Now that my favorite season has arrived, I had to make sure that I shared at least one article on the topic of teas — because if there is one thing that is super soothing to the soul (that also has proven health benefits), it’s a hot cup of herbal tea (with a teaspoon of honey in it). The reason why we’re going to explore teas that specifically can help to improve moods is because, let’s not act like a lot of what is going on in our country right now isn’t stressful AF.
And just like I’ve told some of my friends, this is the time to almost become obsessed with cultivating a sanctuary space within your home (check out “15 Ways To Make Your Home A Cozy Sanctuary This Fall”) and doing as much pampering and self-care as possible, so that you can feel calm and relaxed. And yes, one way to do that is to know what you can consume that will help to make you feel better.
That starts with 10 teas that can help you in an abundance of ways — including when it comes to elevating your moods (which is something that we all need from time to time)…just in time for cooler weather and all that fall has to offer (yay!).
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1. Turmeric Tea
Antioxidants-wise, turmeric tea is pretty potent. And that is why health experts say that it is able to do everything from strengthen your heart and soothe arthritis-related symptoms to improve the quality of your liver and even decrease some of the symptoms that are directly associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). And yes, if you happen to be having a low day, the super active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, can help to boost your moods and even make depression-related symptoms less apparent.
2. Passionflower Tea
Feeling a little stressed out? If so, passionflower tea may be just what you need. I say that because the strong antioxidants in this tea can help to relieve anxiety, decrease symptoms that are associated with menopause (like hot flashes and headaches), can lower your blood pressure and is supreme when it comes to improving your quality of rest. Also, since passionflower tea has a reputation for being a sex hormone balancer, if you’re in a cranky mood because your libido hasn’t been where it usually is, this is a tea that can help out in that department as well.
3. Chamomile Tea
If you’ve got digestion issues, you want to control your blood sugar levels a bit better or you want to do a bit more to keep your heart health intact — where’s your chamomile tea at? Aside from all of what I just said, this herbal tea is a fan favorite among many health experts because it also hydrates skin, helps to heal acne (from the inside out), makes it easier to sleep and it even has properties in it that can lower your risk of being diagnosed with certain types of cancer.
And if you know that your moods have something to do with a lack of sleep or you are feeling restless in some way, chamomile tea may just be the all-natural remedy that you’ve been looking for. For decades, it’s had the reputation for helping to relax people to the point where they are able to feel soothed and are able to sleep soundly.
4. Black Tea
Black tea is one of the most popular teas when it comes to getting rid of free radicals. This is important because the stronger your body’s cells are, the stronger your immune system will be and the less likely you will have to deal with chronic diseases.
Black tea is also a winner because it helps to lower cholesterol levels and improve your gut health, it has the potential to decrease your blood pressure and reduce your risk of experiencing a stroke and, if you can’t seem to concentrate on something (in the moment) to save your life, black tea is a drink that can make it easier to focus too — not to mention the fact that black tea increases longevity…and if that doesn’t put you in a good mood, what in the world will? LOL.
Seriously though, black tea also makes the “good mood list” because it has properties that contain polyphenols (a group of plant-based chemical compounds) that have been directly linked to less stress and better moods.
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5. Lavender Tea
Lavender tea is the kind of tea that every woman should have in her possession. Since it contains anti-inflammatory properties, it can help to relieve menstrual discomfort. Since it contains antifungal elements, it can help to treat yeast infections from the inside out. Since it is loaded with antioxidants, it can strengthen your immune system and even encourage hair growth. And just how is it good for your moods? Well, something else that lavender tea’s properties are able to do is calm your nervous system down. And the less anxious you are, usually the better you end up feeling…right?
6. Lemon Balm Tea
If you’re looking to get rid of a bit of inflammation in your system, look no further than lemon balm tea because, among science and health experts alike, it has a solid reputation for that. Lemon balm tea is also good for you when it comes to bringing relief to menstrual cramps (which damn near puts us all in a bad mood), improving symptoms that are related to insomnia, strengthening your memory and overall cognitive abilities and even treating indigestion.
Another cool thing about lemon balm tea is, since it contains properties that help to relax you, it can put you in a calm state of mind — even under semi-stressful situations.
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7. Chai Tea
Personally, I am a super fan of chai tea. Not only do I like the way that it tastes, I’ve always dug that chai means life in one of my favorite (spiritual) cultures: Hebrew. If you’re curious about how chai tea can help your health and well-being, it does so by filling up your system with antioxidants, reducing menstrual and headache discomfort, easing digestion issues, decreasing muscle-related pain and keeping your blood sugar levels in check.
And if you’re dragging a bit after lunch, chai tea is also great at increasing your energy levels and making you more alert. Chai latte, anyone?
8. Peppermint Tea
Any tea that has a hint of mint is going to automatically be exhilarating — and that alone makes it worthy of this particular tea gem list. Plus, peppermint tea is able to reduce headache (and migraine) discomfort, freshen your breath, clear up nasal congestion, aid in supporting your weight loss efforts and it can also make seasonal allergies easier to deal with.
That said, if the mood that you’re experiencing has something to do with mental fatigue, studies reveal that peppermint has the ability to give you a natural energy boost without putting you on the (potential) roller coaster ride that can come with consuming caffeine. Awesome.
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9. Sage Tea
Are your cholesterol levels totally off of the charts? You definitely need to have some sage tea in your kitchen cabinet or pantry then. Sage works effectively in this area by improving your lipid profile/panel — which basically means that it helps to reduce how much fat is in your bloodstream. Aside from that, sage tea can help you when it comes to fighting off free radicals, improving the quality of your skin, reducing bad breath, soothing a sore throat and decreasing nausea in pregnant women.
How is it great for your mood? Well, if you happen to be going through perimenopause, since it contains estrogen-like properties, it can help to reduce symptoms that are associated with it as well as making it easier to relax and feel less stressed out.
10. Blooming Flower Tea
If you’ve never heard of blooming flower tea before, it’s basically tea that is made out of tea leaves and edible flowers. As a tea lover, I like this particular one because it’s pretty as hell to look at. Beyond that, blooming flower tea also has some impressive health benefits including the fact that many (edible) flowers are loaded with antioxidants and amino acids.
Not only that but they can help to strengthen your immune system, they are able to increase blood circulation throughout your body, they can improve your vision (over time), make your hair and skin (more) radiant and they are superb when it comes to improving digestion and detoxing your system.
Mood-wise, consider a cup or two of blooming flower tea a couple of times a week in order to get more rest at night and experience less brain fog (which can put you in a bad mood due to feeling confused and not being able to concentrate) throughout the day. Yep…pretty and potent. Enjoy, sis. Enjoy!
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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
Apparently, there was a Thanksgiving episode that featured all of the friends having dinner together. And y’all, there was simply no way that I was going to mention the latter without shouting out the original (amen?).
Okay, so with that out of the way — Friendsgiving. Something that I appreciate about twists to holidays like this is that it’s a reminder that there is no one way to celebrate special occasions. And so, if, for whatever the reason, you will not or cannot be with family during the holiday season, there are certainly other alternatives at your disposal.
That being said, if the thought of spending time with friends this Thanksgiving is something that you’d like to do, yet you’re not sure how to host it in a way that will make Friendsgiving a fan favorite for your entire circle — I’ve got 10 suggestions that can make the planning process easy as pumpkin (or sweet potato) pie.
1. Position Chrysanthemums or Orchids for Your Table Décor
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Let’s start with décor first. Listen, aside from cleaning up your place, you don’t have to be over the top. If you put together a really nice centerpiece or put a flower at each table setting, honestly, you’re all good. And if you’re someone who is big on details and symbolism, my recommendation would be to go with some chrysanthemums and/or orchids.
When it comes to chrysanthemums, not only are they a peak fall flower, they represent things like friendship and happiness. And orchids? They tend to bloom during the fall and spring seasons and, not only are they about luxury, certain orchid colors also symbolize friendship (for the record, yellow roses symbolize friendship too). Perfect.
2. Incorporate Scents That Cultivate Gratitude
Speaking of cultivating a warm and inviting space, you can never go wrong with scented soy candles — or at least having an essential oil diffuser in a few spots. Some scents that actually help to bring in the spirit of gratitude include vanilla, jasmine, ginger, cedarwood and frankincense.
3. Use Upscale Paper Products to Dine With
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Let’s be real — a lot more of us would probably host events in our home if it wasn’t for the mess that is left behind in our kitchen once the festivities are over. Wanna avoid that? Use paper plates. No, I don’t mean the cheap Styrofoam ones. SMDH. These days, there are paper (and plastic) plate brands that will low-key blow your mind when it comes to how bougie they look. Some that are worth considering are located here, here and here.
4. Handwrite Thank-You Notes (Use Them As Place Settings)
If you’re like Tiffany (from the HBO series Insecure — what a time) was at that memorable dinner party when all hell broke loose between Lawrence and Issa and you’re pretty anal — I mean, particular — LOL — about place settings, it’s a nice touch to pick up some blank thank-you cards that you can write a personalized “I’m thankful for you because…” message in. Place each one where you’d like each friend to sit. They won’t see it coming and it’s a really nice touch.
5. Have Everyone Bring Their Favorite Homemade Dish
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Okay, and what if what has you on the fence about hosting is you don’t feel like doing a ton of cooking? Chile, this is where the concept of having a potluck comes in. Get everyone to bring the dish that they claim they cook the best and make sure to let them know how many individuals you plan on coming (so that they will make enough). You can even make a game out of it by having everyone anonymously vote for the first, second and third best dishes out of the bunch. Take it up a notch by having a prize for each winner.
6. Take a Warm Drink and Dessert Poll Beforehand
You know what isn’t discussed enough about dinner parties? Folks bringing desserts that other people don’t even like. SMDH. You can avoid this from becoming an issue at your Friendsgiving by sending an email (most people prefer that to group chats; let’s be real — and make sure to BCC everyone as well) asking everyone to share what their top three favorite desserts and warm drinks are. Then pick the top 2-3 out of the bunch. That way, you won’t have a ton of (for instance) coffee cake or apple cider lying around that no one even wanted in the first place.
7. Create a Signature Friendsgiving Mocktail and Cocktail
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Speaking of drinks, another way to make your Friendsgiving memorable is to come up with a signature mocktail (for those who don’t consume alcohol) and cocktail. For the mocktail, you can also poll your friends about their favorite mocktail or fruits and come up with a mixture of your own. For the cocktail — although National Friendship Day is actually in August, I did peep that there are certain drinks that have been created in its honor. Some of them are located here for you to do a bit of tweaking on (if you’d like).
8. Ask Everyone to Share Their “Favorite Friend Quality” of Another
You know how it’s customary for everyone to go around and share what they are truly thankful for before having dinner? Well, to continue along with the Friendsgiving theme, have each person share what their favorite friend quality is about the person to their right. If folks are just meeting each other for the first time, instead they can share what they value the most in friendship overall, along with a story of how it was displayed to them personally over the past 12 months.
9. Send Each of Your Guests Home with a Fresh Gratitude Journal
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Wanna send folks home with a nice parting gift? It would be so on-trend to give each of them a gratitude journal. Listen, we are in some crazy times right through here (at least in the States) and so, encouraging your friends to set some time aside, regularly, to think about and then outwardly express what they are grateful for? That helps to keep stress down, keep things in perspective and it reminds us all to maintain a positive mindset as much as possible.
10. Watch a Nostalgic Movie
While everyone is enjoying dessert and drinks, how about watching a movie that brings back fond memories? A list of some of the most popular movies to come out previous Thanksgiving weekends is located here and a list of some favorite Black holiday-themed films can be found here. It’s a way to wind down and share some laughs before everyone heads home.
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Friendsgiving. What a wonderful way to celebrate your friends while also observing Thanksgiving in a way that is totally on your terms. And now that you know how to put it together, what are you waiting for? Hit your friends up and let them know that, whether it’s on actual Thanksgiving Day or a few days before or after, you’ve got a special dinner in mind.
One that has a good time with amazing friends written ALL over it.
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