The Skin Sync Was About More Than Skin - The Recap
A couple of Sundays ago, Black Women For Self and Black Girls With Eczema gathered for The Skin Sync: A Holistic Skin & Wellness Experience for Black Women, and what unfolded was exactly what we hoped it would be: a room full of Black women choosing themselves.
Dressed in beautiful shades of caramel, cinnamon, mocha, chocolate, espresso, etc., women showed up ready to learn, connect, and be vulnerable. The room was filled with laughter, thoughtful questions, honest conversation, and the kind of community that reminds us we don’t have to navigate our wellness journeys alone.
Throughout the evening, dermatologist Dr. Lauren Payne shared practical, evidence-based skincare advice that many of us will carry into our daily routines. We learned why tinted sunscreen is a better option for our skin, why moisturizing immediately after bathing while our skin is still damp helps lock in hydration, and yes—despite what we’ve all heard—Black does indeed crack. Caring for our skin isn’t vanity; it’s a part of caring for our health.
The Takeaways…
But perhaps some of the most powerful takeaways came from therapist Dr. Danielle Wright, who reminded us that skin health cannot be separated from the rest of who we are.
She challenged us to ask ourselves:
What is happening in my body?
What is happening in my life?
Where am I holding stress?
Where am I unsupported?
Those questions shifted the conversation beyond products and routines and into something deeper. Because while moisturizers, medications, and dermatologists matter, so do rest, emotional well-being, community, and self-compassion.
Dr. Wright also reminded us that we deserve to care for our skin without hating our changing bodies. That aging is not the end of beauty. That we deserve to look in the mirror and see women who have lived, loved, survived, stretched, nurtured, and kept going.
The greatest takeaway of the evening was that healthy skin is about so much more than what we apply to our faces. It’s about how we care for our bodies, how we manage stress, how we speak to ourselves, and whether we’ve created lives that allow us to truly heal.
As Dr. Danielle Wright so beautifully shared,
“And perhaps that is the real invitation of this conversation: to move beyond simply asking Black women to look well, and toward building the kind of conditions that allow us to actually be well.”
That is exactly what The Skin Sync was about….creating space where Black women can learn, ask questions, feel seen, share openly, and build lives that support their overall well-being—from the inside out.
To everyone who joined us, thank you for showing up with open hearts. Thank you to Dr. Lauren Payne, Dr. Danielle Wright, Taja for the sacred tea ceremony, the photographer, Maya, who captured these beautiful images, our partners at Black Girls With Eczema, and everyone who helped make this experience possible.
Here’s to healthier skin, healthier minds, and continuing to choose ourselves—together.
To those who took pictures at the event, access your pictures below using the code 5909.
BGWE by Moments by Maya Photography
In rest,
Samjah Iman