

If You Absolutely Must Give Yourself A Wax At Home, Try This.
First and foremost, thank you for staying home to help flatten the curve. We are living in unprecedented times with the weight of the pandemic weighing heavily on every person in the world. Despite this momentous occurrence, life is still happening. Nails are lifting, wigs are shifting and hair is growing everywhere.
How you choose to groom or not to groom during self-isolation is between you and Jesus. But we know that many women relish in keeping a body free of unwanted hair, so it's our job to help you get it done. We checked in with wax guru and owner of Pretty Girls Get Waxed, Kejuana Curry, for some tips and tricks for grooming at home since all salons have closed due to COVID-19.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Kei The Wax Guru✨ (@kei_thewaxguru) on Sep 14, 2019 at 7:44pm PDT
Kejuana founded Pretty Girls Get Waxed when she felt there wasn't a trendy, professional and fun, full body waxing center in Memphis, TN. "We provide quality hair removal without the pain and hassle, featuring our very own Signature Hard Wax created by our founder. Our wax centers employee the best licensed professionals to not only deliver superb service but to educate our clients on proper skincare."
With that in mind, please be careful and safe because we ain't got time for burns, scars or injuries. The wax guru is sharing some hot tips ahead!
To Wax, Shave or Use Depillatory Cream - That Is The Question
Pretty Girls Get Waxed
"If you have the guts to wax yourself and you're in need of a wax warmer, you can use a crock pot to heat your wax. If you don't have a crock pot, you can also use an essential oil plug in. (Recommended: Pretty Girls Get Waxed's Signature Hard Wax, for professional and non-professional use)
"If you want to shave, I highly recommend that you don't. Shaving is the worst way to remove hair from your body. Shaving can easily cause irritation, ingrown hairs, discoloration, and changes the texture of your hair to a more coarser state. Regrowth happens quickly, and because hair is cut off at the surface, regrown hair is blunt, not tapered, so hair will be thicker. Before you shave, I highly suggest you 'trim' with scissors ONLY!
"If you just have to use a depilatory cream (which I do not recommend) you'll be much better off stoping by Target and purchasing some hair removal wax strips like Flamingo Wax Strips. Again, this form of hair removal is much better than any other. Depilatory creams are heavily compacted with chemicals that can irritate the skin and burn the skin as well. Because they don't completely removal the hair from the root, you run the risk of ingrown hairs as well. Over time, the creams seep into your pores and cause inflammation and boils.
"'Quarantine Clean' isn't so bad if you know what to do. As an esthetician, I would never recommend anyone to use shaving or depilatory creams. They simply are not good for the health of your skin."
How To Wax At-Home
"If you're bold enough to wax yourself, there's a great easy-to-use hard wax on the market that is beginner-friendly. You can purchase a 2lb bag of wax and all the supplies you need to complete the task at prettygirlsgetwaxed.com. Waxing is going to be the healthiest form of hair removal. It removes the hair from the root so it grows back much slower. Because it is being pulled from the root, it thins the hair so when it does grow back in, it's finer and thinner.
"DIY waxing can be easy and very beneficial! Some great exfoliants are sugar, salt, coffee and baking soda. Mix it with your cleanser or water and apply the paste to your skin, rub it in and then rinse!"
Self-Grooming Hacks
Pretty Girls Get Waxed
"The most important thing to keep in mind when grooming yourself is yourself. Always do as much or as little as YOU feel comfortable with. Some people prefer having hair on them and that's OK. Groom yourself to your liking."
Brows
"One tip for grooming your brows is to brush the hairs up instead of brushing them horizontally. You get a better shape when you brush upward."
Bikini Line
"One tip for grooming your bikini line is more, more, more. Less is NOT more! More is best. Put on your underwear and gather them at the top, then remove all the hair that you can see. You always want to take off more just in case some [hair] tries to peak through!"
Legs
"One tip for grooming your legs is always do it! Silky smooth legs are always in! Wax your entire legs consistently and watch less and less hair grow each time!"
For more tips from Kei The Wax Guru, follow her on Instagram.
Featured image via @kei_thewaxguru/Instagram
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.
Russell and Nina Westbrook Dish On The Key Ways To Avoid Resentment In Relationships
Russell and Nina Westbrook are one of those low-key, unproblematic couples we don’t talk about enough. They met in college and got married in 2015. They also have a beautiful family with three kids. While Russell is an NBA star, Nina is a licensed family and marriage therapist and a mental health advocate.
She recently launched the podcast The Relationship Chronicles with Nina Westbrook, and in the latest episode, she had none other than her husband on as a guest. The college sweethearts dived into important topics from marriage to children and how they navigate it all.
One of the topics they touched on was dealing with resentment in your relationship. The former MVP highlighted the sacrifices his wife has had to make in order for him to pursue a career in the NBA, and that’s why it’s also important for him to support his wife whenever he can.
“For me is respecting and understanding what your partner do and the time it takes,” Russell said. “Not kind of downplaying what they do, understanding the time and energy and effort they're doing to make sure whether it’s their job or making sure home is taken care of, and understanding that, I think that is the challenge of not being resentful.”
Nina agreed and also shared her thoughts on resentment. According to her, one of the best things couples should do is have their own identity and passions outside of the relationship in an effort to be fulfilled.
“I also think that when you’re in a relationship, that’s why it’s so important that each individual kinda pursue their own passions and follow their own dreams as I feel like it only becomes or leads to resentment when one person is not feeling fulfilled in what they're doing in their lives,” she explained.
“And so, they will start to look at the other partner who’s happy or excelling or promoting or moving along in their journey, then they’re left feeling stuck like they sacrificed themselves, their happiness, their career, their future and have not pursued it in the name of the relationship or their partner. So, it’s so much easier to avoid those feelings of resentment when you’re each equally pursuing your passions.”
The couple has many passions that they work on together and separately. Outside of basketball and his family, Russell has become known for his eclectic style and started the fashion brand Honor The Gift. Nina has her podcast, and she also started the mental health website Bene. Together, they run the Why Not? Foundation, which works with kids in underserved communities.
“I’m a firm believer that one person can’t be everything to you, so you have to sort of seek out those different friendships or groups or hobbies or activities that help to fulfill you,” Nina concluded.
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Feature image by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Religion of Sports