Something that I get from my (late) father is a deep adoration for information, no matter how “random” it might be. And so, since I spend A LOT of my time writing about sex and relationships (not necessarily in the order), it’s always fun to discover what science has to say about intimacy. For instance, something that I’ve mentioned in sex-themed articles before is that our sense of smell plays a bigger role in sexual arousal and pleasure than it’s typically given credit for.
Not only does science reveal that the keener your sense of smell is, the easier it is for you to climax, but it also states that around ovulation, you’re more drawn to the natural scent of a man. Not to mention the fact that research also reveals that when a man takes in the scent of a woman’s (healthy) genitalia, his testosterone levels naturally increase.
And this is why I oftentimes say that one of the best things about sex is it’s an activity that thoroughly incorporates all five senses: taste, touch, sight, hearing, and yes, smell. That is why I wanted to share 10 scents that are proven to make it easier for you to not just get into the mood for sex but orgasm once you’re in the process of participating in it.
1. Vanilla
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Back in the day, I penned an article for the platform entitled, “8 Natural Aphrodisiac Scents, Where They Go & How To Make Them Last.” The first one that made the list was vanilla, and, as you can see, it’s on this one too (carpolobia and jasmine were featured as well). Am I being redundant? Eh. Perhaps a little. However, it should go on record that an aphrodisiac is something that is designed to arouse you — and while that definitely can make it easier to orgasm (and have a more pleasurable sexual experience all around), today, we’re looking into scents that can make it easier to climax, specifically. Because, as I’m sure we all know, you can be aroused all day long, and you can even enjoy copulation with someone…that doesn’t automatically mean you’re gonna see any mountaintops, though.
Okay, so vanilla. It’s funny because, as I was reading a recent review for Tom Ford’s Vanilla Sex perfume, I thought about how so many people tend to think that vanilla sex is ho-hum when the scent of vanilla is anything but. One reason is that the sweetness of vanilla not only helps to reduce anxiety, but if your partner struggles with moments of impotence or erectile dysfunction (ED) or simply lasting long enough to get you what you need to orgasm, vanilla has the ability to address all of these issues too. Awesome.
2. Carpolobia
Speaking of sex-related issues some men may have, if yours is dealing with infertility, the African plant carpolobia is one that might be of assistance for him. Speaking of your man, whether he decides to chew on this plant (in stick form, like a licorice stick) or apply it as an oil (whether it’s on your body or his own), carpolobia can also improve his sexual performance and even increase his stamina. And since it can take (on average) twice the amount of time for women to orgasm as it does men, well — I’m pretty sure why you get why I just had to add this scent to the list.
3. Patchouli
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Even though a lot of people like patchouli because of the way it smells, don’t sleep on the fact that it’s great for your skin. Between its antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, it’s good for you if you’re looking for an all-natural way to treat acne, dermatitis, and dandruff. Patchouli’s also bomb if you want to relieve depression, suppress your appetite, speed up the healing process of a cold, or even soothe an upset stomach.
On the climaxing tip, patchouli is another oil that will reduce anxiety (there are plenty of studies that link anxiety and stress to inhibited orgasms). Plus, it can help to sharpen your concentration, and since you also need to be focused (on the moment) in order to climax, that makes it highly beneficial to sexual fulfillment, wouldn’t you say?
4. Saffron
As a spice, saffron contains anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants that can do everything from improve your heart health and vision to reduce depression-related symptoms and make it easier to fall and stay asleep at night. Some other cool things about saffron are it contains cancer-fighting properties, helps to reduce blood sugar levels, and it can make PMS symptoms more bearable as well.
Orgasm-wise, if you add the spice to milk (or your favorite milk alternative), it can intensify your orgasms (check out “Want A More Intense Orgasm? These Tips Are Sure To Make You Cream”). Scent-wise, you can use this in the form of an essential oil; its spicy smell will help to reduce sexual dysfunction in both men and women. And since one thing that qualifies as “sexual dysfunction” is the inability to orgasm — welp, there you have it.
5. Jasmine
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When it comes to the topic of essential oils and aphrodisiacs, I’d be shocked if you ever came across an article that didn’t mention jasmine. It’s fragrant. It’s seductive. And it’s the kind of scent that women really like to wear, and men really like to smell. Aside from that, if you’re looking for the kind of oil that will improve your moods, lower your stress levels, boost immunity, fight off infections, or even bring relief to PMS and menopause symptoms, it’s jasmine to the rescue.
Since jasmine can also cause your system to mimic many of the actions that come with having an orgasm (including increasing your heart rate and body temperature), that’s why it’s a top-tier essential oil and scent as far as climaxing goes.
6. Ginseng
Ginseng is an herb that you can also wear as a scent (like infusing it with your favorite carrier oil or simply purchasing it as an essential oil). In the health benefits department, it helps to lower blood sugar levels, gives you more energy, boosts cognitive function, and decreases bodily inflammation. Also, if flu season always seems to get a hold of you, there are studies to support that ginseng can make getting over the flu faster and easier.
When it comes to orgasms (red), ginseng has been associated with treating erectile dysfunction (ED). Another cool thing about ginseng is if you’re a woman who has a hard time getting off due to menopause, ginseng can help to bring your sexual arousal back. Yay!
7. Ylang-Ylang
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The fruity-floral smell of ylang-ylang has all sorts of antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. These can help to bring relief to chronic body aches and pains; plus, they can help to treat a variety of fungal and bacterial infections.
Sexually, something that makes ylang-ylang stand out is the fact that it not only has the ability to reduce the feelings that are associated with anxiety, but it also can improve your self-esteem. This is both awesome and quite relevant, considering the fact that there is plenty of data out here to support the fact that the higher your sense of self-worth is, the easier it is for you to enjoy sex — and climax, too.
8. Lavender
What doesn’t lavender do? Lawd. I mean, if you’ve got eczema or acne, use lavender. Got trouble falling asleep? Use lavender. Seeking some all-natural asthma relief? Use lavender. Wish your hair was stronger or longer? Use lavender. Perimenopause or menopause-related hot flashes getting on your very last damn nerve? Yep — you guessed it: lavender.
Wanna climb the walls tonight? Try some lavender. The reason why it can help you to get off is because it has a way of reducing stress while increasing sexual desire at the same time. And since stress has been proven to keep women so distracted that it can literally prevent an orgasm from transpiring — the less stressed you are in the bedroom, the absolute better.
9. Citrus
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Citrus oil is wonderful on a myriad of levels. For instance, lemon oil is great for treating morning sickness and depression-related symptoms, improving the quality of your skin, reducing pain, and treating yeast infections naturally. Orange oil can help to improve the quality of your workouts, help you to lose weight, and put you into a better mood.
If you’re postmenopausal, the aromatherapy of citrus oil can help you to “get your groove back.” And since lemon and lime juices can help men out in the ED department, some believe that the scent can be just as effective.
10. Oakmoss
People who enjoy earthy pine-like scents will oftentimes choose a type of perfume that contains the fungus oakmoss in it, whether they realize it or not. When it comes to its health benefits, this is a type of scent that experts are still discovering new things about, although many say that it has potent antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties and that it can help to do things like break up congestion, soothe a cough and make it easier to breathe if you are dealing with a cold. Some also say that it can bring forth relief to digestive issues and it can even help to calm your nervous system.
As I bring this to a close, oakmoss is worth at least trying out in the bedroom because it’s starting to gain some respectable popularity when it comes to being able to increase arousal, particularly in women. So, if you want to bring something unexpected into your boudoir tonight, oakmoss should go on the very top of your list.
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There you have it. Ten scents that not only smell alluring; they can get you that orgasm that you both desire and deserve more often, too.
Whew. Essential oil shopping, anyone?
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- We’ve Got Some All-Natural Ways To Increase Stamina & Sensitivity ›
- So, Here Are Some Teas That Will Make Your Sex Life So Much Better ›
- Eat Your Way To Better Sex With Aphrodisiacs ›
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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
Luckily, there are some things that you can do to either speed up the healing process of a cold or make having one more bearable than usual. Things that are affordable, all-natural, and easy to incorporate into your daily routine.
Are you ready to know how to nip a damn cold in the bud…before you even get one?
Here ya go.
1. Fire Cider
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Two drinks that I am gonna drink all the way down, each and every fall season, are hot chocolate and apple cider (that’s warmed up). So, when I read about something called “fire cider,” it absolutely caught my attention. If you’re not familiar with it, fire cider is a homemade drink that consists of things like apple cider vinegar, herbs and other ingredients that are specifically designed to boost your immune system.
I won’t lie to you — since some of the traditional recipes contain things like onion and garlic (sulfur has potent medicinal properties) and sometimes even hot peppers (which help to clear up congestion) — although fire cider might not be your favorite as far as your palate is concerned, the viruses (because there are reportedly somewhere around 200 of ‘em) that cause colds will lose a lot of their impact if you drink this; and that makes it worth a shot — well, swallow. Some fire cider recipes can be found here, here and here.
2. Probiotics
A few years ago, I wrote an article for the platform entitled, “80% Of Your Immunity Is In Your Gut. Take Care Of It Like This.” — and that alone should explain why and how a probiotic can help to prevent colds and make it easier to get over them. The reality is that a healthy gut is what helps to monitor how your immune system reacts and responds to harmful pathogens that may try and get into your system, including ones that cause the common cold.
And since probiotics feed your gut with “good bacteria,” this gives your gut the ability to be better (and quicker) at fighting off the bad. So yeah, take a probiotic — all of the time and definitely while you have a cold. It helps.
3. Peppermint (or Eucalyptus) Oil
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Although I rarely get sick (praise the Lord!), when I do catch a cold, I think what I hate the most is not being able to comfortably breathe. Well, something that is proven to help with that is peppermint essential oil. That’s because it contains properties that act as a natural decongestant as well as a fever reducer. Another essential oil that can hook you up in this department is eucalyptus oil. It’s bomb because it helps to soothe a nagging cough, it can clear up chest congestion and ultimately makes it easier to breathe.
So, before turning in at night, either mix a few drops of one (or both) of these oils with a carrier oil like grapeseed, avocado or jojoba, warm it up for 10 seconds in the microwave and apply it to the sides of your nose or on your best or back. Or put the oil in a diffuser. It can quickly ease cold-related symptoms while also making it so much easier for you to rest (which is something else your body needs to get over a cold; more on that in a sec).
4. Zinc Lozenges
Zinc is a mineral that helps to keep your immune system healthy and strong — and since a weakened immunity is directly connected to having more colds (2-4 a year is considered to be “normal,” by the way), it’s always a good idea to have some zinc in your body. As it relates to colds, specifically, aside from the fact that zinc can help you from catching one to begin with, there are also studies which say that sucking on zinc lozenges can help to shorten the timespan of a cold as well.
To be fair, some people have said that zinc lozenges make them feel nauseated; however, everything has its pros and cons and so, how would you know if you’re one of these folks unless you try it? Oh, and while we are on this topic, there are also zinc supplements and foods that are high in zinc (like red meat, lentils, hemp seeds, cashews and quinoa) if you want to try and get more zinc into your system that way (although lozenges are gonna be your best bet on the shortening tip; just sayin’).
5. Foods Rich in Vitamin C
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Speaking of foods that can fight a cold, out of all of what you’ve read here, probably what you are quite familiar with is the fact that vitamin C and colds are mortal enemies. In fact, one pretty significant study says that by taking one gram of vitamin C a day during a cold, you can reduce the severity of your symptoms by as much as 15 percent.
That’s because vitamin C is packed with antioxidants, it helps to reduce bodily inflammation and it helps to strengthen your immunity too. Foods that are full of vitamin C include chili and yellow peppers, kale, kiwi, papaya, broccoli, kale and citrus fruits.
6. Elderberry Tea
If you’re someone who likes to put preserves on your biscuits or toast, have you ever tried one that is made from elderberries (recipe here)? It’s actually pretty good — and good for you because elderberries are high in vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants. And that is why they are great whenever you are trying to hurry up and get over a cold because they also contain properties that are literally antiviral — and since a cold is a virus…well, there you have it.
One of the best ways to get elderberries into your system? Elderberry tea. If you add honey to it, honey can help to shorten symptoms like a stuffy nose, sore throat and cough by 1-2 days. Very cool.
7. REST
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Did you know that even one day of not getting the sleep that you need to weaken your immune system and increase bodily inflammation at the same time too? That’s because one of the benefits of a good night’s rest is it rejuvenates and recharges your system, so that your immunity can work at its optimal level.
Not only that but, according to science, if you already have a cold, getting plenty of rest can benefit you on a few different levels as well. First, your cytokines (proteins that boost your immunity) are released when you sleep.
Second, your body temperature elevates enough to kill some of the bacteria and viruses that are making you sick. Finally, sleep provides you with the energy that you need in order to get through the day while you are healing from your sickness. So, if you want to get through your cold ASAP, be intentional about getting as much rest as you possibly can.
BONUS: A Humidifier
When you get a chance, please check out “10 Really Good Reasons To Get Yourself A Humidifier This Fall”. There really are all kinds of solid reasons to invest in a humidifier around this time of the year — and one of them is to make getting through the cold (and flu) season so much easier for you. Since humidifiers bring moisture into the air, that can help to loosen up congestion, soothe an irritated throat, decrease coughing, help with the healing process of respiratory infections and it can help you to sleep better — so that you can get past your cold sooner.
So, if you don’t already have a humidifier, cop one ASAP. Your future colds will absolutely hate that you did. LOL. For a list of some highly recommended humidifiers that are currently on the market, click here.
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