This is the time of year when you’ll probably be drinking more coffee and hot tea than ever before because that is definitely one of the easiest (and most satisfying) ways to stay warm. Well, if you’d prefer to not use sugar and you’re looking for an alternative that not only tastes great but comes with all types of health benefits, too, what about some bee pollen?
Although it might not be something that you’ve ever considered adding to your diet before, I’m about to break down some of the reasons why it absolutely should be — because, when it comes to a food that will have you thinking, “Where have you been all of my life?” bee pollen is slowly yet surely beginning to top a lot of people’s list.
What Is Bee Pollen?
Although a lot of people think that bee pollen is not much different than say, honey, that actually isn’t the case. Bee pollen is a mixture of bee nectar, flower pollen, honey, bee enzymes, beeswax, and other bee secretions. These things work together to provide your system with all sorts of nutrients, amino acids, and protein (which means that it could be considered vegan, although it depends on what your take on bee harvesting is).
In fact, some scientists and researchers have so much respect for what bee pollen has the ability to do, health-wise, that they don’t just consider it to be food but a form of medicine as well.
Photo by How to Eat Bee Pollen
If you’ve never tried bee pollen before, you might wonder what it tastes like. What a lot of people say is it’s slightly sweet, semi-nutty, and a little floral. That’s actually why many will not just take it in supplement form, they may consume it as a tea or sprinkle it over their yogurt, put it in a smoothie, add it to their cereal, use it as a garnish for their toast, or acai bowls, grind it up to put into their dessert recipes or use it as an overall sweetener alternative. Yeah, that’s one of the best things about bee pollen — it’s super versatile when it comes to how you can easily get it into your system.
As far as storing it goes, make sure to keep your bee pollen in airtight containers and away from sunlight. It’s also a good idea to keep your pollen in the refrigerator; that way, your enzymes will remain potent for a longer period of time.
Keeping all of this in mind, let’s get into some of the reasons why you should get yourself some bee pollen (if you’re not allergic and your physician gives you the green light, that is) sooner than later.
Who Shouldn’t Use Bee Pollen
Now before I get into seven ways that bee pollen can certainly do your body good, a word of caution: If you’re allergic to pollen, you definitely should leave bee pollen alone. Also, if you happen to be pregnant or taking a prescribed medication, ask your doctor first before consuming bee pollen; as far as pregnancy goes, sometimes it can stimulate the uterus, which is something that you definitely don’t want if you’re not close to your due date.
It should also go on record that there is a slight chance that you could end up with a contaminated batch of bee pollen. One telling sign is if there is a lot of moisture in the bee pollen that you’ve purchased. If so, don’t use it. Same goes for if it smells bad or you notice any type of mold. If either is the case, toss the bee pollen out.
What Does Bee Pollen Do To Your Body?
What does bee pollen do for your health?
SafakOguz/Getty Images
1. Bee Pollen Reduces (Some) Menopause-Related Symptoms
GiphyAight, who had it on their bingo card that bee pollen could help with perimenopause and menopause? As crazy as it might (initially) sound, it’s absolutely true. Certain studies reveal that some of the extracts that are in bee pollen can help to reduce hot flashes, balance out erratic mood swings, and even help to decrease night sweats so that you’re able to get a better quality of sleep at night.
2. Bee Pollen Boosts Your Immune System
GiphySomething else that’s cool about bee pollen is it has the ability to strengthen your immunity by strengthening your immune system, increasing the number of red blood cells that are in your system, and accelerating the speed of your antibodies too. Some studies also say that bee pollen can help to strengthen your liver, fight diabetes, and lower your obesity risk.
Not to mention the fact that bee pollen contains powerful antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral properties that help to fight off many different types of bacteria and viruses as well.
3. Bee Pollen Can Help with Hair Growth
GiphyWhen it comes to this particular point, when you think about all of the nutrients and antioxidants that are in bee pollen (protein, Vitamin C, iron, and fatty acids), it would make sense that some reports say that bee propolis (which is basically a form of beeswax) is good for hair growth and overall hair health. As far as bee pollen, specifically, goes, science says that a sulfur-based amino acid called cysteine that’s in the pollen can help to reduce an itchy scalp as well as strengthen your hair shaft in the process.
4. Bee Pollen May Help to Prevent Anemia
GiphyIf something that’s a challenge for you is getting your body to absorb more iron, bee pollen also has your back in that department. Apparently, what makes this possible is the fact that bee pollen is a great source of vitamin C and bioflavonoids, and both of those things make it easier for iron to be absorbed into your bloodstream. So, if anemia or being borderline anemic is something that you deal with, this could be an all-natural remedy for you.
5. Bee Pollen Increases Blood Circulation
GiphyWanna know something else that bee pollen is able to do? It can increase blood circulation, especially to your brain and nervous system. This can result in you having less fatigue, more energy, and even better orgasms (since more blood circulation helps to intensify those). Something else that’s cool about bee pollen, on the blood circulation tip is, since it’s considered to be an unsaturated fatty acid, it can reduce your chances of blood clots, heart disease, and stroke.
6. Bee Pollen Decreases Stress
GiphyWe all could use hacks that help to decrease our stress levels, and on the heels of what I just shared, the reality is that when your blood circulation is good, your body doesn’t have to work as hard, more oxygen is going to your brain and your other organs, and you’re able to feel calmer and more relaxed. Hmph. To tell you the truth, when you think about the fact that sugar can make you more anxious and bee pollen is an awesome sweetener alternative that is also good for your blood — why not give it a shot ASAP? What really do you have to lose?
7. Bee Pollen Increases Longevity
GiphySeveral years back, The New York Times published the article, “One Spoonful of Bee Pollen, Each Day, and You, Too, Might Make It to 113.” And y’all, while that might be pushing things just a bit, some studies on animals have revealed that bee pollen has helped them to have increased muscle mass, a boost in their metabolism, and, yes, longer life. And anything that can add some time to the clock, that’s gotta be worth investing in. So, the next time you’re at a health food store, grab some bee pollen.
As you can see, it can do a helluva lot (although, if you’ve heard that it grows breasts, that’s unfounded). The all-natural way.
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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.
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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
It’s not like it has to be a bad thing. In fact, studies say that somewhere around 15 percent of engaged couples actually met through a friend. All I’m saying is, before you entertain someone’s “I’ve got someone I want you to meet” invitation, it would benefit you to interview them first — for the sake of all parties involved.
The questions that I recommend asking? The following six are what I think can get everyone on the same page, so that there is more pleasure than regret from the hook-up attempt.
1. Why Are They So Invested?
GiphyTwo things that I recently watched over again are the series Survivor’s Remorse (the writing is so damn good) and a movie called Trapped in Temptation (both are currently on Tubi). Something that both of them made me think about is the fact that motive reveals a lot when it comes to why people say and do the things that they do.
When it comes to the movie, specifically, without giving the film away — let me just say that, if you are in a relationship, be really careful about listening to individuals who try to talk you out of maintaining it. More times than not, the motive is shady as hell. And honestly, sometimes people who are close to obsessed with you being in one deserve a bit of side-eye too.
Now, if it’s someone who loves all things love, they are in love and they want you to experience something similar — that’s sweet. Just make sure that they are approaching the set up from a healthy space. What I mean by that is they don’t see singleness as some sort of relational handicap or they aren’t trying to override what you want for your life as if they somehow know better (there are so many ways to be a control freak, y’all).
Hmph. Now that I think about it — make sure that the set-up crew isn’t trying to use you to “save” some male friend or relative of theirs. I say that because I once knew a mother whose son had — count ‘em — 10 kids and she was FOREVER trying to get me to date him. Girl, that wasn’t for me. She was looking for a Holy Ghost Jr. for that child of hers. I’ll pass. HARD PASS.
Bottom line with this one — if someone wants to set you up with someone else, the first thing to ask is why? Make sure to really listen to what their answer is. Then pay attention to if your mind, body and spirit are at peace with their answer(s).
2. Do They Know What You Want?
GiphyI don’t know about y’all, but the people (and let’s be honest, by far, it’s usually women) who have tried to set me up with someone? They didn’t even know what my preferences or type was. Hell, they didn’t even know my thoughts or timeline as it relates to being in a serious relationship were either. And what that boils down to is they were trying to hook me up based on their agenda, not mine — and that usually meant that the guys who they came up with? Yeah…I was good on them. LOL.
Yeah, if someone wants to hook you up, you definitely should ask them if they know what you are looking for in a guy when it comes to his looks, personality, passions, spirituality, relational desires and goals, location, etc. Because, indeed, what is the point in going out with someone who is fine as hell and yet, you want kids and he doesn’t (or vice versa) or who has a great personality yet he isn’t even in the same ballpark of your spiritual beliefs?
If your friend really wants to help you out, valuing your time should come with that — and that means bringing someone into your life who complements your lifestyle. No wiggle room here.
3. Are They Aware of Your Deal-Breakers?
GiphyLast year, I wrote an article for the platform entitled, “Should Bad Sex Actually Be A Relationship Deal-Breaker?” The thing that I think needs to go on record about deal-breakers is they aren’t exactly standards that you have. No, a deal-breaker is something that can’t be worked out even after trying to negotiate or compromise. When it comes to relationships, a deal-breaker might be how long two people should date before becoming exclusive or getting engaged. Another deal-breaker might be if being religious is more important than being spiritual and how that manifests itself (church or no church, etc.). And yes, another deal-breaker may be what each other’s sexual needs and expectations are.
When someone is setting you up, it is imperative that they know about your standards. For instance, for me, I am not interested in dating a divorced person, pretty much ever (I Corinthians 7:10-11). I’ve had friends who have tried to hook me up with that demographic before and it has always been a moot effort. The fact that some of them have gotten frustrated with my convictions has absolutely nothing to do with me. Some have tried to get me to compromise my deal-breakers too — like a long-distance relationship. Is it a firm “naw”? No. However, it’s not really something that I am interested in, so why not just…recommend someone local?
Yeah, if someone thinks that they know you well enough to hook you up, they absolutely should be well-versed in what your deal-breakers are before they do. And if they’ve never asked, all they are doing is assuming — and we know what that typically means. LOL.
4. What Is Their Track Record?
GiphyIt’s kind of wild that we now live in a time when more couples meet online than they do through “old-fashioned ways” like via their friends (although some reports say that Gen Z is getting back to that) — and yet, here we are. Still, if you are willing to let someone play pseudo matchmaker in your life, you are well within your rights to inquire about their track record in that department. Have they hooked others up, successfully, before? Has any of their “Cupid work” caused both people to get exactly what they wanted out of the situation? If/when things went awry, why was that?
I know someone who is constantly trying to hook people up. Thing is, maybe 10-15 percent (no joke) of their efforts have proven to be positive and fruitful — and we’re talking about close to close to two decades of them doing it. Listen, time is too precious to be out here doing stuff ONLY to please other people. That said, if someone wants you to devote some time to one of their grand ideas, you are well within your rights to ask about their past and current success score when it comes to it.
5. Can They Keep Their Own Feelings Out of It?
GiphyWanna know if someone who is offering to do something for you is actually doing it more for themselves? If they try to make it be about them when things don’t go the way they would like, that is a dead ringer. An example? They post a message about you on social media and then question you about why you didn’t do the same thing in return. Another example? They do something for you and then throw it in your face during an argument. Still another example? They set you up with someone, it doesn’t work out, and suddenly you’ve put them in a weird spot. No dear — you put your own self in that position by trying to hook two people up in the first place.
I promise you, it will spare everyone unnecessary energy spent (or even drama experienced) if, before you agree to be hooked up, you get the matchmaker on record stating that they will keep their emotions out of it as much as possible. MEANING — they will do the introductions and then let the chips fall where they may. If they can’t do this, my two cents (save it or spend it) would be to decline the offer. Because all you need is someone texting you about why you haven’t called their cousin back or having an attitude with you when you break up with some guy at their church who they thought was the perfect catch (P.S. These aren’t hypothetical examples — LOL).
6. Will They Respect Your Boundaries? Start to Finish?
GiphyYeah, this final one is a biggie. Just because someone sets you up with another person, that doesn’t automatically or necessarily mean that they should have the right to the details of the dynamic. I don’t care if it’s the first date or the 10th date. I don’t care if you decide to just be sex buddies or to have a full-blown relationship. I don’t care if you stay together or break-up — it’s your relationship which makes it your business. Whatever you share is privileged data.
Yeah, I would say that probably the most challenging thing about being hooked up by someone you know is they have a tendency to think that they are a part of the relationship too — and that is a lie. If things go well beyond a couple of dates, you and the guy should discuss what you will both share with the person who introduced you and then agree to stick to that boundary, no matter what. It’s a great way to protect the dynamic, to keep “outside voices” from influencing the growth and to navigate how you want to move, moving forward.
Someone who hooked you up for the right reasons and knows how to honor limits? They will understand. Will they ask questions? Absolutely. Will they pry? Nah.
___
Should you sit and let someone hook you up? I mean, you never know how your blessing will come. Just make sure that they are prepared for you to do some digging into their mindset before they start sweetly meddling into your love life.
It’s only fair. Hell, and right. LOL.
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