9 Beauty and Grooming Essentials for Black Travelers
Look fine on the fly with these pack-and-slay products.
With the arrival of the vaccine we’re daring to dream about our next trips, whether to far-flung destinations or back home to family. But whatever our final destination, we want to arrive looking … well … fly. So we’ve rounded up a passel of portable products from up-and-coming Black-owned beauty companies who understand our specific beauty and grooming needs. Make space in your carry-on; these products are worth it!
FIVE STARS
Created by Nancy Twine, Briogeo offers high-performance hair care for naturally curly textures. With five travel-sized products, Briogeo Besties Clean Hair Discovery Kit is a good introduction to the brand’s cleansers and conditioners.
BRUSH CRUSH
Celebrity hairstylist Felicia Leatherwood’s Detangler Brush whizzes through the kinkiest, thickest hair textures with ease, minimizing shedding and breakage.
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OIL CHANGE
Instead of shea butter, try Bolden’s Sweet Vanilla Shea Oil, an all-purpose balm that nurtures from head to toe (so you’ll only need to pack one moisturizer), and smells good enough to eat.
JUICED UP
The Juices by Oyin Handmade is a line of tea-based, aloe-infused hair tonic sprays that bring freshness and bounce to kinks and curls flattened by your seat’s headrest.
HAIR AWARE
Keep your facial hair looking lush and healthy with Koils by Nature’s Ultimate Beard Kit, an all-natural vegan collection comprising a conditioner, oil, butter and cleanser designed to keep your “manscape” in tip-top condition, even after a long travel day.
SWEET RELIEF
The combination of honey, jojoba oil and vitamin E in Honey Baby Naturals’ Honey Nectar Body Jelly absorbs effortlessly into post-shower skin, adding the moisture winter-weary skin craves.
SNOOZE STARTER
CBD is hot right now, and this Black-owned brand is delivering the goods for internal and external enhancement. Brown Girl Jane’s 1,500 mg CBD tincture, Rest, supports deep sleep and may help with jet-lag induced insomnia.
UNDER COVER
Grace Eleyae understands that whether you’re at home or on the road, protecting your natural or relaxed hair from the elements is essential. Check out her satin-lined hats and turbans for day wear, and satin or silk pillowcases that are ideal nighttime options for the bonnet averse. From $24
TOOLED UP
In addition to cleansing and styling products, Pattern Beauty – the natural haircare line by actress Tracee Ellis Ross – also offers a brilliant bundle of hair tools. The shower brush, wide-tooth comb, microfiber towel, hair clip, spray bottle, hair pic, and edge tool are everything you need to detangle and style on the go.
Patrice Grell Yursik is a Chicago-based Trinidadian beauty, hair and culture writer, and the creator of Afrobella.com, one of the longest-running beauty, natural hair and lifestyle sites for Black women. She currently contributes to publications including Food & Wine, Reader’s Digest and O, The Oprah Magazine. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.