Shongi Motsi doles out swaths of whipped body butter and smiles widely while watching shoppers at the Port Townsend Farmers Market indulge.

With this act, Motsi, who uses they/them pronouns, is offering more than a product sample; they are extending an invitation to let the day’s distractions melt away in a moment of self-care.

“When it comes to what I make,” Motsi said, “it’s touch and it’s scent and it’s memory. You can almost feel your skin healing.”

It was Motsi’s own skin-healing journey, coupled with an exploration of their ancestral roots, that inspired the creation of Motsi Rituals. Around 2020, Motsi began suffering from eczema blotches on their face, and small clumps of their hair began falling out.

“Ultimately, I just wanted to figure out how to deal with this situation,” Motsi said. “And I knew that I was very sensitive to a lot of different products.”

Motsi recalled their mother’s stories of traditional African beauty secrets: “magical potions” made from nourishing ingredients found in fruit, seeds, herbs, clay and salt.

“I thought there must be something in this lore I grew up with,” Motsi said.

In their research, Motsi found mango butter as a treatment for eczema. Unable to find a place to buy it, Motsi learned how to make it.

“That burst this idea to create something that connects me back to my origins,” Motsi said. “Something that would feed my skin, feed my hair, feed my body and bring me health from the outside in.”

This deep dive into the time-honored recipes of their heritage led Motsi to experiment with butters made of mango, shea and avocado, whipping them into a light, moisturizing cream richly scented with essential oils. They made herbal-infused bath bombs, exfoliating scrubs, soaps and lip balms.

Motsi discovered that using these products healed not only their skin but also their relationship with it.

“My mother always told me to love myself — in this body that I'm in,” Motsi said. “And that was such a difficult relationship to navigate growing up, especially being in America.”

As a young, dark-skinned immigrant growing up in Texas, Motsi was no stranger to racism and discrimination, and they struggled to find a sense of belonging.

“I created a harsh dynamic with my own skin,” Motsi said.

The words of Motsi’s mother resonated years later as Motsi developed a ritual around skin care using these naturally derived products. Bathing, exfoliating and moisturizing all became intentional acts of self-care.

“I just wanted to share that,” Motsi said. “For other people to have an experience with all their senses.”

Motsi introduced their products to friends and family, who quickly encouraged them to go into business and share those products with others.

In the fall of 2023, Motsi was a recipient of the Jefferson County Farmers Markets’ Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Start-Up Business Fund.

“It helped me establish myself as an active business,” Motsi said. “I was able to buy all the startup materials necessary to be at market.”

That winter, Motsi participated in the Holiday Port Townsend Farmers Market and became a full-time vendor the following year. 

“For a long time, I felt isolated, just doing this one task,” Motsi said. “But now I can ask people to test and let me know their feelings and experiences, which helps grow my capacity to be creative.”

Motsi also makes a point to source ingredients from other farmers market vendors.

Beyond the effort to sustainably source ingredients, Motsi Rituals offers a program where customers can return their product jars for a discount. Motsi also holds workshops to share their passion for rest, rejuvenation and connecting with nature.

“I want to draw you into a comforting and cozy spirit,” Motsi said, “to create a relationship with your own skin, your own body and the earth.”

As the business grows, Motsi plans to expand their knowledge of farming and distillation of essential oils. And they hope to travel back to their homeland of Zimbabwe to teach family members how to establish their own businesses and sources of income in the land that inspired Motsi Rituals.

“If I can do anything to offer any person, especially our youth, an opportunity to learn and grow, that’s what I’m here for,” Motsi said. “I want to help us savor the moments in life that we get to live and enjoy, to encourage folks to feel empowered to do something for themselves.”

Motsi Rituals’ skin-care products, hair-care products and bath essentials can be purchased online at motsi-rituals.square.site and in person on Saturdays at the Port Townsend Farmers Market from April through mid-December. Follow @motsi_rituals on Instagram for announcements on upcoming workshops around Jefferson County.

Holly Erickson of Jefferson County Farmers Markets presents an inside look at the people, histories and passions behind the booths of our community’s vibrant marketplaces.