15 Black-Owned Wellness Brands to Support Today, Tomorrow, Forever

In the aftermath of the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, many have been asking themselves how they can support the Black community. Beyond signing petitions, donating to bail funds and social justice organizations, and calling your local politicians to demand change, one other tangible way of giving back is by supporting and buying from Black-owned businesses. Wellness in particular is a space that should be accessible and welcoming for everyone, though historically that hasn’t always been the case.

The industry itself (as it pertains to wellness brands and businesses) has remained extremely whitewashed since its inception. From CBD brands to health and pregnancy resources and even yoga and fitness spaces, most people at the helm don’t reflect the diverse nature of their audience, nor cater to those who, historically, often need the healing the most.

“I don’t think marginalized communities are given the appropriate and intentional space to fully heal often enough,” Naj Austin, the founder of Ethel’s Club, a social and wellness club for people of color, tells SELF. It’s part of the reason why she started Ethel’s Club in the first place. “I have always craved and sought out spaces and communities that made me feel safe and fully comfortable in all facets of my identity,” she says. Though as a Black woman, particularly one seeking out social clubs and other third spaces, this often wasn’t her reality.

Thankfully, founders like Austin are doing the work to carve out that space themselves, and there are a growing number of products and places created for and by Black people that are widening the field and allowing people of color to center themselves. It was Audre Lorde who once noted that self-care is a radical act—“an act of political warfare”—especially for Black people, and it’s true that in order to continue fighting the good fight, we must also recharge.

Ahead is a list of 15 wellness-specific brands and businesses to pour your dollars into—today, tomorrow, forever. They range from candles and teas to parenting and wellness spaces that are specifically catered to people of color. How we care for ourselves varies from person to person, but the objective is the same: prioritizing yourself, your health, and your overall well-being.

Ethel’s Club

While coworking spaces like The Wing have become go-to spots for the self-employed, as anyone who’s ever frequented one (or read recent criticism of their leadership) knows, membership is often overwhelmingly white. Ethel’s Club was founded with the intention of providing an inclusive alternative: A safe, comfortable space where people of color can be their full selves. “There is both power and safety in shared, collective experiences,” Austin says. “Black people and people of color deserve a space where they can show up and not fear being excluded, considered, or discriminated against.”

Most public spaces have closed for the time-being due to the pandemic, but Ethel’s Club is still offering online events and workshops. “In our digital clubhouse, we’ve seen members take advantage of our intimate programming, wellness offerings across varying modalities, and curated subcommunities where they can thrive professionally, personally, and creatively,” Austin says.

The wellness programming, including group grieving and healing sessions, is what she points to as being particularly helpful to members—especially now. “We deserve to unburden ourselves, cry, and scream in spaces that really see us for who we are.”

Ivy’s Tea Co.

Drinking tea was commonplace in Shanae Jones’s household growing up. She’s a first-generation American and grew up in a Jamaican household to a British mother, so she says holistic health was always a priority. At the same time, she understands that tea may have certain posh, colonial connotations, and when she created Ivy’s Tea Co. in 2016, her aim was to change the way people see tea drinkers. Specifically, “to get rid of the super-stuck-up image our established and ritzy counterparts showcase, while being welcoming enough that you don’t feel like you’ve got to have quartz, sage, and a yoga mat just to drink herbal tea either.”

Jones’s tea blends are handcrafted, full-leaf, and organic, ranging from Red Bone—a hibiscus tea with cranberry and chile pepper (the brand’s most popular)—to Sister Sister, a mint-rose-and-cinnamon mixture. Others, including C.R.E.A.M. and Nip’s Tea (named after the late rapper Nipsey Hussle), are a play on the pop culture and hip-hop inspirations Jones draws from. Beyond teas, you can also pick up some orange-infused Shmoney honey or a Bad and Boujee teacup.

Homebody

In 2018, sisters Rebecca Grammer-Ybarra and Christy Grammer closed their company of 12 years, Suite 106 Cupcakery—which included three bakeries, an award-winning food truck, and a commercial kitchen. During that period, they became Food Network champions (and the first Black women to win a televised dessert competition show), were signed to Gordon Ramsey’s talent agency, and appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Network. “For 12 years we ran off no sleep, adrenaline, and an obsessed passion to succeed until our bodies literally gave up and gave out,” Rebecca shares. “I had no idea what self-care was, nor did I implement any of it in my fast-paced life.”

Everything came to a head for Grammer-Ybarra when her engagement was called off and, shortly after, she got into a car accident. She describes what happened next as her Eat, Pray, Love moment. “Every night, while bathing, I would ask the universe to heal me and rebuild me stronger than ever before, and I promised in return I would dedicate my life to helping to rebuild others,” she says. She wanted to create something holistic. “This ask led me to Homebody,” Grammer-Ybarra says, which leverages plant power for its colorful bath soaks that aim to promote “total wellness of mind, body, and soul.”

The sisters teamed up with a holistic physician to create Homebody’s organically farmed, pearlescent CBD bath-bomb soaks (like its latest peach-inspired soak). “Our objective is, and will always be, to help people feel more at home in their bodies,” Grammer-Ybarra says.

Blade + Bloom

Terri Foster taught herself how to make soaps in 2001 and started out giving them away as Christmas gifts to family and friends. She eventually expanded her craft to lotions and other body-care products, growing her hobby into a small business that would eventually blossom into Blade + Bloom. Today, the brand’s natural lineup includes items like aromatherapy oils, body balms, candles, soaps, and face serums, which Foster formulates and designs herself.

“My mission continues to be promoting female entrepreneurship, self-care, and eco-consciousness, all without sacrificing style or a sense of humor,” she says. The sense of humor can be seen in the product names, like the charcoal soap named My Daddy’s an Earl, which Foster describes as smelling like “trust funds and black tea.” The doily that reads “ladies is pimps, too,” is also a personal favorite.

Golde

Photo Credit: Issey Kibori

You may have already spotted Golde’s aesthetically pleasing products on your Instagram feed, though for the unacquainted, the brand’s selection of superfood tonics and skin-care products should definitely be on your radar. Trinity Mouzon Wofford and her partner Issey Kobori founded the company in 2017 with the hope of “bring[ing] good vibes to the wellness industry,” and she’s gone about tackling that from the inside out. Golde’s full lineup includes turmeric, cacao, and matcha-latte blends, though you can also find its superfood-based face masks at Sephora. (Wofford has made history as the youngest Black woman to launch a line there.)

Movita

Tonya Lewis Lee is a busy woman. Beyond producing Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It and writing best-selling books like Please, Baby, Please, she was inspired to launch her supplement line, Movita, after trying and failing to find a supplement that she felt fit into her lifestyle. “I couldn’t find one product that combined everything I wanted,” she says. So she decided to create her own, and Movita was born.

Lee has also raised the issue of the Black infant mortality rate as a producer on the documentary Crisis in the Crib: Saving Our Nation’s Babies, and yet another hat she’s worn is that of national spokesperson for A Healthy Baby Begins With You, a 2007 Black infant mortality campaign initiated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health.

Black Girl in Om

Yoga and wellness spaces are notorious for their lack of diversity and for being heavily concentrated in affluent neighborhoods, but Black Girl in Om has been working to change that narrative for years. One way founder Lauren Ash, a meditation and yoga teacher, aims to do that is through community-based programming such as group meditation services and events like The Annual Wellness Day, which bring together Black women and women of color for a day of wellness-focused activities like journaling and yoga.

Most recently, during the pandemic, Black Girl in Om offered a digital sister circle called Divine Disruption: The Circle 1.0, which invited 250 Black women and women of color to take part in daily journaling prompts, weekly thought exercises and guided meditation, newsletter recaps, and conversations with special guests. Though the deadline to enroll has already passed, there’s another session scheduled for summer.

Goodnight Darling

Goodnight Darling founder Aycee Brown suffered from insomnia starting at the age of 14 and relied on sleeping pills to fall asleep for years until she began doing research on more natural ways to induce sleep. “That led me to take fragrance-blending classes and learn about herbs,” she tells SELF. She started creating products for herself at first; it was only years later, after going through a breakup, that it dawned on her that other people could use those things as well.

Brown’s offerings started with candles, but she’s since expanded into room and pillow sprays, teas, and bath-soak products. “I wanted to invoke relaxation on a soul level,” she says. And, of course, that relaxation is essential to getting a good night’s rest, which is part of the company’s overall mission: To promote better sleep habits. “My goal is to teach rest and for my products to become a part of women’s sleep rituals."

HealHaus

HealHaus, a studio and café located in Brooklyn, was created in response to the lack of inclusive and accessible wellness studios in the area. “We wanted to create something that people of all backgrounds could feel welcomed in,” cofounder Darian Hall shares. “Whether you’re coming for the daily yoga and meditation classes, workshops, private services such as therapy, or just the café, HealHaus has something for everyone.”

Though you can’t sip one of their seasonal elixirs or smoothies at the café right now, many HealHaus services, from yoga to meditation, are still available online with a membership (and you can purchase some blends of their elixirs and teas on their site as well). “The ultimate objective is to reach as many people as possible that could benefit from our services,” Hall says. “We have an amazing roster of diverse practitioners that can really help people during their wellness journey.”

Buena Botanicals

Before twin sisters Coral and Rah Hines brought their CBD brand, Buena Botanicals, to the masses, their first customer was their mother, who found relief in some of their products.

CBD has exploded in popularity over the past couple of years, but as the founders point out, the cannabis space has remained fairly limited when it comes to its purveyors. “As the industry becomes more accepted, the majority of those benefiting don’t share that same history,” they tell SELF. Black people, as we’ve previously reported, have also been disproportionately criminalized for cannabis use for years. “We wanted to provide high-quality, eco-responsible CBD and other healing modalities that give back to the communities that have been most affected.”

The brand’s motto is “Make Life Buena,” and that’s what they want to do with their creams, elixirs, and soaps: Make life good—or at least better—for as many people as possible. Outside of their products, Buena Botanicals also focus on education and community engagement, along with writing about healthy lifestyle habits and ways to manage anxiety. “Through our products and brand, we hope that people find the relief and support that they are looking for, in whatever form.”

Love Notes

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Love Notes founder Nya Kam’s inspiration for her candle brand came from a place of romance and joy. That includes love in all forms—Kam says she collects love notes from friends and family and wanted to evoke the same all-encompassing emotion of love and warmth. Fragrance is a big part of conveying that emotion: “There’s something about lighting a candle that sets the mood and allows you to decompress, but when you combine that with fragrance, both can set the tone for a wind-down.” Kam’s candles include notes of jasmine, gardenia, orange peel, and amber, among other fragrances.

Last summer, Kam also launched a line of aromatic body teas (which can be used in the bath and double as a body scrub) called Self-ish. She hopes when consumers pair the two lines together, they’re able to create a relaxing at-home spa experience. “Self-ish for me was connecting the dots…creating the mood through candles, and then really leaning in to pamper yourself [with the teas].”

LOOM

Parenting and pregnancy services have a long, fraught history of not serving the needs of women of color, so it’s refreshing to find spaces like L.A.’s LOOM that have opened their doors with a specific emphasis on inclusivity and nonjudgement. Cofounded by Erica Chidi, a doula herself and also LOOM’s CEO, the wellness-and-parenting space provides education and community around topics like reproductive health, sex, fertility, periods, pregnancy, and parenting.

During the pandemic, many of LOOM’s offerings have moved online, where people can access classes, from infant feeding basics to options for new mothers, on an individual basis. Chidi sees this education as a vital resource, even a political act. “Women having more information about their reproductive health or their menstrual cycle is a form of political activism because if you know how your body works you can advocate for yourself,” Chidi told Marie Claire.

Naaya

Sinikiwe Dhliwayo, the founder of BIPOC wellness-and-yoga community Naaya, grew up in Zimbabwe and, according to a Well + Good interview, started practicing yoga after a running injury put her out of commission. Years laters, Dhliwayo launched Naaya as a result of her own experiences feeling uncomfortable in yoga studios, as a way to create visibility for Black bodies in yoga and a safe, accessible space for BIPOC to find well-being. “Wellness, as it stands now, is synonymous with whiteness, affluence, and being able-bodied. Naaya exists to redefine this narrative into one that centers BIPOC folks,” reads a statement on the website.

Naaya goes beyond just traditional yoga and meditation, though, offering online classes that aim to teach self-love and help young people process anger. It’s also working with BIPOC high school students in an initiative called The Check-In, which teaches yoga and mediation modalities to help students support their own well-being at home.

Sacred Botanica

Karen Rose, the founder of Brooklyn’s Sacred Botanica, looked to the traditional plant-medicine and community-healing practices of her native home of Guyana when she created her storefront. The self-described plant teacher and herbalist created this space with the intention of “empower[ing] individuals to make informed decisions not only about their health but their total lifestyle,” according to the website, and offers a range of products and services to help people re-center themselves. Sacred Botanica includes everything from incense, candles, and crystals, though if you’re in need of some spiritual advisements, Rose also conducts tarot and astrology readings via Zoom.

I See You Wellness

After working as an advertising creative and suffering for years from depression and anxiety—“a dark night of the soul,” as she describes it—I See You Wellness founder Mariam Mouna Guessous decided to reclaim her peace and put herself first. “This led me to healing myself and creating products, services, and spaces for others to do the same,” she shares. Guessous describes the herbs, bath salts, and skin-care products (from body oils to candles to soaps) in her brand’s lineup as “self-care and soul-care” products, and she also hosts online breath work gatherings and downloadable self-care sessions.

Related:

• 44 Mental Health Resources for Black People Trying to Survive in This Country
• 11 Black People Share Big and Small Ways They’re Caring for Themselves
• 25 Books For People Who Want to Learn More About Race in America