping hair over and over again is never a good idea. However, hair should be cleansed from product build up on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. Hair cannot strive when nutrients and moisture cannot get to the hair shaft. Although many African Americans opt out of shampooing their hair frequently, many do still co-wash or deep condition their hair on a weekly or bi-weekly basis in order to refresh and revive their hair! You can do so by purchasing an inexpensive hair conditioner (such as Suave or Mane n’ Tail), putting it in your hair, and rinsing it out. This revives and restores the hair. You can also deep condition your hair by applying a thick and creamy conditioner of your choice (such as Elasta QP DPR+ or Organics Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise), covering it with a shower cap for 45 minutes or going under a hooded dryer for 15 minutes, and rinsing it out. This also will revive and restore the hair. Here are a few girls on YouTube who explain their hair process!
Natural Hair ● 3b/3c Texture? Mahogany Curls
Natural Hair ● 4b/4c? SimplYounique
Bi-racial ● Mixed ● Multi-Textured Hair? Andrea’s Choice
BLACK WOMEN CANNOT WEAR RED LIPSTICK False. The key to rocking red lipstick is picking the shade that best compliments your undertones. “If your [skin] has golden tones (think Halle Berry), choose reds with a brown base (brick or rusty red). If your skin more blue-based (think model Alek Wek)? Choose deep rubies with a hint of pink, like dark cherry or burgundy. Go easy on the eyes and let your lips be the focus.” – Curly Nikki. If you’re unsure about rocking reds, do your research and test drive a few inexpensive drugstore lippies! Here are a few brown girls rocking red lips. For me, I prefer a matte red lip over a glossy one Here are a few YouTubers of different complexions rocking red right:
Budget Friendly Matte Red Lipsticks? Holmique
Caramel Skinned? Ms Rosh Posh
BLACK WOMEN CANNOT WEAR BLUSH False. Blush used to be a questionable thing for me, as I just wasn’t sure what color(s) would be best against my chocolaty round cheeks! Then I stumbled across this pretty amazing article full of advice on what color blushes are best for each different skin tone. For dark skin the article recommends blush in the colors Bronze, Deep Pink, Fuchsia, and/or Plum. I would also like to add orange and pinky pinks. It’s also important to master the technique to applying your blush based on your face shape. Check out the videos below:
Orangey Bronze Blush? My Invisible Chyrsalis
Want to learn how to apply blush? Scandalous Beauty
