Hello. My name is Maya-Camille Broussard and I am a beauty product fanatic. I’ve been strung out on beauty products for the past 22 years (Yes. I’ve been an addict since I was 8 years old. Wet-n-Wild was my first hit that got me hooked.) I love to raid the counters for skin care products, make up and anything that feels good and smells yummy! However, being the pro-black-with-a-hint-of-militant-Chicagoan that I am, I love to support the beauty products made by African-American companies. And since I’m so black and so proud, I’ve found three African-American women whose products that will have you shouting out loud!

Carol’s Daughter

Since the early 1990’s, Carol’s Daughter has garnered a reputation of manufacturing reliable and natural products for the hair, skin and body. Some of the more popular products include Hair Milk, Almond Cookie Body Butter, and Lemon Ginger Mint Manicure in a Jar. Hair Milk ($12-$18) combines lemongrass and sweet almond oil to moisturize hair and is great for naturally curly hair. Almond Cookie Body Butter ($18.00) is filled with shea butter, coconut butter, jojoba and sweet almond oil. Not only is a must for dry skin, it also smells absolutely decadent!  Lemon Ginger Mint Manicure in a Jar ($11.50) is a manicurist dream and contains essential oils of lemon, ginger, and peppermint with a hint of vanilla. Carol’s Daughter is available at various Sephora stores and at www.carolsdaughter.com.

J. Blossom

J. Blossom‘s brainchild Jamila White has created natural and fun products for young girls. Her products are the perfect gift solutions for all of the birthday parties that fill your young one’s calendar. J. Blossom’s gift sets come complete with natural body lotion, natural bubble bath/shower gel, natural lip balm tube, mesh bath puff, and a plush ballerina doll. The products come in two flavorful scents: Strawberry Banana Smoothie or Great Big Grape. While the products of J. Blossom‘s are designed to make our young girls feel good on the outside, it strives to make them feel fabulous on the inside as well. Each bottle has a positive affirmation printed on its label such as “Short or tall, thick or thin, I love the skin that I am in!” J. Blossom products and its retailers can be found on www.jblossom.com.

IMAN Cosmetics

Sometimes it can be hard finding just the right shades and hues that will compliment the varied skin colors that African-American women are blessed with. One person who understands this obstacle is the iconic and legendary model Iman. Iman created IMAN Cosmetics in 1994 to provide women with skincare solutions. The selections are more varied than many cosmetic lines, which allow women of color to mix and blend colors more efficiently. After all, walking out of the door with the “Casper Effect” in which the face is lighter than the neck is not cute! Since pairing with Proctor and Gamble in 2004, IMAN Cosmetics are now available in many retail stores including Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Duane Reade. To view the line’s cosmetics offerings, visit www.imancosmetics.com.

In purchasing and experimenting with the above products, you are at risk of becoming addicted yourself. If you find yourself itching for another beauty product hit, make sure you say, “yes”, to Carol’s Daughter, J. Blossom and IMAN Cosmetics. As for me? While I try to attend my BPA (Beauty Product Anonymous) meetings on a regular basis, missing one or two meetings doesn’t hurt me at all. Purchasing beauty products from African-American companies makes my occasional withdrawal painless. After all, it feels good to support a company that makes me look good too!