The Unconventional Wisdom series features founders making waves, and shares their insights and journeys about living a beautiful life.

54 Thrones, founded by serial entrepreneur Christina Funke Tegbe, is a clean beauty brand like no other. We were honored to sit down with Christina and hear about how she searches high and low for the most luxe African ingredients, created 54 Thrones inspired by her Nigerian-American upbringing, and thinks about self-care.

How did clean beauty and 54 Thrones come to be your life’s work?

Clean beauty was a part of my life before I even knew what it was. When I was a child, my aunts in Nigeria would always find a way to send tubs of raw shea butter, cocoa butter, and black soap to me and my siblings to use. When my mother beat breast cancer, they sent her shea butter to soothe and heal her scars. So clean beauty and African beauty traditions were always an important part of my life.

In 2016, after quitting my corporate job, I decided to launch 54 Thrones. As part of our ethos, we would visit first-hand the women and men who would be making the ingredients for our products. I wanted to get to know them, learn about their experience, and really get an in-depth understanding of the ingredients from the people who have used them for generations.

Is there an experience or defining moment that’s influenced your outlook on beauty?

Every time I travel to an African country, I find something new to fall in love with. There is beauty in everything: the people, the food, the atmosphere, the traditions, the multitude of cultures and languages.

You talk about the wisdom of African women when it comes to skincare. What secrets can you share with us?

What I love about African culture and beauty traditions is that everything is centered around the family and community. Everything is shared; nothing is wasted. When shea butter is being created, the outside of the shea fruits can be eaten, the shea oil byproduct can be used to fry food, and then of course the butter is an age-old beauty staple for many African women. That example in itself is a secret to beauty and a secret to life.

What does self-care mean to you?

To me it’s centering yourself, forgiving yourself, saying yes to yourself, and saying no to anything that compromises your balance. Knowing that taking good care of yourself is the only way you can truly take care of anyone else. 

Why did you decide to create the Kahina Lava Cleansing Mask?

On my last visit to Morocco, we drove seven hours to visit the Atlas Mountains, where the rhassoul clay in our mask is found. The mountains are so high, and I was terrified driving alongside this windy road. But this visit inspired me to put a twist on this Moroccan beauty ritual by adding a few other ingredients to enhance the detoxifying principles of the clay.

What’s the story behind the Aja Luxury Face Oil?

The Aja Luxury Face Oil centers around the black seed oil I found in Egypt. Black seed oil is my favorite oil — it’s so magical and nourishing and still has a low viscosity to the touch, so for me that was ideal for a decadent face oil. I designed Aja around black seed oil, so I wanted all the other oils to complement it and ultimately be a super plant-rich skin food. 

When you smell this oil, you can tell it means business.

With only five minutes to care for your skin in the morning, what would you reach for and why?

Alata Samina Black Soap, because my skin loves it; Drunk Elephant C-Firma day serum; Aja Luxury Face Oil because it’s light and I love the dewy glow after use — and sunscreen, of course!

These are unprecedented times for racial justice — and for Black-owned businesses. How has that played out for you and is there anything you’d like to share with this community?

Instead of now asking Black-owned businesses, Black people, and Black brands questions on why it is important to support Black businesses and the like, the more paramount questions are to actually ask oneself those exact questions. Why do you now find it important to support Black businesses? What place is this new social responsibility coming from and why? Why did you never consider doing it in the past? What conscious or subconscious racist complexes do you have, and what will you do to fix them? 

At NakedPoppy, we’re asking these questions of ourselves, too, and will use what we learn to support the Black community. 

Thank you, Christina for sharing your story, your insights and your luxurious products with us. 

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