After Being Diagnosed With Multiple Sclerosis, The Founder of This Black Owned Brand Created A CBD Plant-Based Skincare Company

We were so excited to chat with the founder of the Black-owned CBD plant -based skincare company Ohana. Check out Jasmin Thomas’ incredible story:

Your journey to plant-based lifestyle started when you were diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2015 - share a bit about this journey? What was the biggest challenge in your well-being transition? What are you most proud of?

My first prominent thought (which, I can assure you, was not blasé) was that there’s no point of crying over spilt milk: I’ve always been an ‘everything-happens-for-a-reason’ kind of person and so I will find a natural way to manage my symptoms and get on with it.

I wasn’t able to accept any of the ‘disease modifying’ pharmaceutical drugs I had been offered, so, through extensive research and reading I discovered cannabidiol (also known as CBD). CBD oil has changed my life – easing a lot of the painful and frustrating symptoms of MS.

The doctors didn’t really take a holistic approach, but I was interested in changing my lifestyle completely. I’m now vegan and gluten free. I am grateful that wellness and a plant based lifestyle was how I was brought up so the transition was quite easy for me because it was a familiar lifestyle I had been influenced by surroundings to move away from.

The thing I’m most proud of in my well being transition (and not to say this is bad for other people) is that I've been able to stay away from alcohol and socialize with some of the brilliant non-alcoholic alternatives we have available these days.

How do you define sustainability?

For me, suitability is the conscious awareness and effort not to cause destruction to the planet or have a negative impact on the ecosystems that support our very existence.

Where are your products sourced? How are they ethically/sustainability produced?

We believe in sustainability from seed to self. This means that we take into consideration every point of the supply chain from cultivation to production to application.

Our products are sourced and produced locally in the UK, but our CBD comes from Holland. This is important because we use the highest-quality CBD as an active ingredient in each of our products.

We are selective with who we work with in order to ensure that the products are truly ethically and sustainably sourced. When we selected the fragrances for our products, for example, we went out to the farm and went through each one that was locally grown there.

Does being a woman+ of color / Black woman+ influence your brand? If so, how/why?

Like everything, the products we use as children influence what we use when we are older, as does our mothers and grandmothers routines. When it comes to skin care and my preference for product choice, this has been influenced by family, who are black and tend to use oils and plant butters, such as cocoa butter shea butter. These ingredients originally come from Africa and are common in houses of the diaspora. They are also going to be very nourishing and soothing for the skin.

Being part of a marginalized community that hasn't been considered in mainstream media, or for a lot of products out there on the market, I feel as a woman of color that you can't help but want to be inclusive of all and this of course influences the brand.

What keeps you inspired?

Ohana means family. The name is a dedication to the majority female dominated very strong family I come from. Their strength, inner beauty and resilience keep me forever inspired.