The 10 Best Wellness Tips for Women of Colour from The Beauty Beat: How to Nurture Your Essence and Empower Yourself
@itstrinanicole
Holistic tips designed to help you flourish.
It’s not every day you get to watch an in-depth wellness conversation take place between women of colour. The Beauty Beat is the UK’s first luxury beauty event for women of colour and its now in its second year with no signs of slowing down - the beauty hall, the talks and the corridors are packed with women of colour learning, testing, shopping and most importantly connecting.
The second day took on the big topic of wellness for the WOC community with a panel of black female authors, influencers and businesswomen. The conversation was moderated by the charismatic Shakaila Forbes-Bell, the author of Big Dress Energy with the experts giving us their top wellness hacks and personal life experiences.
A large part of the conversation focused on black women’s wellness. Forbes-Bell said, “Sometimes, as black women, we are taught that you have to work twice as hard” and discussed with the panelists the importance of cultivating self-care rituals in this aspect.
For those of you who couldn’t make it to the incredible event in Central London, we sat at the front of the auditorium and rounded up the best tips for you.
MEET THE PANEL
(in order from top left to bottom right)
Toni Omotola Adenlé (Toni Tone) is the Sunday Times best-selling author of I Wish I Knew This Earlier: Lessons on Love
Alexis Lee is a content creator, author and public speaker and in 2022 she released her debut book Feeling Myself published by Penguin/ Ebury.
Trina Nicole is a dance ambassador for Nike women and founder the UK's first plus size dance class The Curve Catwalk.
Shakaila Forbes-Bell (centre image) is a fashion psychologist and author of Big Dress Energy
Dr. Joyce Omatseye - FY1 doctor at Whipps Cross Hospital and the Founder of Ara Nini Health.
Chloé Pierre - Award Winning Creator, Author and Founder of Thy Self.
Gina Nipah - Plus size model, entrepreneur and Owner of HapinBeautyLounge.
Do the simple stuff first
Chloé Pierre, author of Take Care: The Black Women's Guide to Wellness advised, “take a deep breath, unclench your jaw and drink a lot of water.”
Acknowledging these were simple hacks, she reminded us (while many nodded in the audience) that, “these are key things for our survival but we often forget to do them.”
Pierre also said, “look into yourself and identify who you are, what you need, what works for you and what doesn’t. Find different ways of doing that whether that’s therapy, mental health, being active, being mindful or breathwork. Allow yourself that time to figure out who you are and what you need.”
Invest in your bed
@chloepierreldn
Toni Tone said, “Sleep is key. If I have not slept well, everything is impacted - my mental health, my emotional health, my skin.”
She points out that your mattress is an important part of your sleep journey. She advises, “you want your bed to be comfy, you want your mattress to be good and your bedroom to be cool enough so that you have comfortable sleep.”
For example, Tone said recently she had been having neck pains which caused migraines so she invested in a high-quality pillow which only improved her sleep.
Surround yourself with people who love you as you are
Alexis Lee said, “as black women, we often have quite a lot on our shoulders to carry and its not our stuff - its from other people.”
“Surround yourself with people who are okay seeing your ugly side so you don’t have to always show up and be on your best behaviour. Sometimes, your going to lose your shit, your going to get triggered, your going to be “ugly” so surround yourself by people who are going to accept you in all your forms not just when your on your best behaviour.”
Stop people-pleasing
@stylemesunday
Lee also advises us to “stop people-pleasing because your not being your true self. As soon as you start to show up authentically, your self image will improve. You will have less imposter syndrome too because your being you and no one knows you better than you.”
Forbes Bell agreed, adding that “sometimes we can people-please to the point of losing ourselves and that does translate into the way you show up.”
Listen to your body
Dr Joyce Omatseye, founder of Ara Nini Health said, “If you feel like something is not right, it probably isn’t. So make sure you don’t delay in getting the support you need.” This is also known as intuitive living and let’s you respond to what your body actually needs.
As a medical professional, Omatseye mentioned another hack which is make sure your getting your screens and tests done - prevention is better than cure.
Regulate your blood sugar
Tone says, “Blood sugar affects us in so many ways whether its mental health, physical health or inflammation.”
Tone tells us she learned these wellness tips from Steven Bartlett’s Diary of the CEO episode with Jessie Inchauspé, the author of Glucose Revolution and she shared with us the two hacks she found most useful and will carry with her for life:
Eat your vegetables first: this helps you level out your blood sugar and create a coating in your guy that helps you.
If you have sweet treats, have a glass of water with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in it to help regulate your blood sugar.
Invest in your family and friends
@signed.drj
Omatseye explains that “my community is part of my wellness. My family and friends are a huge part of me being okay.” She explains that your community will pull you back, reminding you when your overworking, calming you down when you have delays and that its alright to relax.
A study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University found that people use their family and friends as a stress buffer instead of seeking negative coping mechanisms (such as alcohol, smoking or drugs). There are also so many other benefits to having family and friends such as a longer life span and improved cardiovascular health.
Looking good makes you feel good
@ginanipah
Gina Nipah, owner of the HapinBeautyLounge, said, “If you look good, you’ll feel good.” As an owner of a salon, Nipah explained that, “We have so many women come in who have had babies, breakups and they just want something new. It's a form of escapism, a form of therapy and this is self-care.”
Whether it's a little thing like putting on earrings or trying a new hairstyle, making even the smallest effort can make the biggest difference to how you feel about yourself and your day.
Forbes-Bell then mentioned that when was doing research on fashion and beauty psychology for her book she discovered that that having a good hair day can positively impact your mental health. Nipah then addressed why a good hair day is such a powerful force of wellness especially for black women saying “there are so many layers to what we register hair and beauty as” with reference to the social messaging given to black women from childhood about their hair.
Figure out what balance means to you
Balance can mean different things to different people and its important to figure out what balance looks like in your life.
For example, Nipah talked about how balance can mean busy periods and quiet periods for some. Nicole talked about how she now has set boundaries with weekends off which has helped her manage her time better.
Omatseye advised when juggling everything we have going on in our lives, “give yourself grace and start with one thing at a time.”
Work out your “resting style”
@t0nit0ne
Trina Nicole, founder of the Curve Catwalk, advised that, “you find out what rest looks like for you.”
Nicole explained that she has worked out that an active resting style works for her. She says, “for me personally, sitting in front of the TV doesn’t help to recharge me even though I wish it did (laughs)! What does recharge me is going for a walk or going to a dance class - being in a space where I can not think about my to-do list.”
Finding activities where you can get into a flow state or disconnect from your surroundings has a number of benefits - it can create positive feelings, a sense of clarity and lets stressful thoughts take a backseat.
