Hey everyone! It’s been a while – but we’re back. Today’s topic is something very near and dear to Tina•K and a huge part of the story that many may not know: Let’s talk African American Skin.

Tina considers herself an expert at treating African American skin. It’s actually where she got her start in the industry and where she continues to shine – especially with a large part of her clientele who are constantly in front of a camera.

When she was just 16, Tina started working in the entertainment industry, where she was hired as a freelance facialist for some of the biggest artists at the time. She remembers working on people like Chris Tucker, Eve, Regina King, Zhanè, and others who taught her at a young age just how important proper care is for black skin and what a difference she could actually make.

The most prominent issues she faced were discoloration and scarring, as well as ingrown hair in men. The challenge was finding a way to treat their skin without causing discoloration (which happens extremely easily on darker skin tones), while making sure they were always glowing and red carpet ready.

Fast forward to about 8 years ago – the “ah-ha” moment that sparked the fire and started what Tina•K Products has become today. Tina was lounging by the pool (slathered in sunscreen) when she came across an article written by a black woman all about Vitamin D deficiency and African American skin.

Vitamin D deficiency is a global issue, partly caused by the fact that people have feared sun exposure for so many years. It is so important to protect yourself against sun damage and skin cancer, of course, but this can also hinder you from being able to absorb the good from the sun and can actually lead to deficiencies.

For African American skin, adequate Vitamin D is even more important. Melanin inhibits the skin’s ability to absorb Vitamin D, so darker skin tones are less capable of producing it in comparison to lighter skin tones. With this realization, Tina wondered what a lack of Vitamin D was doing to her clients’ skin and how she could tackle the issue directly from the source.

After researching and working closely with the Vitamin D Council, Tina realized that a lot of the issues her clients faced (inflammation, redness, discoloration, etc.) were directly correlated with this deficiency.

She then went on to create Hydratant•K, a transdermal Vitamin D3 oil. Once she began using it on her clients, the results were incredible. She found that especially in African American skin, it immediately balanced out and calmed all of the inflammatory conditions she had been seeing for years and years.

The idea is really all about balance. You have to balance the skin in order to calm everything down and relieve it of inflammation. Today, with a large celebrity clientele and even more knowledge and experience under her belt, Tina is definitely an expert when it comes to treating all skin types, but especially black skin.

The more you know, right? I hope you found this piece of the Tina•K story interesting and learned a little about the differences to take into consideration when treating darker skin tones.

THANKS FOR READING! XO,

FRANCESCA