Let’s be clear: I’ve always worn my Black Girl crown tall and high, never deflecting the magic that my race carries. But I recently had an epiphany: my beauty routine didn’t always reflect that.

Once only discussed through word of mouth, networks like Instagram and Reddit have helped bubble up black-owned beauty brands to the mainstream. As has the owner of this little makeup brand you’ve probably heard of called Fenty Beauty. You might know her…Rihanna? But according to stats from the U.S. Census Bureau, African-Americans still lag behind other groups when it comes to business ownership. We account for roughly 12 percent of the population, yet we only own just 3.3 percent of businesses. Many reasons go into these factors including less capital, low loan approval rates, and higher interest rates, yet still we push and are on the rise—among these businesses, black women are leading the charge.

From the top of my head, down to my feet, I had to really question myself and see if I had at least one nail polish, chapstick, eyeliner, lipstick, or hair pin by black owners. Even as an experienced beauty writer, the answer was still no. So I decided to go on a detox, putting aside my other beloved brands for a short while to use only black-owned beauty brands for a month straight.

Now, when I say I used only black-owned brands, I mean only—down everything in my shower and medicine cabinet. Yes, even toothpaste. I was worried at first it wouldn’t be possible, but wow was I wrong. Here’s everything I fell in love with over the course of the month.

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