

The Natural Hair Products That Will Turn Your Curl Game Up A Notch
As Black women, we take our crowns seriously, no matter the style of the crown. Our natural hair is a means of showcasing the beauty of our roots. Whether you're a 3A, 2B or 4C, your curls matter.
Being a naturalista is no easy feat. You have to be up to the minute on all of the latest natural hair products to ensure you're giving your curls the love they deserve. Our curls comes in all different shapes, sizes and textures so we have to meet them where they are but not leave them there. With humidity coming for all the hard work we put into maintaining the perfect curl and avoiding frizz, we gotta stay ready so we don't have to get ready.
Keep reading for some natural hair products that will have your curls screaming, "Yasssss!"
*This list is specially curated by the xoNecole team and some links are affiliate links. If you purchase an item from an affiliate link, xoNecole might earn a small commission.
Aveeno Oat Milk Blend Shampoo
Target
Did you know that oat milk is great for soothing your scalp? Because it is rich in protein and lipids, it adds a smoothness and shine that your curls will thank you for. Depending on your scent preference, you may love or hate the fragrance but we guarantee you'll love how your hair feels after a good shampoo.
Oyin Handmade Hair Natural Moisture Dew
Walmart
Celebrated as the leave-in to believe in, this Oyin product will kick dryness in the ass. The castor oil and squalane provide hydration and moisture for your coils and kinks.
SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Treatment Masque
Target
SheaMoisture is an illustrious collection of products perfect for repairing damaged hair. If you've been using heat and/or coloring your hair more than you should, this Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Treatment Masque will reduce shedding and allow your hair to grow free of harsh chemicals.
DevaCurl Deep Sea Repair Seaweed Strengthening Mask
Macy's
DevaCurl created a treatment ideal for defining your curls while also improving elasticity. Try using this product once a week to power-pack your curls with the strength it needs for any style. Word on the street is that this DevaCurl option is a great option for transitioning curls.
KareCo Tangle Buster Brush
Nordstrom Rack
Your coils need a brush that is gentle and efficient. The Tangle Buster has your back from its flexible paddle to the easy glide bristles. Whether using it on wet or dry hair, you can flawlessly detangle your hair in one hour, giving you more time to style your hair.
SOULTANICALS Fluffalicious Nutricious
Target
With a name like Fluff-a-licious, how can you go wrong? A little goes a long way as you style your bantu knots or twist out. You can depend on this product to keep your hair supple for days on end. Not to mention, the wheat germ oil and blue malva herb gives thick curly strands maximum nourishment.
Afro Sheen Crown Defining Curl Cream
Walmart
Sometimes our curls need a little help – think of this curl defining cream as the curl support system. It lacks grease, is full of fatty acids and reduces split ends. When lathering the cream, you are sure to notice an instant softness.
R+Co Cassette Curl Shampoo
Walmart
Everyone hates frizz so, when we find a product that tames frizz, we are sold. Between the flaxseed and rice oil, you'll want to treat this product like your favorite album that you can play and walk away. It will strengthen your hair from the follicle to the ends.
Featured image by Shutterstock
Joce Blake is a womanist who loves fashion, Beyonce and Hot Cheetos. The sophistiratchet enthusiast is based in Brooklyn, NY but has southern belle roots as she was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Keep up with her on Instagram @joce_blake and on Twitter @SaraJessicaBee.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Why Do Millennials & Gen-Zers Still Feel Like Teenagers? The Pandemic Might Be The Reason.
There’s nothing quite as humbling as navigating adulthood with no instruction manual. Since the turn of the decade, it seems like everything in our society that could go wrong has, inevitably, gone wrong. From the global pandemic, our crippling student debt problem, the loneliness crisis, layoffs, global warming, recession, and not to mention figuring out what to eat for dinner every night. This constant state of uncertainty has many of us wondering, when are the grown-ups coming to fix all of this?
But the catch is, we are the new grown-ups.
As if it happened without our permission, we became the new adults. We are the members of society who are paying taxes, having children, getting married, and keeping our communities afloat, one iced latte at a time. Still, there’s something about doing all these grown-up duties that feel unnaturally grown-up. Enter the #teenagegirlinher20s.
If there’s one hashtag to give you the state of the next cohort of adults, it’s this one. Of the videos that have garnered over 3.9M views, you’ll find a collection of users who are overwhelmed by life’s pressing existential responsibilities, clung to nostalgia, and reminiscent of the days when their mom and dad took care of their insurance plans.
@charlies444ngel no like i cant explain to her why i had to buy multiple tank air dupes from aritzia #teenagegirlinher20s #fyp
The concept of being a 20-something or 30-something teenager is linked to the sentiment of not feeling “grown up enough” to do grown-up things while feeling underprepared and even nihilistic about whether that preparation even matters.
It’s our generation’s version of when we ask our grandmothers how old they are and they simply reply with, “I still feel 45,” all while being every bit of 76 years old. In this, we share a warped concept of time while clinging to a desire for infantilization.
Granted, the pandemic did a number on our concept of time. Many of us who started the pandemic in our early or mid-20s missed out on three fundamental years of socialization, career development, and personal milestones that traditionally help to mark our growth.
Our time to figure out and plan our next steps through fumbling yet active participation was put on pause indefinitely and then resumed provisionally. This in turn has left many of us hanging in the balance of uncertainty as we try to make sense of the disconnect between our minds and bodies in this missing gap of time.
Because we’re all still figuring out what the ramifications of being locked away and frozen in time by a global pandemic will have on us as a society, there really is no “right” way of making up for lost time. Feeling unprepared for any new chapter of life is a natural rite of passage, pandemic or not. However, it’s important to not stay stuck in the last age or period of life that made sense to us because self-growth is the truest evidence of personal progress.
So whether you’re leaning on your inner child, teenager, or 20-something for guidance as you fill the gap between your real age and pandemic age, know that it’s okay to grieve the person you thought you would be and the milestones you thought you’d hit before you ever knew what a pandemic was. If there’s anything that the pandemic taught us, it’s that we have the power to reimagine a better world and life for ourselves. And if we tap into our inner teenager as a compass, we can piece together our next chapter with a fresh outlook.
Sure, we’ve lost a couple of years, but there are still some really amazing ones ahead.
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Featured image by Stephen Zeigler/Getty Images