While we do believe women are worth celebrating daily! We still wanted to kick off Women’s History Month by celebrating a very very special woman.

For Women’s History Month we wanted to celebrate an amazing woman in the beauty and skincare industry. So who was the first woman who came to mind? None other than the mother and inspiration behind DorNee’ ReNee’ Antoinette! We want to celebrate ReNee’ by sharing a little bit about who she was and what made her so wonderful. Because we are a family at DorNee’ after all, and so we thought it was time to share something personal about the woman who inspired the creation of our natural body luxuries line, DorNee’. 

A Few Things About My Mom…

ReNee’ Antoinette was a beautiful, elegant, stylish hard working mother of 3. She was all those things and so much more! She was a woman of faith who encouraged and expected greatness in her children and anyone under the sound of her voice. 

My mom was a huge advocate for great skincare. She had her own beauty regiment and her own formula for self care. She had thick, pretty eyebrows that she was so intentional about keeping arched and groomed. You could almost say that was her trademark, but her beauty and warmth radiated well beyond those perfect brows! 

My mom was big on representation and self love. She knew who she was and wasn’t afraid of what she was capable of. She knew how to take time for herself and give to herself while she was busy giving to others. She was hard on my siblings and myself about being well groomed at all times from head to toe. Maybe at the time we didn’t understand its value, but as we grew older the importance and beauty of grooming and self care really came to light. 

She was always making sure we were presentable and well-kept, but she always emphasized that looking good starts from the inside. And it was from her approach to life and her daily actions that we truly understood the truth in her words. 

And How about Womanhood and Femininity?

It was important to her that my sister and I understood the value of being a woman. She taught us our worth and that we shouldn’t ever feel the need to settle for anything less than what we deserved. She taught us not to be afraid of who we were, or what the future might have in store for us. We were in charge of our own destiny and the possibilities were endless if we worked hard enough.  

My mom always encouraged us to tap into our gifts, talents and to be a game changer. She was supportive of anything we were interested in. Her support is what gave us the courage to be confident in who we are and all the decisions that we make. Her faith in us is what encouraged us to work hard and that we could achieve anything we set our minds to. These sorts of lessons are just invaluable. 

My mom was so loving and giving all the time and to everyone. Nothing was just hers…she shared everything. Her compassion and generosity is a part of what inspired me to create a business that was community building, something that could have a positive impact on my community and beyond. 

The Inspiration Behind DorNee and my Natural Skin Care Path

What really gave me the inspiration to start DorNee’ and to really go for it without being afraid of failure, was in 2004 when my mother was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. Chemotherapy, as some of you may know, does an awful lot to the body, and one sure sign of its effects was the way in which it left my mother’s skin dry and sensitive. Your average lotion, and even prescription lotion, made little to no impact on moisturizing her skin. That’s when I had the idea to give my mother my raw shea foot butter I made. 

The shea butter was unscented, so she would spray her favorite perfume in it before using it, just to give it her own special scent. That was just the kind of woman she was. It was then that we both came to learn of the true power of raw shea butter as a skin moisturizer. 

We both noticed that her skin was slowly retaining that moisture, adding elasticity to her beautiful skin. Not only did this offer a great deal of physical relief for my mother, but it also allowed her to maintain a certain sense of normalcy. My mother was known for her natural beauty, and we weren’t going to let her cancer take that away from her. 

Once I noticed the amazing healing powers of raw shea butter, I knew it was a secret I couldn’t keep to myself. It was something I was able to share with my mother and something I want to share with all of you. 

And so this month we invite you to celebrate the beauty and inspiration behind DorNee' and all the women who may have inspired you in your life and the gifts, time, attention, wisdom and care they have given you over the years.