How to Embrace Your Natural Hair, Skin, and Smile, with Elyse Thoms

A skin, hair or makeup routine is never just a skin, hair or makeup routine. We dive deep into the beauty rituals of artists and beauticians in Los Angeles and, in turn, learned more about their relationships with themselves and the world around them. A beauty ritual is as personal as a portal: to better versions of ourselves, to better versions of the future. Elyse Thoms is a rapper, creative director, makeup artist, model, painter and photographer whose beauty ritual is a permanent quest to be herself again and embrace her natural hair, skin and smile. “When I was in high school, I might have straightened my hair, and now I'm making it as big as I can, redefining the beauty standards that were imposed on me,” Thoms says.

Beauty is very subjective to the viewer, but my specific view on it is authenticity and living in that authenticity. Doing things to bring that to light. For me, it has evolved from trying to become something or someone I am not, to now simply improving the things that are already a part of me. When I was in high school, I might have straightened my hair, and now I'm making it as big as I can, redefining the beauty standards that were imposed on me. It will be me for the rest of my life. Why not like living in my body and being myself? I used to have Invisalign and it was actually painful to move my teeth; I remember it cutting into my gums to the point where I couldn't use it anymore. I remember thinking shortly after, “Now I can get grills because my teeth won't move.” When I bought them, I had them made to improve my space or places where I might have a crooked tooth. That's what beauty really is to me: owning yourself.

I think it's my Venus Scorpio, but for me beauty is the color black: something of the Afrofuturism and Afrogoth type. I like to express myself more through my hair, more than even makeup, which is crazy, because I don't do my hair professionally. The most important thing is always to try to make it as big as you can; as colorful as I can if I'm doing braids or twists. It looks like a crown to me. Like a mane, I don't know if it's Leo's thing. When it comes to makeup, I go through ebbs and flows. There will be times and stretches where I wear makeup every day, and there will be times and stretches where I don't wear it at all. Right now I'm in a phase of not using it at all. It's an art, it's an expression and I think there is beauty in both. I feel most beautiful when my skin glows and that's usually also because of what's going on inside me.

My mom has always been natural and always taught us to be natural. She is very unique. If you look at the photos from back then, she was always on her own wave. She's a hairstylist, so my whole life I had braids or fro. Looking back on those moments, I didn't appreciate it for what it was. I grew up thinking that everyone's mom has a stylist. I remember it fondly, because of the care my mother had for my hair. When they left me alone, I ripped the shit off by accident. My hair reached my butt when she took care of it. It was a beautiful moment of togetherness. I just couldn't see it that way. I was in it. My mom expressed herself through my hair: she created me, she created my hair and then she styled my hair.

I think the most important part of a beauty ritual is self-love, encompassing that in everything you do. When you are combing your hair, don't get angry. Don't get frustrated. Be careful with that. Treat it gently, as you would treat another person if you were combing their hair. Give yourself the same love and it will radiate. You can wear makeup all you want, but your smile when you're happy and you don't have any makeup on, that is infectious. Energy is a big part of it.