The secret of skincare and tea
For Rianna Drake and Melisa Jones, the evolution of Tea & Me promotes living a more natural and organic lifestyle, but also their journey as women of color within the wellness industry
Photo courtesy of Rianna Drake and Melisa Jones
Tea & Me was founded from a passion for seeking healthy and natural ways to navigate life and always finding myself coming back to the essential simple ingredients nature seems to have an abundance of. Since 2015 and moving into my own home, I've embarked on a health and wellness journey, and I've made a conscious effort to better my health, environment, and products I interact with. Still, my journey with health imperfections started long before then.
As a child, I suffered from severe eczema and therefore had many sensitivities in my diet and skin products I could use. Products like cow's milk did not agree with me at all, forcing me to opt for goat's milk to avoid any major flare-ups and irritation in my skin. As I moved through my teenage years, I switched to using more plant-based products, which saw a dramatic improvement in my skin and body. Fast-forward to now (I'm 28), I have been a vegetarian for two years, and dry, flaky, spotty skin is predominantly a thing of the past.
Alongside what I was putting in my body, I also couldn't put anything too heavily perfumed onto my skin, which was devastating as a little girl. I would always receive bath bombs and creams as birthday gifts - but unfortunately - I couldn't use any of them. I reluctantly steered away from those my whole childhood. It has now sprouted into a love for natural, organic, and wholesome products, both great for my body and the environment.
I discovered a questionable amount of bleach, parabens, silicones, and perfumes in products that are unnecessary for the body. In turn, this sparked my movement to using natural and organic feminine care, as well as natural haircare and skincare. These ingredients are especially prevalent in hair products, particularly damaging to Black hair and caring for it. As part of my hair journey, I started to embrace my natural curls, which were almost completely lost through years of heat styling and products not designed for me.
As I continue to grow and educate myself on all elements in life, it has become a conscious decision to look for the intention in everything I put in or use on my body, by asking myself these questions: is this product working for me? What are the benefits?
This is where the idea for Tea & Me stemmed from. As a tea lover from a young age, I loved the taste and purpose it served; whether that was helping with travel sickness, bloating, or just warmth, it has forever been my go-to. I started to want more from tea and looked into the benefits of the ingredients and their purpose.
Myself, and co-founder Melisa, thought if there's a way to enjoy a product that promotes health benefits, also aiding in a healthy balanced lifestyle to better specific ailments, then it was something we wanted to create. This is now the foundation of our brand. Tea & Me will be launching in October with a range of four signature blends, plus a limited-edition blend. They will be loose leaf teas and are driven with a purpose to aid and help the consumer.
To read about us, visit our website and blog at www.itsteaandme.com.
View this post on InstagramMatcha is an amazing antioxidant that is perfect to start your day with. What tea do you start your day with? ______________________________________________________________
A post shared by Tea & Me (@_teaandme) on Jul 12, 2020 at 8:25am PDT