Aight. We all know that this is the time of year when resolutions are at their peak. My suggestion? Make less resolutions (80 percent of them fail within the month anyway) and instead focus on vowing to do some things that are manageable, super attainable, and can be easily added into your self-care routine. Things like the following 12 on this beauty list — six for your skin and six for your hair.
To be honest with you, some of these are big beauty trends for 2024. Others? They are simply things that, I can say from very up close and personal experience, will help you to achieve glowing skin and longer and healthier hair.
So, are you ready to make this the best year yet as far as how your appearance goes? Me too!
From Vitamin C to Tea Rinses: The Beauty Resolutions That Will Elevate Your 2024
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Skin: Topical Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that, health-wise, can help to keep the common cold at bay, make it easier for your system to absorb iron, and it can fight off free radicals as well. As far as your skin is concerned, if you apply it in the form of a cream or serum, vitamin C can deeply moisturize your skin, help to fade hyperpigmentation, boost collagen production, reduce sagging of the skin, and help you to look years younger. As a bonus, if you happen to battle with dark circles underneath your eyes, it can help to fade those out, too.
So, if flawless skin is your goal for this year, Elle has their top list of vitamin C serums here, Byrdie has some of their favorites here, and we have some of our favorites here.
Hair: Bond-Building
Even though some folks are haters of this next recommendation (because they aren’t convinced that they actually work consistently and effectively), I’ve been sold on bond-builders since, I think, late 2022. Since my hair has high porosity, I get that my cuticles stand out and that there are gaps in them. What bond-builders do is help strengthen the chemical bonds of your hair strands in a way that can literally make you feel like your damaged or weak hair has been “cured” after one treatment. To be fair, if you’re looking to do something like repair any split ends that you may have, nothing can fix that — you’ll need to cut them off.
However, if you want more elasticity, for your strands to feel smoother, and for styling your hair to be a lot easier, bond-building is that one, you hear me? What I can personally vouch for is Marc Anthony’s line. His Marc Anthony Repairing Leave-In Conditioner Treatment and Marc Anthony Repairing Mask are the absolute truth.
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Skin: Neck Care
Y’all…Y’ALL. I know that Black women like to brag on us not crackin’; however, the reality is that if we don’t take care of our skin, crackin’ is on the horizon (check out “Yes, Black CAN Crack. Here's What To Do About It, Tho.”) — and that is especially the case when it comes to women who ignore their neck. I ain’t gonna name no names, but there are some celebs out here who look amazing in the face, yet their neck tells on them every single time because it sags, it wrinkles, or it’s got rings all around it. That’s why there’s no way I could do an article like this and not mention how important neck care is.
You need to moisturize your neck (with a thicker cream than what you would use on your face). You need to exfoliate your neck. I actually read that consuming omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, walnuts, and eggs, especially at night, along with applying retinol (because it helps to increase the elasticity in your skin) can also do wonders for your neck.
If retinols are something that you’d like to get more into this year, Today has a list of serums that they stand behind here. Whatever regimen you decide, don’t neglect your neck this year. It’ll tell on you every time if you do.
Hair: Hair Follicle Care
The reason why I’ve written articles for the platform like “Top To Bottom: 10 Tips To Strengthen Your Hair Follicles & Protect Your Ends” before is because, if you’re on the journey of attaining some serious length retention this year (check out “Let's Gain An Inch A Month Of Hair Growth 'Til December, Shall We?”), there’s no way around the fact that you’re going to have to give your hair follicles (the roots of your hair) and your ends (check out “Your Ends Are How You Get Length. 10 Things They Desperately Need.”) some serious TLC. As far as your follicles go, some signs that they are weaker than they should be include having a dry scalp, experiencing excessive shedding, and having brittle hair.
One thing that can nip all of this in the bud is limiting the amount of heat that you use. Some others include massaging your scalp on a weekly basis (check out “10 Things Your Scalp Has BEEN Waiting For You To Do”), getting more zinc into your system (it helps to strengthen your hair follicles and prevent hair loss, so either take a zinc supplement or eat zinc-enriched foods like beans, pumpkin seeds and whole grains) and being very gentle with your hair when it's wet; that’s when it is its most fragile.
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Skin: Facial Peels
The main reason why I wrote “I've Been Doing At-Home Chemical Peels. Here Are The Pros And Cons.” for the platform last fall is because I know that DIY skincare is steadily on the rise, if for no other reason than the fact that it’s easier on the wallet. Personally, since I’ve been more proactive about my own skin at home, I’ve had no regrets, facial peels included; although it did take a bit of trial and error before I figured out what worked best for me. That said, whether you go to a licensed esthetician, you choose to take care of your skin 100 percent yourself, or you want to implement a combination of both — definitely make facial peels a part of your face’s skincare routine.
They have the ability to do everything from even out your skin tone, and reduce breakouts to minimize pores and soften the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. A line that I am fond of (because I use it) is Perfect Image. I’m a fan because they come in different concentration levels, and the prices are pretty fair. If you follow the instructions to a “T,” you should be fine. Again, though, there are always people who are trained in facial peels if you’re a bit on the fence about applying facial peels yourself. Don’t feel bad if you prefer going that route instead.
Hair: Coating Ends Nightly
As I’m continuing to learn more about my hair, two of my biggest mistakes have been not giving it regular protein treatments (which should happen every 4-6 weeks) and not coating my ends on a consistent basis. Since our ends are the oldest parts of our hair, this means that they’ve received the most wear and tear — and that makes them the most fragile. So yes, if you want to gain some inches, they need to be pampered the most. One way you can do that is by “coating your ends” at night. Basically, what I do is apply a leave-in conditioner that is water-based and then seal that with a carrier oil like sweet almond or grapeseed because they are both light in texture.
Some like to use a grease like Blue Magic instead (I ain’t knockin’ it; I wrote an article shouting it out a few years back entitled, “Looking For Hair Growth? It Might Be Time To Bring 'Blue Magic' Back”) because it’s thicker. It’s totally up to you. Just make sure that you don’t go to bed with your ends being parched. It’s not a good look and will probably lead to breakage more than any type of growth progress.
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Skin: Back Facial
Four times a year, something that I will see a skin professional for is a back facial — and I can immediately tell the difference every time that I do. For one thing, I have about four, what are known as pores of Winer, which is basically a stretched-out pore (that probably resembles a small mole) that contains a blackhead or something that looks like a small black seed once it's removed. Unless you get a healthcare provider to stitch up the pore, it’s going to constantly fill back up over time, so yeah…back facials are one way to prevent them from irritating you or becoming unsightly. Another reason why I am consistent about getting back facials is because I have a tiny eczema patch around where my bra straps connect, and since it’s hell trying to reach back there, I get it “tended to” by a professional.
And finally, until someone comes up with a tool that will help us to thoroughly pamper our backs (and boy, do I live for the day!), I get my back deep-cleansed and exfoliated. It is worth every penny, I tell you. So, whether you can relate to all of these reasons, you workout a lot and you want to keep back acne from getting out of control, or you like to show off your back as much as possible (or all of the reasons above), invest in at least a couple of back facials this year. There is no way that you will regret it.
Hair: Scalp Exfoliation
Something that will have you out here feeling like a whole new woman is exfoliating your scalp. I wish it was something that I had gotten into years ago — hell, decades at this point. What put me on was when I was fully transitioning out of texturizers (which are mild perms; please don’t tell yourself otherwise because it’s simply not true) to full-on natural hair. When I tell you that my scalp was shedding something serious? I didn’t realize how much trauma I had been sending it through with years of damaging it from various chemicals to the point where it literally took a year for my scalp to fully recover. One thing that helped? Exfoliating because, just like the rest of our skin sheds dead skin cells, so does our scalp.
And if you do exfoliate it on every wash day (or at least every other one), it can help to get rid of dead skin cells, remove product build-up, stimulate your hair follicles, remove dandruff flakes and soothe an itchy and/or irritated scalp as well. There are scalp exfoliants that you can purchase (like these here), or you can go the DIY route. One of my favorites consists of white sugar, sea salt, some grapeseed oil, and peppermint oil. Apply the mixture to damp hair, gently massage for about 2-3 minutes, let it penetrate for five more minutes, and then shampoo. Some other effective scalp exfoliant recipes are located here.
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Skin: Using Body Serums That Contain Niacinamide
Has your skin been looking dry and dull lately? Perhaps it appears even a bit tired. Something that you might want to look into is a body serum; preferably one that contains what is known as niacinamide, which is simply a form of vitamin B3; it’s an ingredient that is going to be very popular all this year. Probably one of the best things to say about niacinamide is what makes it different from hyaluronic acid is, while the acid deeply hydrates your skin, niacinamide also reduces the appearance of pores, lightens dark spots, and softens the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
My recommendation is to use the serum 2-3 times a week and the acid, especially on your face and neck, twice a day. Your skin will be on-point from head to toe if you do.
Hair: Softening Your Water
Did you know that over 85 percent of the people who live in the United States deal with hard water? When it comes to your skin, hard water can clog up your pores, which can lead to breakouts. When it comes to your scalp, hard water can leave it extremely dry and irritated. And when it comes to your hair, the build-up of the minerals that are in hard water can leave your hair dry and brittle while causing a significant amount of hard-to-manage frizz. Although clarifying shampoos and even apple cider rinses can help to reduce the damage that hard water can cause over time, one of the best ways to prevent it from becoming an issue for your hair at all is to get a solid showerhead filter. Why? Well, they are specifically designed to take impurities out of the water that can cause hard water in the first place.
A list of some highly recommended filters is located here. If you happen to be someone who shampoos your hair in one of your sinks, some cool faucet filters are found here.
Skin: Tea Rinse
I’m a tea fan. I grew up on it. That’s why I try and pitch articles on tea (check out “10 'Uncommon' Teas You Should Add To Your Stash (& Why),” “8 Teas That Are Really Good For Your Vaginal Health” and “So, Here Are Some Teas That Will Make Your Sex Life So Much Better”) as much as possible. It’s also why I thought that a great way to wrap up some things that you should do for your skin and your hair is to mention tea rinses. Bottom line, teas (especially herbal ones) are packed with antioxidants, tannins, and nutrients that will be great for your natural beauty goals because pretty much whatever is in the tea is what will transfer onto you if you “rinse yourself” with them.
Teas that are great for your skin include chamomile (it reduces inflammation), rooibos (it helps to treat acne), blackberry leaf (it gets rid of free radicals), white tea (it helps to prevent wrinkles), and peppermint tea (it kills bacteria and could even help to heal breakouts). Simply steep your favorite tea (or a combination of teas) for 20 minutes. Let it cool completely. Cleanse your skin. Then saturate a cotton ball in the tea solution, apply it to your skin, and let it sit for between 5-10 minutes before rinsing off with cool water and moisturizing. Your skin will feel immediately refreshed.
Hair: Tea Rinse
And finally, just like your skin can benefit from all that comes with a tea rinse, so can your hair. Three Black YouTubers have videos that expound on this very fact: Limitless Bloom (here), Sharon Nwosu (here), and DINMA OKIKE (here). If you want less shedding, a healthier scalp, more moisture in your strands, and faster hair growth, making time to rinse your hair on your wash days will help you achieve all of this. Some teas that are awesome for your hair are nettle leaf (it strengthens your hair), rosemary tea (it soothes your scalp), and jasmine tea (it stimulates hair growth). My two cents would be to steep the tea for about 45 minutes, add some honey (if you want to deep condition your hair via the rinse), apply the rinse, put a shower cap on your head, and let the rinse sit for 30-60 minutes. Then rinse with lukewarm water and apply a deep conditioner. Your hair will feel so much softer afterward.
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There you have it: 12 things that are reasonably priced, easy to apply, and super effective. So, rather than pressuring yourself with resolutions, just start to implement things that are proven to take your beauty goals to new dimensions. It’s less stressful and so much more beneficial to take that approach.
Welcome to a brand-spankin’ new year, y’all!
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RELATED
So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
Then there were those who gave up their zip code altogether and found a permanent home in the skies. After years spent recruiting students for a university, Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare became a full-time travel influencer and founded her travel company, Shakespeare Agency. And she's not alone.
These stories mirror the experiences of women across the world. For millions, the pandemic induced a seismic shift in priorities and desires. Corporate careers that were once hailed as the ultimate “I made it” moment in one's career were pushed to the back burner as women quit their jobs in search of a more self-fulfilling purpose.
xoNecole spoke to these three Black women who used the pandemic as a springboard to make their wildest dreams a reality, the lessons they learned, and posed the question of whether they’ll ever return to cubicle life.
Answers have been edited for context and length.
xoNecole: How did the pandemic lead to you leaving the cubicle?
Randi: I was becoming stagnant. I was working in mortgage and banking but I felt like my personality was too big for that job! From there, I transitioned to radio but was laid off during the pandemic. That’s what made me go full throttle with entrepreneurship.
Gabrielle: I moved around a lot for work. Five times over a span of seven years. I knew I needed a break because I had experienced so much. So, I just quit one day. Effective immediately. I didn’t know what I was going to do, I just knew I needed a break and to just regroup.
Lisa-Gaye: I was working in recruiting at a university and my dream job just kind of fell into my lap! But, I never got to fully enjoy it before the world shut down in March [2020] and I was laid off. On top of that, I was stuck in Miami because Jamaica had closed its borders due to the pandemic before I was able to return.
Randi O
xoN: Tell us about your journey after leaving Corporate America.
Randi: I do it all now! I have a podcast, I’m an on-air talent, I act, and I own a public relations company that focuses on social media engagement. It’s all from my network. When you go out and start a business, you can’t just say, “Okay I’m done with Corporate America,” and “Let me do my own thing.” If you don’t build community, if you don’t build a network it's going to be very hard to sustain.
Gabrielle: I realized in New York, there was not a lot to do for Black lesbians and queer folks. We don’t really have dedicated bars and spaces so I started doing events and it took off. I started focusing on my brand, Raw Honey. I opened a co-working space, and I was able to host an NYC Pride event in front of 100,000 people. I hit the ground running with Raw Honey. My events were all women coming to find community and come together with other lesbians and queer folks. I found my purpose in that.
Lisa-Gaye: After being laid off, I wrote out all of my passions and that’s how I came up with [my company] Shakespeare Agency. It was all of the things that I loved to do under one umbrella. The pandemic pulled that out of me. I had a very large social media following, so I pitched to hotels that I would feature them on my blog and social media. This reignited my passion for travel. I took the rest of the year to refocus my brand to focus solely on being a content creator within the travel space.
Gabrielle
xoN: What have you learned about yourself during your time as an entrepreneur?
Randi: [I learned] the importance of my network and community that I created. When I was laid off I was still keeping those relationships with people that I used to work with. So it was easy for me to transition into social media management and I didn’t have to start from scratch.
Gabrielle: The biggest thing I learned about myself was my own personal identity as a Black lesbian and how much I had assimilated into straight and corporate culture and not being myself. Now, I feel comfortable and confident being my authentic self. Now, I'm not sacrificing anything else for my career. I have a full life. I have friends. I have a social life. And when you are happy and have a full quality of life, I feel like [I] can have more longevity in my career.
Lisa-Gaye: [I'm doing] the best that I've ever done. The discipline that I’m building within myself. Nobody is saying, ‘Oh you have to be at work at this time.’ There’s no boss saying, ‘Why are you late?’ But, if I’m laying in bed at 10 a.m. then it's me saying [to myself], 'Okay, Lisa, get up, it's time for you to start working!’ That’s all on me.
xoNecole: What mistakes do you want to help people avoid when leaving Corporate America?
Randi: You have to learn about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. You have a fast season and a slow season and I started to learn that when you're self-employed the latter season hits hard. Don't get caught up on the lows, just keep going and don't stop. I’m glad I did.
Gabrielle: I think everyone should quit their job and just figure it out for a second. You will discover so much about yourself when you take a second to just focus on you. Your skill set will always be there. You can’t be afraid of what will happen when you bet on yourself.
Lisa-Gaye: When it comes to being an influencer the field is saturated and a lot of people suffer from imposter syndrome. There is nothing wrong with being an imposter but find out how to make it yours, how to make it better. If you go to the store, you see 10 million different brands of bread! But you are choosing the brand that you like because you like that particular flavor.
So be an imposter, but be the best imposter of yourself and add your own flair, your own flavor. Make the better bread. The bread that you want.
Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
xoNecole: Will you ever return to your 9 to 5?
Randi: I wouldn’t go back to Corporate America. But I don’t mind working under someone. A lot of people try to get into this business saying, “I can't work under anyone.” That’s not necessarily the reason to start a business because you're always going to answer to somebody. Clients, brands, there’s always someone else involved.
Gabrielle: I went back! I really needed a break and I gave myself that. But, I realized I’m a corporate girl, [and] I enjoy the work that I do. I’m good at it and I really missed that side of myself. I have different sides of me and my whole identity is not Raw Honey or my queerness. A big side of me is business and that’s why I love having my career. Now I feel like my best self.
Lisa-Gaye: I really don’t. For right now, I love working for myself. It's gratifying, it's challenging, it's exciting. It’s a big deal for me to say I own my own business. That I am my own boss, and I'm a Black woman doing it.
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Featured image courtesy of Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
Originally published on February 6, 2023