It's getting hot outside and it's the perfect time to take off all of your clothes with your boo of choice and get kinky as f*ck. Whether you're into BDSM or are just in the market for a new dildo, these Black-owned businesses have everything you need to turn up the heat in your bedroom and add some spice to your sex life.
From a new pair of rose quartz handcuffs from Plz Be Careful to the smartphone-controlled vibrator you didn't know you needed, here are 12 Black-owned sex shops and boutiques that you can shop right now:
1.Bedroom Kandi
Founded by Kandi Burruss, Bedroom Kandi is one of many brainchilds the multi-entrepreneur has spawned. Since its 2011 launch, the line of body-safe intimacy toys offers something for everyone, from her signature Kandi Kisses to her Helping Hand.
2.Plz Be Careful
We heard you like to dress up, but what about putting a little kink into it? For those of you who won't to expand your lingerie horizons, Plz Be Careful is the gender fluid clothing line of your perverted dreams. Founded by @moongoddexx69, the eco-centric brand creates custom "slutgear and armor."
3.Organic Loven
Organic Loven is a sexual wellness haven founded by erotic educator Taylor Parks. The curator of intimate products believes that in order to tap into true pleasure from your sex toy explorations, you must do so with high quality, eco-friendly, and body-safe sex toys. In addition to an array of products in their online shop, Organic Loven is also the name of the only adult subscription box to do the same.
4.Lumberjill Leisurecrafts
Etsy
Don't knock it till you try it. Richard "Dick" Carver has revamped what a personal massager looks like with his signature wooden dildos. The shop owner hand crafts wooden dildos, paddles, plugs, as well as customizable orders. Long, thick, and powerful are understatements for the functional artwork this shop provides.
5.b condoms
When for the culture becomes for the protection, that's where this black-owned condom company comes into play. B condoms are an organic, vegan, and odorless brand of condoms that touches on some of the pain points of other condoms out there on the market; including but not limited to the fact that they have the biggest condom in the USA with their 60mm Platinum XL condom.
6.Anya Lust
Anya Lust
For this shop, it's the lust for us. Anya Lust is known for selling high-quality luxury lingerie. But the brand takes it a step further by providing a small selection of sexual wellness and pleasure tools. This includes the crystal wand (pictured above), yoni eggs, a vibrating massager, and much more.
7.LyLyth Erotica
If you're looking to truly add some spice to the bedroom, look no further than LyLyth Erotica. The black-owned sex boutique is all about giving its consumers the tools needed to fulfill their deepest desires and explore their sexual boundaries. With handcrafted sex toys and a cream-colored cuffs and leather restraints, prepare to indulge a kink or two with LyLyth as your guide.
8.New York Toy Collective
New York Toy Collective was founded in 2012 by co-founders Chelsea and Parker. Their supply of high-quality intimacy products and toys not only emphasize pleasure, but also all forms of gender affirmation and expression. Due to the tech-savvy nature of the co-founders, NYTC also touts being the first and only sex toy company that harnesses 3D technology to allow for the customization of sex toys for consumers who wish to have sex toys that look like their own bodies.
9.Ardentley
Though Ardentley is a sexual wellness company and resource first, it is also a distributor of body-safe sex toys. As a believer in all things passion, its founder Tatiyanna instills confidence in others to find pleasure in themselves and for themselves through blogs and writing. Her carefully curated selection of cock rings, strokers, vibrators and suckers help too. We're just saying.
10.Hoelistic Shop
Hoelistic Shop
They honestly had me at "hoelistic." Founded by Sadea Bryant, the Hoelistic Shop wants to serve your inner hoe holistically by way of organic and body-safe products for every body, but especially black women.
11.Kolby Brianne Leather
Based in Connecticut, Kolby Brianne makes custom-sized handcrafted leather pieces through Kolby Brianne Leather. Made to order, Kolby creates her pieces with ritual and intention and does so for all body shapes and sizes. The end result are personalized items that can be worn for work and play.
12.Seduction By Lace
Seduction By Lace
A one-stop shop for your seduction needs, Seduction By Lace aims to give everyone the keys to the sexual pleasure kingdom. The owner Lace offers a collection of lingerie, toys like nipple suckers for self-pleasure in her Pleasure Collection, and a bevy of toys that speaks to your inner freak in the intentionally curated Bondage Collection.
13.Feelmore Adult
Unlike a lot of the black-owned sex brands on this list, Feelmore has an online store but also has the distinction of having a physical store as well. The Oakland based sex store founded by Nenna Joiner has an extensive inventory for any sex flavor you might have a taste for. From fisting oil and lubricant and anal training kits to restraints and dual stimulating vibrators, Feelmore is truly where it's at. Plus, their sex toy Uber Eats delivery option is icing on the proverbial cake.
Featured image by Shutterstock
In a xoNecoleexclusive, the iconic actress opens up about embracing this season of her life, new projects, and overall being a “bad motherfucker.” Gabrielle reveals that she was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with perimenopause and is still going through it at 51 years old. Mayo Clinic says perimenopause “refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.”
“I haven't crossed over the next phase just yet, but I think part of it is when you hear any form of menopause, you automatically think of your mother or grandmother. It feels like an old-person thing, but for me, I was 37 and like not understanding what that really meant for me. And I don't think we focus so much on the word menopause without understanding that perimenopause is just the time before menopause,” she tells us.
Gabrielle Union
Photo by Brian Thomas
"But you can experience a lot of the same things during that period that people talk about, that they experienced during menopause. So you could get a hot flash, you could get the weight gain, the hair loss, depression, anxiety, like all of it, mental health challenges, all of that can come, you know, at any stage of the menopausal journey and like for me, I've been in perimenopause like 13, 14 years. When you know, most doctors are like, ‘Oh, but it's usually about ten years, and I'm like, ‘Uhh, I’m still going (laughs).’”
Conversations about perimenopause, fibroids, and all the things that are associated with women’s bodies have often been considered taboo and thus not discussed publicly. However, times are changing, and thanks to the Gabrielle’s and the Tia Mowry’s, more women are having an authentic discourse about women’s health. These open discussions lead to the creation of more safe spaces and support for one another.
“I want to be in community with folks. I don't ever want to feel like I'm on an island about anything. So, if I can help create community where we are lacking, I want to be a part of that,” she says. “So, it's like there's no harm in talking about it. You know what I mean? Like, I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change. I'm just getting better and stronger and more intelligent, more wise, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic. All of that is very, very welcomed, and none of it should be scary.”
The Being Mary Jane star hasn’t been shy about her stance on therapy. If you don’t know, here’s a hint: she’s all for it, and she encourages others to try it as well. She likens therapy to dating by suggesting that you keep looking for the right therapist to match your needs. Two other essential keys to her growth are radical transparency and radical acceptance (though she admits she is still working on the latter).
"I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change."
Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Union-Wade
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
“I hope that a.) you recognize that you're not alone. Seek out help and know that it's okay to be honest about what the hell is happening in your life. That's the only way that you know you can get help, and that's also the only other way that people know that you are in need if there's something going on,” she says, “because we have all these big, very wild, high expectations of people, but if they don't know what they're actually dealing with, they're always going to be failing, and you will always be disappointed. So how about just tell the truth, be transparent, and let people know where you are. So they can be of service, they can be compassionate.”
Gabrielle’s transparency is what makes her so relatable, and has so many people root for her. Whether through her TV and film projects, her memoirs, or her social media, the actress has a knack for making you feel like she’s your homegirl. Scrolling through her Instagram, you see the special moments with her family, exciting new business ventures, and jaw-dropping fashion moments. Throughout her life and career, we’ve seen her evolve in a multitude of ways. From producing films to starting a haircare line to marriage and motherhood, her journey is a story of courage and triumph. And right now, in this season, she’s asking, “What’s next?”
“This is a season of discovery and change. In a billion ways,” says the NAACP Image Award winner. “The notion of like, ‘Oh, so and so changed. They got brand new.’ I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
"I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
She continues, “So I'm just trying to figure out what's next. You know what I mean? I'm jumping into what's next. I'm excited going into what's next and new. I'm just sort of embracing all of what life has to offer.”
Look out for Gabrielle in the upcoming indie film Riff Raff, which is a crime comedy starring her and Jennifer Coolidge, and she will also produce The Idea of You, which stars Anne Hathaway.
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Feature image by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images
