Hanahana Beauty is a consciously clean brand that creates beautiful products often centred around Shea, sourced directly from the Katariga Women's Shea Cooperative, in Ghana. I've wanted to invite the brand's founder Abena, onto the podcast for a long time. Over that time I have loved watching her build her brand, often while travelling between Chicago and Ghana. Abena is a former algebra teacher and therapist who says that both of her prior careers were about the concept of sharing, and that she feels the same way now, as a founder of a skincare and wellness brand.

In this episode I wanted to find out how Abena has managed to find that balance between having to nurture and grow a brand during a pandemic while also taking care of herself. Of course I had to ask all about the morning routine, and it turns out that Abena takes her mornings pretty seriously. She says that time is purely for her: whether that means meditation, cleaning, movement or simply catching up on social. Oh and she's definitely a fan of having multiple cleansers on deck. We talk about being ‘skin vain’ – how the only way we will give up something food-wise, is if it affects our skin, and how Abena believes that skincare isn’t just about AM and PM; it’s about curating a routine for your body, your period – even the seasons.

A key theme from this conversation is 'being intentional' - in what we do to our skin, what we put into our bodies, and how we take care of ourselves. We discuss the difference between intuition and anxiety and beauty and wellness overlap. I hope you enjoy, because I definitely did! You can follow Abena @beanieboamah and follow her brand @hanahana_beauty. You can find video snippets of this chat over on @beautymepodcast or feel free to say 'hi' over on my personal account @charisse.kenion. As always, if you loved the show, it would be amazing if you could post a review; it really means a lot.

Products mentioned:

Alaffia Cucumber Good Soap Bar: https://products.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/alaffia-cucumber-good-soap-bar-8fe322

Hanahana Beauty Exfoliating Body Bar: https://hanahanabeauty.com/products/exfoliating-body-bar

Klur Cleanser Gentle Matter Daily Moisture Cleanser: https://klur.co/products/gentle-matter

Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser: https://www.youthtothepeople.com/products/superfood-face-cleanser

Hanahana Beauty Black + Brown Exfoliating Cleanser: https://hanahanabeauty.com/products/black-brown-scrub-1

Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray: https://www.tower28beauty.com/products/sos-daily-facial-rescue-spray?variant=13413450186807

My Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing Gel: https://mytopicals.com/collections/skincare/products/faded

My Topicals Like Butter Hydrating Mask: https://mytopicals.com/collections/skincare/products/like-butter

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