AS A black-belt international shopper, I’m bound by two retail rules: shop local, and shop often. So on a recent jaunt to St Croix for the annual Food and Wine Experience (stxfoodandwine.com), I had to make time between all the fancy dinners, beach barbecues and wine tastings to sample the Virgin’s other fare: indigenous items that are as Crucian as fungi – but a lot more fun to wear!
…When Crucian Yoki Hanley couldn’t find any body products that wouldn’t irritate her infant daughter’s delicate skin she decided to make her own. Itiba is a handmade line of all-natural, minimally processed lotions, soaps, oils and body butters that soothe and moisturize the skin with coconut and other tropical oils as they impart heady scents. I chose the hair and body oil in deliciously fruity Papaya and Crucian Spice (made turmeric, clove, black pepper and lavender), but the unctuous mango butter is Itiba’s bestseller, rich with coconut and avocado for sun-ravaged hair and skin.