If we’ve learned anything from last year’s novel once-in-a-century pandemic (that we are only just starting to “recover” from), it was the importance of mental health, self-care, and overall wellness. It is reported that 1 in 13 people globally experience symptoms of anxiety to one degree or another. That number increases significantly to 1 in 8 in the United States alone.
One of the very few silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic is that people began to re-think wellness amidst so much uncertainty; we have seen an active paradigm shift in how we view mental health.
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That all sounds great — however, there continue to be drastic discrepancies in access to treatments; we even see these discrepancies in how self-care is marketed. Natural skincare is a nearly $2 billion dollar business with the demand growing stronger as more Americans are ditching chemical laden products in the name of self-care. In recent years, self-care has often times been commodified and marketed in ways that exclude some of the most vulnerable populations, very much including Black people. Helen Rose Skincare has now entered the chat.
Meet Founder and Executive Director Day Bibb
But what could natural skincare, marginalized communities, and mental health possibly have in common? Well it’s quite simple: Skincare. But not only any skincare company. Black woman-owned and founded in 2019 by Portland native Day Bibb, Helen Rose Skincare aspires to close the accessibility gap by connecting mind, body, AND soul. At its core, this multi-faceted organic skincare combines the power of organic ingredients to moisturize your skin, and the powers of aromatherapy to improve your mood.
Day Bibb and three other Black female entrepreneurs in Portland were awarded grants from American Express as a part of a national program that funded 100 Black women-owned businesses. What started out as a kitchen-operated business has expanded to a scalable wellness company complete with a storefront located in northeast Portland.
In addition to running a successful skincare business, Day is also the founder of Om Thrive Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides healing yoga and wellness resources to survivors of domestic violence; which is undoubtedly the heart of this whole operation. A portion of the all sales profits from Helen Rose Skincare is donated to support Om Thrive’s mission.
“I started Om Thrive with the mission of supporting domestic violence survivors in healing from trauma,” Bibb tells The Manual. “As we all know domestic violence can have lifelong impacts on not only the victim but the support system and children of the victim.”
For Day, learning techniques to help cope with past physical and emotional trauma is a very personal story.
“These impacts can show up in the form of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and social personality disorder,” she says. “The ultimate goal has always been to create ways to cope with manifestations of trauma through mind/body practice as part of the healing journey.”
It has been one the driving factors that Om Thrive Foundation aspires to provide for underserved communities. Primarily by providing an inclusive healing space for other survivors that may also experience symptoms of PTSD due to trauma.
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More Than Just Skincare
Helen Rose Skincare strives to provide all natural and eco-friendly solution to common skin ailments such as eczema and dry itchy skin which affects the Black community at higher rates. Not only will your skin reap the benefits from applying these products, but their use can also help boost your mood with the help of aromatherapy. Aromatherapy has been around for centuries and is defined as the use of essential oils (or other organic compounds) to help improve mood and overall mental health. Incorporating the use of essential oils into skincare products is one of the easiest ways to add them into your daily routine. But of course, it’s not only limited to just topical skincare. Helen Rose Skincare also offers aroma-infused foot soaks and natural deodorant sprays if you’re looking for other options.
“I’ve used aromatherapy for many years to soothe mood disruptions so it only made sense to blend aromatherapy into the everyday skincare routine,” Bibb says. “Mental health should be looked at as an ongoing routine rather than a knee-jerk reaction to a traumatic event or series of events.”
Along with focusing on skincare and mental wellness, there’s another pillar of Day’s business: Representation. Helen Rose Skincare prioritizes inclusivity and that’s apparent even in their marketing efforts that showcases diversity in skin tones, body types, and that highlights Black families.
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How You Can Support
If you’re on the hunt to step up your wellness routine, Helen Rose Skincare is an easy place to start. You’ll kill two birds with one stone with ingredients that nourish your skin and uplift your spirits with the use of aromatherapy infused into the products. From foot soaks, to body butters, to hair oils, we are confident you’ll find something that will spark your interest.
And gentleman, these products are made for you in mind, as well!
Helen Rose Skincare is all inclusive and you can be assured that when you make a purchase, you’re helping those that need help the most.
“I feel like it would be beneficial for Black men to incorporate a wellness routine in their daily lives and switch the narrative from surviving to living and thriving,” Bibb says.
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