7 Toxic Ingredients to avoid at all cost

As I was browsing through research articles that talked about toxic ingredients in our beauty care items, I was shocked to come across an alarming statistic: The average woman uses 12 personal/...

Why Going GRN is the New BLK

by Tanya B. Drake It's no secret that everything green is crowding space on your IG newsfeed. Whether it's Beyonce's post, of a sprouted toast, with vibrant slices of avocado piled high. Your best ...

What does natural, non-toxic, and organic really mean?

How often are you able to pronounce the ingredients found in your face wash? What about in your foundation or moisturizer? It’s scary to think about how normal it has become to not pay atten...

My Last Blog and the Birth of BLK + GRN

Farewell. This is my last blog. Seriously. I’m retiring. Not like when Jay-Z told us the Black Album was his last album in 2003 and has come out with five albums since. I’m serious. This is my last...

A Woman's Response to “Straight Black Men Are the White People of Black People”

Black women have not been allowed to be both Black and female. Historically, we have had to choose our race over our gender. We have not talked about our pain in order to protect our Black men's di...

Shea Moisture Revealed the Fraud in Us All

Thanks, Shea Moisture. In light of your recent marketing snafu, I realized that like you, I was a fraud. Maybe I was even worse than Shea Moisture, because I knew I wanted to prioritize Black women...

Black Girl Happiness is Revolutionary

When I published, My Husband Didn’t Make Me Happy, my inbox was flooded with emails. I was surprised, by the number of comments and emails I received from people who thought that me valuing my own ...

Thoughts After the Women’s March

So here is how I express my feminism. I have decided to be unapologetically happy. I will love myself unconditionally. I will not be shaped, defined, or moved by the patriarch’s opinion on who I sh...

Living Fearless: FOX News Segment

What makes fear particularly dangerous is that it is driven by beliefs and not by fact. Beliefs are inherently biased, flawed, and situational. Beliefs are shaped by your experiences, your culture,...

The Natural Hair Movement Failed Me

Although I was late to the natural hair movement, when I discovered it in 2013, I thought I had found the golden grail. All I needed to do was co-wash my tresses, use protective styles, and take so...

Millennial Commandment IV: Thou Shalt Have a Side Hustle

I truly believe that you can’t be free if you are working for someone else. (And you all know how important freedom is to me.) As I have gotten older, my side hustles have helped me have more freed...

Need Less: My Journey to Minimalism

My definition of minimalism is simple: it is the art of needing less. Less clothes. Less shoes. Less space. And less from the external environment to make you happy. It’s creating a life that isn’...

Four Ways Millennials Redefine Life

As millennials, we reject conventional wisdom.  We create lives that are built around our lifestyles of traveling, food, family and fun. Not around our careers. We want to live our dream lives now,...