“The Color of Winter”

There are certain colors that are more popular than others during the winter season.  You see more people wearing blacks, grays and neutral colors.  However, there is one color seen on black folks more frequently during the winter months.  This color is ASH (also known as ashy)! It shows up everywhere – on your knees, legs, elbows and hands.  It gets really bad in the crevasses of your fingers or on your ankles.  Some of us even get ashy lips.

But, there is a solution!  Ash does not have to be your predominant color of the season.  There is a great product called lotion that can turn ashy into classy.  But, buyers beware! You can’t just go out and buy any type of lotion.  Dollar store lotion won’t do the trick.  When you slap that cheap liquid on your hands, by the time you walk to the car, it’s already disappeared into thin air and the ash is back.  If lotion isn’t your thing, there’s also vaseline, oils and who can forget the infamous cocoa butter!

Now don’t think I’m high and mighty.  I have been “Queen Ashy” for several seasons running.  I thought nobody could see my legs under my pants so I’d be fine to go out lotionless.  It wasn’t until I crossed one leg over another and my ash peeked out.  A friend wet his finger and wrote his initials on my leg.  Not a good sign.  So this holiday season I am leading the “Ash-free” revolution!  People let’s protect our skin, get the products that last, and show that black (not ashy-gray) is sexy year round!

M.Y.  November 2007