While I personally can't think of one thing that I don't like about the season that is right upon us, I must admit that a mistake I used to make, beauty-wise, was not properly caring for my skin (and hair) as the temperatures began to shift. Especially when it came to feeling extra dry, I could certainly tell that I wasn't handling my business.
Something tells me that I'm not the only one who's been guilty of this lil' faux pas, so as we're just days away from what I think is the absolute best season of the year, here are 12 beauty hacks that are affordable, all-natural and a truly wonderful way to welcome autumn in.
1. Exfoliate from Head to Toe
While I'm pretty sure you know what the general concept of exfoliating is all about, if you needed a basic definition, it's removing dead skin cells from the surface layer of your skin. And since we all shed somewhere around 30-40,000 of them every minute, I'm sure you get why that's such a good idea to do. Exfoliating not only gets rid of dead skin cells, it unclogs your pores, helps to prevent ingrown hairs, reduces breakouts, evens skin tone and even makes it easier for your skin to absorb your favorite moisturizer. So, I'm pretty sure you can see why exfoliating, not just your face and neck but your entire body, is a great "fall prep" practice. Since the cold weather can do rough on your skin, exfoliating can help it to absorb whatever you plan on putting on it to keep it soft, supple and smooth. That's why it's a good idea to do it around twice a month.
By the way, coffee scrubs help to reduce inflammation (a recipe is here), brown sugar scrubs are a humectant that can draw moisture in from the air (a recipe for that is here) and charcoal scrubs are great at detoxifying your skin (a recipe for that is right here). So, if you want to customize your body exfoliation process, there's a good starting point to go with.
2. Bathe in Rosewater and Lavender Oil
If you like nothing more than coming in from the chilly air and soaking in a hot bath, two things. First, it's best if you wait for your skin to get down to your normal body temperature (going from one extreme to another can put your body into shock or even cause a heart attack; wow, right?) and secondly, try and avoid the "hot as possible" approach. One thing that you want to make sure that you do is not zap your skin of the natural moisture that it already has; hot water will do that which is why warm water is best.
Speaking of caring for your skin, treat it by pouring some rosewater and a few drops of lavender essential oil into your bathwater. Rosewater contains anti-inflammatory properties that will help to reduce redness. It also contains antiseptic properties that can help to soothe any skin infections or surface wounds that you may have. Rosewater is full of antioxidants that can repair any cell damage that you may have experienced. Plus, it's known to improve moods and even bring relief to headaches. Lavender oil is great for your skin because it also contains anti-inflammatory properties that can speed up the healing of breakouts, soothe skin conditions that cold weather may irritate such as eczema, help to remove toxins from your skin and, thanks to its scent, it's really effective when it comes to helping you to relax before bedtime.
3. “Seal” Your Skin
Something that I definitely make sure that I do when I get out of the shower is "seal my skin". Basically, that consists of not immediately drying off, putting some homemade whipped shea butter or sweet almond oil on my skin, letting it sit for a few minutes and then blot-drying my skin. All of this helps to "lock" the moisture in to where I don't need to apply any lotion or anything else once I'm done. Plus, my skin feels silky smooth, pretty much until the next time I take a bath.
4. Steam Your Hair
If it seems kinda weird that cold wet weather could actually cause your hair to dry out, here's why it's so problematic. When temps are cold and/or the air is dry, that can result in the cuticles of your hair lifting which can keep moisture from staying in your hair. And when there's no moisture, the dryness can ultimately lead to breakage. A remedy? Well, aside from deep conditioning your locks, it can never hurt to steam your tresses too.
Steam adds moisture. Steam makes it easier for the products that you put into your hair to be absorbed into it. Steam encourages elasticity so that your hair doesn't break as easily when it's being styled. Steam also helps to keep the pores of your scalp unclogged so that your hair follicles can grow freely.
As far as how often you should steam your hair, some folks do it as much as a couple of times a week while others reserve the practice for wash day. Either way, if this is something you'd like to try, Natural Hair Products has a list of some of the best steamers for natural hair here. Also, Melissa Denise is a YouTuber who has some tips on how to steam your hair without a steamer that you can check out here.
5. Line Your Hats
At this point, I can't even tell you how many hats I have. Back when I was wearing really short hair, this particular tip didn't matter all that much to me; however, now that I have some length, I am intentional about lining my hats with satin. Since my golf caps and brims are mostly made of wool, between the way that fabric has a tendency to dry my hair, cause friction and even has the potential for snagging on my ends, making sure my hats are lined is how I keep my hair protected while I'm out here looking fly. If you want to learn how to line your own hats, check out this video and this video.
6. Make a Castor/Argan/Vitamin E Oil Solution for Your Eyelashes
If you want to have longer and thicker eyelashes without having to buy any (so that you can have a few extra coins saved up for the holiday season), make your own serum that consists of Jamaican black castor oil, coconut oil and vitamin E oil. The Jamaican black castor oil contains properties that will help to thicken your lashes and make them appear fuller. Argan oil is packed with fatty acids and antioxidants that will help your lashes to grow longer. Vitamin E is awesome because it stimulates hair growth. If you apply this combo with a mascara wand every night before turning in, you should see some progress with your lashes within 3-4 weeks.
7. Apply Some Shea Butter and Cinnamon to Your Lips
I can't tell you the last time I went to bed without putting some raw shea butter on my lips. Since it's an emollient (which means it creates a barrier between your lips and the atmosphere around you), it's an excellent "base" for lip gloss or lipstick before heading out into the chilly air. Since shea butter is also loaded with antioxidants and vitamins A and E, it can help to soothe and heal your lips if they experience any chapping during the fall and winter seasons. As far as cinnamon goes, if you apply cinnamon oil, it's a natural lip plumper. On the other hand, if you go with its powder (or ground cinnamon) form, it can gently exfoliate while also providing a soft natural sun-kissed glow. Yep, even in the fall. Just add a sprinkle or two of it to a lip container of shea butter and you're all set.
8. DIY a Hand and Foot Cream
I'm thinking it's a given that you should amp up how much you moisturize your hands and feet as you head into the cooler seasons of the year. All I want to say here is try and avoid commercial brands that are heavy on the perfumes and ingredients you can't pronounce. One, because our skin definitely absorbs some of what we put onto it and two, some of those harsh items can strip our skin of the moisture that it so desperately needs; especially when it's cold.
That's why I'm all about you making your own hand and foot cream. That way, you know exactly what goes into it. The YouTube channel Yaya DIY Creations has a hand cream recipe worth checking out here. paskiiLuv has an easy-to-make foot cream recipe here.
9. Cop Some Bamboo Socks
Speaking of feet, just because you're about to swap out sandals for boots, please don't use that as an excuse to slack off when it comes to getting pedicures. That said, since we're all going to be wearing socks a lot more often, did you know that cotton ones can sometimes cause blisters? The "science" behind it is, since cotton is a fabric that absorbs moisture, the longer your feet are damp, the easier it is for a blister to form. That's why wool, synthetic or even bamboo socks are a better route when you're planning to spend a lot of time in inclement weather.
Bamboo socks are cool because they contain antibacterial properties, they're pretty soft, they hold less odor, they are thermo-regulating (which means they help to keep your feet cool in the summer and warm in the winter) and they're sustainable.
Bamboo Comfort is a website that features some of the best bamboo sock brands this year. You can see the list here.
10. Take a Fish Oil Supplement
If it seems like you can't stop scratching words with your nails onto your skin (due to how dry it is) no matter how hard you try, you might want to take a fish oil supplement. Fish oil contains anti-inflammatory and healing properties that help to keep your skin hydrated from the inside out. Some other benefits include the fact that it's able to help to heal symptoms associated with psoriasis, decrease the appearance of pimples and also protect your skin from sun damage (and yes, you can experience sun damage any time of the year because, well, the sun is out all 12 months).
11. Invest in Some Local Honey
First up, if your allergies are known to kick up during the fall, local honey is what you should look into because it contains similar allergens to what are in the air around you. Taking a teaspoon or so a day can serve as a natural antibiotic, so that your system can develop a resistance to allergens and allergy-related symptoms. Not only that but honey is a powerful humectant as well. This means that if you put a couple of teaspoons into your hair conditioner, it can help to moisturize your hair or if you make a face mask out of it, it can deeply condition your skin. Honey is bomb on a ton of levels. In fact, when it comes to honey in general, check out "Manuka Honey Is The Ultimate Beauty Find".
12. Get Yourself a Pumpkin (or Two)
The signature fruit for fall is undoubtedly the pumpkin.
As far as all-natural beauty benefits go, it's great for you because pumpkins are high in vitamins A and C, zinc, antioxidants, fruit enzymes and even alpha hydroxy acids. All of this works together to trigger collagen production in your body, brighten your skin tone, improve your skin's texture, help to reverse UV damage and hinder free radicals from damaging and aging your skin.
So, the next time you're at your local grocery store, pick up a pumpkin or two. Then, when you get home, treat yourself to a pumpkin face mask (recipe is here); a body scrub (recipe is here); a foot scrub (recipe is here); a body butter (which is made with pumpkin spice and recipe is here), or a lip exfoliant (which is also made with pumpkin spice and the recipe is here). You'll feel good. It smells great. And it's one of the best all-natural beauty treatments to officially welcome your skin into this, what I'm sure will be, beautiful upcoming fall season.
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While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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Whatever. Supplements (and teas) have served me well — including when it comes to maintaining my vaginal health and so, as long as I continue to learn about the types of vitamins, minerals, and herbs that will do your body good, I will write about them.
Today, it’s about a mixture of nutrients that you’ve heard of and ones that you probably didn’t even know existed. The cool thing about this list is whether you’re looking for an all-natural remedy for yeast infections or bacterial vaginosis or how to elevate your sex drive — these eight supplements can do that and so much more.
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1. Vitamin B-Complex
If you’re borderline anemic, consistently low on energy, more stressed out than you would like, trying to keep your gut in good condition, and/or you’re looking for a non-medicated way to reduce the discomfort of migraines, B-complex can actually help you out with all of this. And since we’re focusing on how it helps us as women, it should also go on record that B-complex can make PMS symptoms a lot more bearable. Also, it’s definitely something that you should get more into your system if you plan on getting pregnant.
The reason why this vitamin leads the pack as far as vaginal health goes is that it can help to prevent vaginal dryness as well as speed up the healing process of vulvovaginal candidiasis, which is a type of yeast infection. So, if B-complex isn’t in your daily supplement regimen, maybe this will inspire you to change your mind.
2. Asparagus Racemosus
Asparagus racemosus, which is also known as shatavari, is an herb that can support vaginal health. On so many levels, this isa “woman’s herb” because almost all of its health benefits are tied to our bodies including the fact that it can help balance your hormones, reduce menopause-related symptoms, and help new moms to produce breastmilk. Some other cool things about Asparagus racemosus are it can reduce anxiety, lower blood sugar levels, and even help to suppress a stubborn cough.
Your vagina will appreciatethis herb because if hormonal imbalances are directly affecting your libido in a not-so-positive way, and you don’t want to take a prescribed medication to bring some relief, this may be the alternative that can give you the results that you’ve been looking for.
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3. Calendula
Earlier this year, when I penned, “Beauty In Bloom: 12 Flowers That Will Make Your Hair And Skin Radiant,” one of the flowers that I shouted out was calendula. That’s because it contains properties that help to treat acne and reduce eczema. Beyond that, though, calendula is bomb because it is full of antioxidants, can bring relief to muscle fatigue, strengthens your heart, improves oral health, and it can even bring relief to your nipples if they are sore due to breastfeeding.
What else can this herb do? Well, “she” will like it because it can also help to regulate your period and keep certain strains of yeast in check, and it has even been proven to reduce the symptoms that are associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV).
4. Fish Oil
If you want to get some omega-3s into your system, taking a fish oil supplement is one of the best ways to do it. In fact, as much as 30 percent of fish oil is made up of not only those fatty acids but also vitamins A and D. And with all of this working together, fish oil can help you to have lower cholesterol, make you feel less depressed, protect your eyes, reduce bodily inflammation, give you healthier skin and bones and even slow down aging as far as your brain is concerned.
Adding to all of this, fish oil is good for your vagina’s overall health and well-being because it not only helps to hydrate you from the inside out but, since it has a reputation for raising estrogen levels in your system, those two things can work together to prevent vaginal dryness.
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5. Motherwort
Traditional Chinese medicine is actually a really big fan ofmotherwort. That’s because it can do things like slow down the development of heart disease, treat anxiety, and for new mothers, reduce the amount of postpartum bleeding that they may experience.Other benefits of this herb include being able to fight off free radicals, containing properties that can help prevent bacterial infections, and that it’s an all-natural sedative if you’re looking for a (temporary) sleep remedy.
When it comes to vaginal health, specifically, since motherwort both regulates hormones and increases blood circulation, if more or intensified orgasms are what you’re after, taking this might be just what you need.
6. Sage
If you like to season your food with (fresh) sage, you are doing more for your health than you might realize. I say that because sage is an herb that is a pretty good source of vitamin K and calcium, as well as antioxidants. Plus, sage can help you to maintain your memory and keep your cholesterol levels where they should be, and it can help to stop the appearance of wrinkles before they even start.
Also, since sage actually mimics the effects of estrogen in your system, it can help to reduce the intensity of menopause-related symptoms like hot flashes, excessive sweating, and vaginal dryness. Not only that but if sage happens to be white, it can help to bring relief to menstrual cramps, too.
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7. Yashtimadhu
So, here’s something that you may not have known until today: Yashtimadhu is the Sanskrit name of the herb that’s more commonly known as licorice. In the Ayurvedic world, it’s used for things like treating ulcers, bringing relief to asthma, and bronchitis, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, strengthening your liver, and helping to keep you at a healthy weight. Yep, apparently, Yashtimadhu is where it’s at.
It’s actually due to the phytoestrogenic properties in Yashtimadhu that make it possible for you to take it and have less menstrual cramps, decreased menopause-related symptoms, and it can help to reduce vaginal dryness too. Plus, if it’s used in cream form, this herb can also help to reduce vaginal atrophy if you happen to be post-menopausal.
8. Zinc
I recently read that somewhere around two billion people are deficient when it comes to the mineral zinc. That’s super unfortunate because it’s what we all need when it comes to keeping our immune system strong, helping to suppress oxidative stress, decreasing bodily inflammation, and even keeping breakouts at bay. Personally, one of my favorite things about zinc is it can help with achieving strong and healthy hair (as well as preventing hair loss).
Your vagina likes zinc too. That’s because it also helps to prevent yeast infections and can help to slow down vaginal aging (as far as your vaginal tissues are concerned; check out “Vaginas Age Just Like Everything Else. You Can Slow It Down, Though.” and “Keep Your Vagina Like A (Literal) Fountain Of Youth”) and some studies even reveal that zinc is effective as it relates to increasing sexual desire and arousal.
So, just like I started with vitamin B-complex and I’m now ending with the mineral zinc, if you add nothing else into your diet, please make sure that it’s “B” and “Z.” Your vagina will certainly appreciate it. And you know what? The rest of your body will, too.
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