🧴🪮Melanin and Curls🪮🧴

Heeey!

People in the north, how’s your summer going?

I’ve seen some social posts from the South celebrating the first flower buds of the upcoming spring. My sister tells me that the days are already blazing hot in Johannesburg.

I’m not yet envious because the sun is still shining strong up here and we still have late sunsets, so I’m enjoying every moment.

Before I update you on all things concerning the podcast and this edition of the newsletter, I must say sorry for going AWOL on you. My summer was more intense than I expected it to be. We opted out of summer camps for most of the time and instead spent time with family, and so you could say that I had to take a pause and be more present for my two rascals. No regrets there, but it was unfortunately not possible to split myself into the many different pieces that I normally can as a solopreneur.

Nevertheless, the summer has been going well for Shades and Layers. I managed to complete a project that I’d been working on together with Michelle McKenzie from WTF Podcast. Look out for our e-book, A Black Woman’s Insights and Resource Guide to Entrepreneurship, that will hopefully serve as a guide and companion on your entrepreneurial journey. We cover everything from where to find funding, to keeping your mental health in check throughout your journey. So, whether you’re at the very beginning or deep into the thick of things with your business, we’ve got you.

Okay, let’s get into this edition of the newsletter. Here’s what’s coming up:

- Rewind - As melanated people, we only remember sunscreen in the summer, find out why you should remember all year round from Katonya Breaux, Founder and CEO of Unsun Cosmetics

- Catch-Up - In preparation for the new season of the podcast, we have scheduled a catch-up episode with Taryn Gill, Hairpreneur and Coach. Take a moment to revisit her entrepreneurial journey while we cook up an update episode.

- Melanin needs sun care too - hence the pic of the dark skinned model at the top of this edition. Later on, we’ll dive into this topic.

But before that, if you’re not yet a subscriber yet, then Join The Squad by doing de ting 👇🏾

REWIND: UNSUN YOUR MELANIN

Summer and sunshine are still with us in the north and if you’re dark- skinned like me, then sunscreen is not necessarily top priority on the skincare regimen. At most, we’ll buy moisturizer with an SPF30, but in truth this is not a habit that was instilled when most of us were growing up. The creams left an unsightly white residue after application, so clearly they were never created for the dark-skinned.

Katonya Breux, Founder and CEO of Unsun Cosmetics will change your mind about sunscreen. When her dermatologist told her that the black moles on her face were not hereditary, but instead caused by sun damage, she didn’t just start using sunscreen regularly, but she created her own. Unsun Your Melanin is an episode that highlights her journey to an inclusive brand with products that are not only safe to use on all skin shades and types, but reef friendly too.

CATCH-UP EPISODE

The new season of Shades and Layers will bring one catch-up episode with Taryn Gill, one of the listener favorites over the lifespan of the podcast. The last time we spoke to Taryn, she was winding up the sale of her brand The Perfect Curls and exploring new areas of her Hairpreneur journey. In the upcoming episode, she will be letting us know about her upcoming line of hair supplements as well as a hair tonic she’s launching for her ever growing customer base and community. More than that, she will give us an update on being a hair coach and how her business journey has progressed so far. If you haven’t already listened or you’d like to jog your memory on Taryn’s story, click the link below to hear all about her journey in the episode The Rebel and The Beast.

IS MELANIN ALL YOU NEED FOR SUN CARE? 

Well, let’s talk about it. What do you think? Here’s what I’ve been considering:

As more and more of us black women hop on planes to new destinations, time in the sun comes as part and parcel of being on vacation. Even if we do not necessarily lounge in the sun for extended periods, sipping cocktails by the poolside or reading a book on the beach is an obligatory part of a summer vacation. Right?

A quick shout out to the OG and poster girl for black women’s solo travel adventures, Lee Litumbe, who is the Founder of the aesthetically pleasing Instagram page and internationally respected brand Spirited Pursuit. Lee has inspired tonnes of women in the diaspora (and even in Africa) to first of all choose the African continent as a holiday destination and to also be adventurous in what they get up to at their destinations. I mention her not only because she runs my favorite travel account, but because her photos are more or less always snapped while she’s in the sunshine.

Speaking of being in the sunshine, how many of us use sunscreen religiously? Forget your SPF30 face moisturizer, what about the rest of your body? What about in the winter? LOL, I know I don’t always use sunscreen because I grew up with the idea that my melanin will protect me. And to this day, I think this mindset still subconsciously influences my choices about whether or not to use sunscreen. Unfortunately this has rubbed off on my children, who are light skinned, and I cannot for the life of me get them to ever wear sunscreen.😩

The problem, as is evidenced by my own relationship with sunscreen, is that the benefits of wearing sunscreen are presented as a question of debate and this is not limited to the dark-skinned. Although there is a clear link between sun exposure and skin cancer for light-skinned people, there are studies that are looking into the potentially harmful effects of ingredients such as oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are the active ingredients in most chemical sunscreens. These ingredients are suspected to be more harmful than protective for any shade of skin, and also harmful to the natural environment. There is of course the alternative of mineral-based sunscreens, but still the question remain: does sunscreen prevent skin cancer in black people?

Enter the New York Times with their aptly-titled article: “Should Black People Wear Sunscreen?”. According to this piece, the link between skin cancer and dark skins is still an open question. The journalist quotes a dermatologist who points out that there would be more incidences of skin cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa if the link was that direct. Fair enough, but is repelling insects and spiritual rituals the only reason for traditional sunscreens? The Himba of Namibia still cover their skins with a red ochre paste called otjize and the Xhosa of South Africa have been using a white paste called ingceke since time immemorial. There are countless examples from the entire continent. Here an interesting look at sun protection through the ages and another look at the topic from a swimsuit brand whose founder had a close encounter with skin cancer, but still wanted to enjoy being in the sun with her family.

Considering that research into medical conditions affecting black populations in general are nowhere near as extensive as in other populations, I’m willing to err on the side of caution here. Perhaps it's time to be more rigorous with my sunscreen habits - if only to delay the aging process, as sunscreen is touted to help with.

If you do decide to cover your melanated skin with sunscreen, here are some black-owned and internationally available brands that you many want to try out. Some of these are even reasonably priced.

Dermopal - Top of the list because it’s a black-owned South African brand and products are developed by dermatologist, Dr. Leslie Nteta, who’s educated at the iconic and historically important Fort Hare University.

Black Girl Sunscreen - Founded by Shontay Lundy in 2016, this is one of the first widely available brands to cater for darker skin tones.

Kinlo - Tennis super start and new mamma, Naomi Campbell teamed up with a black woman dermatologist, Naana Boakaye, for her skincare brand.

Eleven - Developed by legendary tennis star Venus Williams, who is still winning matches against women half her age, created this brand to encourage women to pursue a version of their best self.

Unsun - Founded by Katonya Breaux, California-based entrepreneur and mom to pop star Frank Ocean, this inclusive cosmetics company strives to create products that are safe for humans and the environment.

If only for vanity’s sake, cover up in the sunshine, just in case 🙂😆

FEEDBACK WELCOME

That’s it from me this time around. Do let me know your thoughts about this edition of the newsletter by hitting the reply button.

As always, I ask you to please share with a friend and ask them to subscribe to the podcast and the newsletter.

Until next time, please do take good care.

Cheers,

Kutloano

(your host with the most)