Actress Meagan Good has seemed to unlock the code for longevity. Breaking into the industry nearly 30 years ago, the almost 40-year-old has a career that spans television, film, music, and now, beauty. I got to hear all about it when I interviewed Good earlier this month, where she shared details of her hair journey, the event that changed how she felt about complexion makeup products, and who she refers to as her “second husband.”
The star, who now adopts a less-is-more approach to beauty, just rolled out a line of head wraps inspired by her own experiences, and they’re nothing like the ordinary. Check it all out ahead.
Head wraps have really become your thing. How did that come about?
MEAGAN GOOD: Throughout my twenties, I wore weaves and extensions and really had so much fun with that. But at around 30 I realized that people kind of only saw me in one image. So I asked myself, how do I get them to see me differently? And how do I shift the perception of me to help transform my career and create different opportunities that I hadn’t typically had? So the first thing I did was chop off all my hair. I was able to try so many different styles so I teamed up with Dr. Kari Williams for these these beautiful goddess locs and that became my go-to look. I wore that style for years, but when I was doing certain things like working out or other activities, they were always getting in my face. So I created Good Girl Wraps as a way to basically protect my goddess locs when I’m working out and I found that certain materials were great at cooling my head and body down and some would warm me up, so I began paying closer attention to materials.
After wearing those for a while, and going into quarantine, I just wanted to leave my hair alone. So I fell in love with turbans, particularly those from this woman on Etsy (India Collective) and I started to have her make some custom wraps for me.
Did you know that you had plans to sell them?
GOOD: Not at all. It was one of those things that just worked for me, but others began to ask and reach out. People would tell me that they had dreads, braids, twists, and other natural styles, and didn’t want to have to keep washing and conditioning it everyday, but still wanted their hair to stay in shape. That’s what drove me to being selling them.
Do you plan on eventually expanding?
GOOD: For sure. Sometimes I’ll just ask people what kind of colors they want to wear or what kind of prints they’re into just to gauge what people out there are looking for. I want to make sure that I’m giving my consumers what they want and not just what I want because everyone’s needs and personalities are different.
Has your beauty routine outside of hair also evolved?
GOOD: In some ways it’s become more high-maintenance and in other ways it’s gotten way less. When I was in my twenties, it would take me nearly 40 minutes to just get my eyebrows even. Then, I’d sit there and put on all this makeup which I’ve realized I never really needed. I remember going to the ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood brunch and running into Thandie Newton and admiring her skin. When she walked away, someone said, ‘You know, she doesn’t wear any makeup on her face at all?’ She’ll do like eyeshadow and a little contour, but she’s not a full-face makeup girl. That really inspired me, and at that point I was like 35 so I just stopped wearing face makeup completely.
I’m sure that’s been difficult with the type of career you have.
GOOD: Well I’ve realized that the quality of my skin has gotten better just by not allowing people to put that kind of make up on me. Especially when I’m on set and shooting show or a movie, you’re putting makeup on five days a week for three to five months at a time. So aside from what I have to wear on set, which I try to keep to a minimum, I don’t really wear makeup in my day-to-day life. I try to keep it simple and not overdo it. But now that I’m going to be 40 in August, I’ve revved up my skincare routine so I’ll do treatments such as laser, microneedling, Morpheus8, and things like that.
Speaking of being on set, you have a new movie, Death Saved My Life, premiering February 18. Why was a starring in a movie that highlights domestic violence important to you?
GOOD: Women have really been stepping into their power later and feeling able to tell their stories freely. In this film, the character starts off broken and not really able to see her self-worth. She doesn’t love herself the way that she should. Throughout the process, you see her become stronger and you see her finally realizing that what she’s going through isn’t okay and she decides not to tolerate it anymore. She chooses to no longer move in fear.
It’s crazy because this is based on true events, and so many women go through, or have gone through this, including me. I’ve been in situations where I’ve been in an abusive relationship and I haven’t been able to talk about it publicly. So to be a part film that has an opportunity to shift the way that someone sees these survivors, one that will invoke compassion and can inspire other women, those are the kinds of projects that I want to be a part of.
Specifically for women of color, we’re not going to keep apologizing. We’re not in going to wait our turn. It is our turn. We’re going to step into our light and do all the things that we know that we are capable of doing, and we deserve to be supported in it. We don’t protect Black women the way that we should, and that’s why it’s particularly so important for us women to stick together. We have to support each other, love each other, not talk badly about each other, and not put each other down.
Speaking of women empowerment, your sister is also in this film with you. What’s it like working with her?
GOOD: Me and La’Myia began working together when we were four and six years old. Then, she went her own path with music and I continued acting. But regardless of that separation, our bond is so strong. We really honor each other and are truly each other’s champions. We support each other, help each other, talk each other off the ledge. My sister is my best friend and I often joke that she’s my other husband. She’s my other purpose partner and both of our husbands know that. We love being together.