6 Black-Owned Brands I’m Supporting This Month

Happy Black History Month!

Although I’m always doing my best to go Black when choosing where to spend my money, I’m especially excited to support Black brands this month. Narrowing down my list for this post was not easy AT ALL… I want everybody to eat, but I know y’all not about to read a 15,000 word dissertation lol. I’ll more than likely be making another one soon. But in the meantime, keep reading for six bomb Black-owned businesses you should show some Black History Month love.

1. Support Black Colleges

Support Black Colleges was founded in 2012 by two Howard University students (shout out to my set!) whose goal was to create a brand that would “uplift, inspire, and encourage others to support HBCUs.” Since then, it’s grown tremendously–and now, SBC employs over 70 college students and awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to HBCU students.

As the product of an HBCU, I absolutely love the impact SBC is making. HBCUs are notoriously underfunded and still widely misunderstood. The amount of people, including black people, who have questioned the value of HBCUs and ignorantly deemed them inferior to their PWI counterparts is… alarming.

Shop Support Black Colleges’ collection of unique hoodies, sweats, t-shirts, and accessories here!

2. Golde

I first learned about Golde not long ago via Alex Elle’s hey, girl. podcast. I ran online to buy their seven-ingredient superfood turmeric tonic without a second thought. Now, I drink it every morning on my way to work.

Golde was founded with the mission to make wellness and self-care more inclusive and accessible. Along with their turmeric-based powders–which can be mixed in water, milk, smoothies, etc… get creative!–they offer powder-to-gel face masks that are so clean that they’re probably edible.

Once my matcha turmeric tonic runs out, I’ll be trying their cacao turmeric tonic. Grab some for yourself on their website, or get it at Sephora and rack up some points.

3. Urban Hydration

I stumbled upon Urban Hydration’s clean hair products on one of my routine TJ Maxx runs, and gave it a try because I was impressed with its ingredient list (y’all, I literally read the ingredients on everything that touches or enters my body lol. I’ll probably write a post at some point on how to properly read ingredient lists!). It only took a few uses for the brand to earn a permanent spot in my wash day arsenal.

Here’s the cherry on top: for every product purchased, Urban Hydration donates a gallon of water to a community around the world in need. In 2018, they built a freshwater well in Kenya, providing water access to over 300 schoolchildren. A Black-owned brand with a purpose rooted in service?! We love to see it. I stan.

Along with its clean, hydrating haircare products, Urban Hydration offers clean skincare, bath & body, and home & kitchen products. I haven’t tried anything other than the haircare (and boy do I have a lot of it lol), but I’ll definitely be trying their sulfate-free body care soon. God, it’s so hard to find sulfate-free body wash. *rolls eyes*

Shop the full range of Urban Hydration’s products here; I’ve also seen them them at Target, and they get bonus points for always being on deck at my favorite place ever, TJ Maxx.

4. Unsun Cosmetics

Omg, omg, omg. I am so excited about this one!!

Let’s rewind. If you’ve ever talked to me about skincare, you know the first thing I’ma ask you is “do you wear sunscreen? Like, every day?” Often the answer is no, and that breaks my heart. It’s so important guys, like if you change nothing else about your routine, just incorporate a lil SPF. Pls. I beg.

Anyway, the point. Being the ingredient stickler that I am, I only use chemical-free, mineral sunscreen on my face. Unsun was founded in 2016 by a Black woman who was frustrated with the lack of clean sunscreens that worked well with dark skin (mineral sunscreen is notorious for leaving behind a white cast, because of the zinc oxide in it).

Unsun offers tinted, cast-free mineral sunscreen that’s packed with moisturizing ingredients. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ll be grabbing a tube soon–especially since they’re offering 15% off on their site in honor of Black History Month.

5. The Good Girl Movement

What is a Good Girl?

Founded by a Hampton University graduate and operating with service at its core, The Good Girl Movement seeks to defy the labels and boundaries society places on women. It’s a safe haven for Black women to explore what it means to be a good girl–through service and self-discovery.

The Good Girl Movement has grown since its inception to include collegiate chapters on nine campuses around the country. They also participate in a monthly service initiative–from donating over $1,800 dollars to Flint, to collecting feminine products for women in need. Again–forever stanning altruistic Black brands!

They’ll be accepting donations for their feminine product drive until Valentine’s Day–if you’re feeling the love, donate through their CashApp at $theGGmovement! Don’t forget to visit their site to learn more about the brand and buy some goodies, and follow them on Instagram to stay in the loop on future initiatives.

6. Khepera Wellness

DC friends, this one’s for you!

Khepera Wellness is a yoga studio in Washington, DC, that provides a space for wellness and Black culture to intersect. It was founded by a Howard University grad (I love us, forreal) in 2013.

With class offerings such as Trap Yoga, Black Girl Magic Yoga, and Soul Flow, I can only imagine how amazingly black this studio feels. It’s no secret that restorative wellness practices such as yoga and pilates are white-dominated spaces… I’m often the only Black girl in most of the classes I take around DC.

Visit Khepera Wellness’ website to check out their schedule and book a class. If you love ’em, they offer monthly memberships as well!

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I’m always down to discover and support Black-owned brands and businesses. If you are too, don’t forget to swing over to my #BlackAF brand guides. What are a few of your faves? Feel free to share below in the comments!