Selfcare for ‘Down There’ as a Woman of Color

When it comes to caring for our bodies, most of us know that we should be doing a little bit of everything — from eating healthy foods to getting regular exercise, to taking care of our skin. But when it comes to specifically taking care of the hair down there, many women don't know where to start. Today we discuss the lack of vaginal and skincare products aimed at women of color and how our guest is bridging this gap and allowing these women to take care of their pubic area without feeling dazed and confused.

Dr. Cynthia Wesley is a practicing physician and an entrepreneur; she is the founder and CEO of Beauty Below, a product line and resource for intimate wellness and beauty for women with dark skin and course hair. Dr. Wesley, or Dr. Cyn, as she is known, is a true warrior for women, and she has used her negative experience dating back to her college years to assist other women in identifying and resolving any issues ‘below the waist’. Stay tuned to find out what products Beauty Below offers, how women of color differ in the area ‘down there’, and how Dr. Cyn fights to empower women of color on a daily basis!

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TOPICS COVERED:

• Meet Dr. Cynthia Wesley, the founder and CEO of a company called Beauty Below.
• Her company’s hashtag, #BlackVaginaConfidence, speaks volumes about their goals and objectives.
• According to Dr. Wesley, women of color are more prone to ingrown hairs, dark sports, bacterial vaginosis, and other similar issues.
• The most important goal is to give women of color confidence and education about their intimate space so that healthcare disparities can be addressed.
• Just like many other vagipreneurs, Dr. Wesley started this company based on personal experience, as she had been struggling with pubic hair since college.
• The essential products at Beauty Below are a medicated shave moose, an ingrown hair serum, and pads for dark sports ‘down there’.
• Dweck wants to know how product formulations were developed and who was involved in the process.
• There are several differences between white women and women of color when it comes to the area below the waist, which inspired Dr. Wesley to write a book titled Beauty Below, where women can find all sorts of tips and medical advice for properly treating their vaginas.
• Bacterial vaginosis is directly related to vitamin D deficiency; in other words, if you’re having problems down there, check your vitamin D first!
• Dweck adds a few more topics to the discussion, including douching, boric acid, and probiotics.
• Your diet is also very important for your vaginal health since it directly affects the health of your entire body.
• According to Rachel, Beauty Below launched in July, and Dr. Wesley adds that the products are available on the company’s website.
• Wesley is still in practice and she’s also running her business, so Dr. Dweck is astounded and wants to know how she does it.
• Rachel is curious about the origins of the ingredients and the products, and we learn that all products are made in the United States, and all labs are certified.
• Since this is an ongoing debate, Dr. Dweck asks the following question: Hair or bare down there?
• Wesley treats all women as if they were close family members, doing her best to help and educate them on their intimate space.
• Apart from the website, you can also find Beauty Below on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
• As for the latest products, Beauty Below has just released their booty bundle, which includes a booty mask, a sugar scrub, and a shower loofah.
• HOT FLASH: It seems that approximately 80% of women ages 18-65 report that they remove some of all of their pubic hair.

 

QUOTES:

“All women have suffered over the years with the negative connotations that can be associated with our most intimate space, and sometimes that’s exacerbated in women of color.” (Dr. Wesley)

“I feel that it’s very important that women of color are confident in their intimate space, confident with being okay with speaking up and learning what they need to learn.” (Dr. Wesley)

“I started researching what works and what doesn’t work; I was my personal Guinea pig. And what evolved was Beauty Below.” (Dr. Wesley)

“I found out that women of color actually have a different type of lactic acid than white women, and that particular lactic acid has a higher pH, which makes you a little bit more prone to bacterial vaginosis.” (Dr. Wesley)

“There was a huge study done at the University of Pittsburgh, and what they discovered is that bacterial vaginosis is directly tied to vitamin D deficiency.” (Dr. Wesley)

“I imagine the trust and the connection to your users is critically important and that they want to know where the ingredients are sourced from and where the products are made.” (Rachel)

“Hair or bare down there? In my neck of the woods, it seems there’s just not that much hair to deal with, and I don’t think this is a trend that’s going away anytime soon.” (Dr. Dweck)

“If you want to do a little bit more down there, for whatever reason, I’m okay with that. You just need to know what your risks are.” (Dr. Wesley)

“You have such a clear vision of who you want to help, how you want to help and, very importantly, the tone of the conversation that you want to have.” (Rachel)

“Educating women is the cornerstone of Beauty Below.” (Dr. Wesley)

FURTHER RESOURCES:

Beauty Below www.beautybelowmd.com

Dr. Wesley @Linkedin

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Dr. Alyssa Dweck: https://drdweck.com

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