Barbara and Kimba of Kushae
This week, we're talking to Dr. Barb and Kimba of Kushae aka the Doctor and the Diva, whose line of all-natural, doctor-formulated feminine hygiene system is helping diversify Black-owned product offerings in feminine care!
BLK+GRN: Who are you and why do you do what you do? THE LADIES OF KUSHAE: Dr. Barb is a Board Certified OB/GYN with over 20+ years in practice. Kimba is a 15-year pharmaceutical sales executive. At the age of 38, Dr. Barb was diagnosed with breast cancer and decided to focus on a healthier lifestyle, which included decreasing toxins in her everyday routine. After being sick and tired of watching hospital patients who were sick and dying, Kimba decided to create a more natural and healthy lifestyle for her and her family, knowing that prevention is certainly better than medicine or a cure. Together these women founded BK Naturals, a company that provides feminine health and wellness education to women via YouTube and live events and manufactures all-natural feminine care line, Kushae. It’s “All Natural Care for Down There”!
BLKGRN: What was your "Aha Moment" and when did your vision start to manifest? THE LADIES OF KUSHAE: When our cofounders met on a girls trip in 2016, Dr. Barb and The Natural Diva began to swap ideas and share insights on chemical-free solutions to the feminine care issues we're all so familiar with. Realizing that many women craved honest and professional information about feminine health and things their mom never wanted to discuss, they started an educational YouTube channel, BK Naturals…it’s an honest, candid chat between a doctor and a diva! Women began tuning in and to date, their most popular video has over 8,000 views! As questions arose around what products to use for everyday hygiene maintenance, the pair realized that there was no complete product line to address feminine odor, chafing, irritation, and more. The rest, they say, is Kushae!
BLK+GRN: How is your brand green? Why was this important to you? THE LADIES OF KUSHAE: We strive to not use any artificial, chemical, or synthetic ingredients in our products. This is perfectly aligned with the need to detoxify our own lives, as we commit to more natural and healthy lifestyles, too. We also wanted other women who were seeking to detoxify their lives to have an amazing feminine health solution to turn to. BLK+GRN: Why do you think it is important to Buy Black? THE LADIES OF KUSHAE: With Black commerce, comes Black wealth; the ability to create provisions for needs specific to Black communities; change policies that affect our Black children, and create generational wealth among our families.
“With Black commerce, comes Black wealth; the ability to create provisions for needs specific to Black communities; change policies that affect our Black children; and create generational wealth among our families.” - THE LADIES OF KUSHAE
Learn more about the Black-women creators and makers that make up the BLK + GRN Artisan family at www.blkgrn.com/collections.
