

I Got To Wear The Same Wig As Normani & Here’s The Tea
Wigs are the newest wave and we refuse to not swag surf until the board breaks. If it were up to me and not my bank account, I would have a room full of wigs named after my favorite celebrities. From Cardi B to Viola Davis, wigs have become a mainstay for boss women not only because of their convenience but also for their undeniable flair. If you want to try a new style or color, you can always rock a wig to try it out before making a permanent decision.
In the past few years, the negative connotation with wigs has been replaced with that of opulence and class. Back in the day, wearing a wig was seen as a way to go undercover or as a hair loss solution. While you can keep those on the list of pros of rocking a wig, they offer so much more in this day and age.
I used to find them profoundly intimidating before I learned more about them. Frontals, U-Parts, Glueless… you name it! I had the opportunity to embark on a new wig journey by trying a frontal wig for the very first time using XOXO Virgin Hair. Keep reading for the piping hot tea.
The Brand: XOXO Virgin Hair
XOXO Virgin Hair
As the first hair brand to use Vietnamese hair, XOXO Virgin Hair is 100% pure, making the product free of synthetic fillers or chemicals. The brand proclaims that the hair is double drawn, ensuring clients full and thick installs and because the weft construction is durable, thin, flexible, and consistently constructed, there is minimal shedding. The website reads, "The quality of our hair appeals and caters to the discerning taste of both clients and hair stylists, as our hair can last up to 3-5 years or more with proper care, a wonderful investment to those who seek longevity and high performing hair."
Founder Stephanie Nolan launched XOXO Virgin Hair in 2014 after observing a lack of quality hair extensions when working on sets. Like the girl boss she is, she took matters into her own hands by creating her own brand. Stephanie's goal was to transform the hair extension experience through high-performing products. And don't get it twisted, her clientele includes the likes of Solange, Lizzo, Jackie Aina, Jordyn Woods, Normani and more.
Whether you need bundles, a HD film lace frontal or a custom wig, XOXO has you covered.
The Wig: Deep Wave Frontal Wig
Normani rocked a similar unit during her 2019 MTV VMA performance. The wig features a 13x6 Swiss Lace Parting with lasting curls and three wig combs and adjustable straps. It comes unstyled so that you have the freedom to create the look you desire. My mane consisted of 22/24/26 lengths, similar to Normani's VMA look.
My Review
This was my first frontal wig installation and it was a whole experience. The first order of business was to find a stylist Denver that could lay my wig like Beyonce's flowing locks. Although Denver is highly Caucasian, I had been eyeing this dope stylist named Tiarra Waldrup on Instagram for the task. She has worked her magic on the heads of bosses like Karen Civil so I knew I would be in good heads.
I booked my appointment and I immediately fell in love with Tiarra's holistic approach to hair as she talked through every single step of the process in an effort to make sure I was educated on the maintenance of a frontal wig. We talked about glue vs glueless, freeze spray, maintenance and so much more. One of the main reasons I wanted to be a part of the wig gang is because I have Seborrheic dermatitis, a common skin condition that mainly affects your scalp causing scaly patches, red skin and stubborn dandruff. This is also why I love a good protective style. Tiarra gave me a great shampoo and then braided me down. Next came the daunting part: applying the wig cap.
Confession: the stocking cap application almost took me out. I am what black folks call "tender-headed", so my pain tolerance is -50.
Tiarra did tell me that it would be tight because it helps to smooth and flatten my braids to create a natural appearance. She popped me under the dryer and then proceeded to apply the wig. The moment she put the wig on, I felt like a new woman and I hadn't even seen anything. Homegirl started styling me by plucking the lace to match my hairline and then she added some products to enhance the already fire curl patterns. She did comment about the color of the lace as it has a darker hue but it didn't end up needing any makeup or concealer. When completing the look, she told me she approved of this hair vendor because the quality of the hair was truly sensational. I left the salon swinging my inches like I was an extra in a Beyonce music video.
Over the next few days, I found the maintenance to be very easy. I would wake up, comb or brush out the hair and add some mousse if I wanted to define the curls more. I can't even lie — I am in love with this wig! It's gorgeous, beautiful, easy to maintain and has very little shedding. Best of all, it looks so natural. Everywhere I go, people shower me with compliments.
If you're looking for a way to switch it up with quality and style, XOXO Virgin Hair is an amazing option.
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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.
Jodie Turner-Smith Files For Divorce From Joshua Jackson After Nearly 4 Years Of Marriage
2023 has become the year of celebrity breakups with headlines breaking left and right about celebs filing for divorce or ending high-profile relationships. The latest couple to announce their dissolution? British actress Jodie Turner-Smith. TMZ reported that Jodie has filed for a divorce from her husband, Dawson Creek alum Joshua Jackson.
As far as her reason for calling it quits, Jodie cited "irreconcilable differences," according to TMZ, and has requested joint custody of the couple's daughter, Juno Rose Diana Jackson. Late last year there were rumblings of there being "trouble in paradise" for the couple after the media realized they were no longer following each other on Instagram.
Those rumors were more than laid to rest when Jodie and Joshua went to the 2023 Oscars together earlier this year, and even more recently, when they celebrated her birthday together last month during the September unveiling of the Lotus Emeya.
Jodie Turner-Smith celebrates her birthday with husband Joshua Jackson at the unveiling of the new fully-electric Lotus Emeya on September 07, 2023 in New York City.
Brian Ach/Getty Images for Lotus
Despite seeming particularly happy and in love, perhaps the writing was already written on the wall even then. In the past, Jodie has been very celebratory publicly about her love for her estranged husband, even boldly recounting their love story for the books in a 2021 interview with Seth Meyers.
When Jodie and Joshua met, it was while at his birthday party in 2018. Their relationship was hot and heavy from the start, with Jodie openly noting that they began as a "one-night stand." During her 2021 interview with Seth Meyers, she jokingly referred to their love story as a "three-year one-night stand." She shared:
"First of all, I saw him before he saw me and when I saw him, I was like, 'I want that.' And then when he saw me, I just pretended like I didn't see him. He had to yell across the room to me, and I was wearing this T-shirt from a movie called Sorry to Bother You and [actress] Tessa Thompson plays a character called Detroit, and she has this T-shirt that says, 'The Future Is Female Ejaculation.'
"And so, he shouts across the room, 'Detroit!' He comes over and… does this really cute, charming thing that he does and just all night -- he just basically followed me around the party."
The couple were together from that moment forth, and even made things "Instagram official" less than two weeks later while on a dinner date. Joshua would later clarify to Insider that the night they met in 2018 was not a 'one-night stand' or a 'three-year one-night stand' like his then-wife joked but instead, it was "technically a three-night stand."
"It was sealed with a kiss that night and then we didn't leave each other's sides for, well, three years now," Joshua continued at the time.
In a July 2021 interview with Jimmy Fallon, Joshua dropped more details about the why behind getting married. He revealed that he didn't know he wanted to get married to Jodie until "the moment she asked me."
"She asked me on New Year's Eve. We were in Nicaragua. It was very beautiful, incredibly romantic, we were walking down the beach and she asked me to marry her."
He added, "I did not know [she would propose], but she was quite adamant and she was right. This is the best choice I ever made."
Joshua Jackson Reveals Jodie Turner-Smith Proposed To Him
Jodie received quite a bit of flack for proposing to Joshua because it goes against tradition and what society sees as acceptable for a woman to do to a man, and proposing isn't one of them. No matter how much time has passed, the viewpoints around who should do the proposing and who should be proposed to are still very traditional.
After being on the receiving end of such backlash, Joshua would later clarify to the media in a separate interview that it wasn't just Jodie's proposal to him that sealed the deal of them getting married, he proposed to her too. She might have initiated it, but Joshua followed through.
"I accidentally threw my wife under the bus because that story was told quickly and it didn't give the full context and holy Jesus, the internet is racist and misogynist," he explained to Refinery29 that same year. "We were in Nicaragua on a beautiful moonlit night, it could not possibly have been more romantic."
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
He continued, "And yes, my wife did propose to me and yes, I did say yes, but what I didn't say in that interview was there was a caveat, which is that I'm still old school enough that I said, 'This is a yes, but you have to give me the opportunity [to do it too].'"
"She has a biological father and a stepdad, who's the man who raised her. [I said], 'You have to give me the opportunity to ask both of those men for your hand in marriage.' And then, 'I would like the opportunity to re-propose to you and do it the old-fashioned way down on bended knee.' So, that's actually how the story ended up."
Joshua and Jodie would eventually marry in December 2019. Shortly thereafter, Jodie gave birth to the couple's first child, Janie, in 2020.
In a recent interview with Elle UK, Jodie shared the ways becoming a mother to Juno helped to heal her of her wounds from colorism she experienced in the past. "It's interesting because I had a lot of resistance to becoming a mother and, throughout my life, I always said if I were to have children, I wanted to have Black, Black babies so that I could affirm them as children with the love that I felt I needed to have been affirmed with by the outside world," Jodie shared with the outlet.
She continued, "Then I fell in love with my husband and we talked about having kids. I did have this mini pause, where I was like, 'She's going to be walking through the world not only having an experience that I did not have, but looking like people that, in a way, I'd always felt a little bit tormented by.' Now that I've got this little, tiny, light-skinned boss, I feel like it’s the universe teaching me lessons. I've been given a daughter who looks this way to heal my own conversations around colorism."
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