Chile, the fact that we are already less than two months away from the middle of this year lets me know that time is on steroids. As unbelievable as it may seem, here we are, right on the very brink of spring — it’s a new season and with that should come a few new approaches to this thing called life.
Although it’s pretty customary for me to present some spring-themed content (more to come on that, by the way), this time, I wanted to offer up a semi-brief 10-point plan for making the most of March 20-June 20, 2025. Because since time is moving so swiftly, now more than ever, it’s important to make the absolute most of each and every day.
And so, as far as this spring is concerned, here are some ways to do exactly that, sis.
1. Take Advantage of the “Extra” Hour
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If you’ve ever wondered about the backstory of daylight savings, in 1918, the Standard Time Act was introduced in order for us to have an extra hour of sunlight. And while the feelings about daylight savings time are a bit of a mixed bag (for instance, some studies say that it reduces productivity and disrupts sleeping patterns), if you’re someone who feels more energized when the sun is out, you prefer to drive when it’s brighter outside and/or you need the sun for the sake of your mental health (because it sunlight does help to decrease depression-related symptoms) — use “springing forward” as an opportunity to take advantage of all of this.
Because, when you have a full to-do list on a daily basis, you never know what that extra hour can help you to accomplish. Real talk.
2. Get More Vitamin D into Your System
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Speaking of more sunlight, as the days get longer, why not take walks after dinner or enjoy a cocktail or mocktail in your backyard? Both of these options are very easy ways to get more vitamin D into your system — and that’s especially important for us as Black women because our extra melanin makes it harder for our skin to absorb the vitamin D that comes from the sun.
That said, since vitamin D helps to boost immunity, fight off heart disease, regulate our moods, aid in weight loss, and strengthen bones and muscles and the the sun is getting brighter and the weather is getting warmer as we speak, why not absorb all of the benefits of that vitamin D (from the sun) has to offer — just as soon as you possibly can?
3. Become More Creative
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Did you know that, as it gets warmer outside, your dopamine levels start to increase? This is cool to know because dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a direct role when it comes to your moods, how you experience pleasure, your attention span, your memories, and your ability to learn. And that’s why there is quite a bit of data that says spring can help you to become a more creative individual.
So, if you’ve been thinking about taking an art class, launching a website or even just writing a poem or song, this would be the time of year to do it. Why wait?
4. Be Open to a (More) Romantic Relationship
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Here’s something that might trip you out. If you’re starting to think more about dating, commitment, and/or sex right through here, the spring season may have something to do with that. Yep, according to science, during the wintertime, your serotonin levels are lower than they are during the warmer months. And since serotonin (a natural body chemical) plays a role in things like your mood and even your libido, if someone (you trust) wants to set you up on a blind date — why not go? You never know what the spring season may bring you. #wink
5. Realize That Humidity Does Have Beauty Benefits
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As it gets warmer, it’s pretty common for humidity to go up a notch too. And since humidity levels are simply based on the amount of water vapors that are in the air at any given time, your skin can certainly reap some of the rewards of there being more moisture in the air. Humidity can give your skin more hydration. Humidity can help new skin cells to turnover at an accelerated rate. Humidity can even slow down the signs of aging. And all of this is just one more reason to spend more time outdoors (with some sunscreen on your face and body, of course).
6. Spring Cleaning Can Get Things (Back) in Order
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Although many people think about hitting those baseboards whenever spring cleaning comes to mind, I’ve written articles for the platform like “Yes Couples, You Can 'Spring Clean' Your Sex Life” and “Let's Finally 'Spring Clean' ALL Of Our Exes Out Of Our Lives, Shall We?” as a reminder that, at the end of the day, spring cleaning should really be about (re)organizing your home and your life, in general.
This includes cleaning up your house; putting away winter clothes; clearing out emails and texts that you no longer need; reevaluating your relationships; setting some new goals when it comes to your purpose, passion, and career, and cultivating a schedule that will help you to make the most of your time.
7. Enjoy Your Local Farmers Market
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Apples, apricots, avocados, cabbage, collard greens, kale, garlic, pineapples, strawberries and turnips. Wanna know something that all of these foods have in common? They’re all in season in the springtime. Know what else? There’s a really good chance that you’ll be able to find them at your local farmers market.
I adore the farmers market for a few reasons. For one thing, the produce tends to be fresher than it is at the grocery store. Another thing? Oftentimes everything is cheaper. Not to mention the fact that by shopping at a farmers market, you are literally supporting the local farmers in your area. Plus, it can be an awesome date experience. Enjoy a couple of hours perusing the market and, if things go really well there, cook some of the things that you purchased and have a picnic later on. Perfection.
8. Spend (More) Time with Your Homies
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Quality time is something that we all need when it comes to nurturing our friendships. So, also use the spring season to hang out with your peeps more. Have a rooftop dinner. Go to the zoo. See a play or movie together in the park. Enjoy wine tasting, miniature golf, or go hiking. TIME once published an article entitled, “Why Spending Time with Friends Is One of the Best Things You Can Do for Your Health.” Check it out when you get a chance. Then send your friends an invite to welcome the new season in.
9. Embrace the Extra Safety
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Guess what else is pretty cool about spring — it’s reportedly the time of year when the least crime occurs. Interestingly enough, although the summertime is when quite a bit of crime goes down, the spring season is when (for instance), your car is least likely to be broken into. Just one more reason to feel pretty good about being outdoors right now.
10. Start Over. That’s What Spring Means.
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I’m pretty big on symbolism and the spring season certainly has some. Spring represents things like rebirth, renewal, starting over and even finding new love. So, if you’ve been feeling like you’re in a bit of a rut as of late and you’re ready for a change, the spring season comes with the type of energy that can encourage and inspire you.
A poet by the name of Christian Rossetti once said, “Spring is when life’s alive in everything.” Plant some seeds of newness in your life — watch how spring blooms for you once you do. Happy Spring, y’all!
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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
Luckily, there are some things that you can do to either speed up the healing process of a cold or make having one more bearable than usual. Things that are affordable, all-natural, and easy to incorporate into your daily routine.
Are you ready to know how to nip a damn cold in the bud…before you even get one?
Here ya go.
1. Fire Cider
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Two drinks that I am gonna drink all the way down, each and every fall season, are hot chocolate and apple cider (that’s warmed up). So, when I read about something called “fire cider,” it absolutely caught my attention. If you’re not familiar with it, fire cider is a homemade drink that consists of things like apple cider vinegar, herbs and other ingredients that are specifically designed to boost your immune system.
I won’t lie to you — since some of the traditional recipes contain things like onion and garlic (sulfur has potent medicinal properties) and sometimes even hot peppers (which help to clear up congestion) — although fire cider might not be your favorite as far as your palate is concerned, the viruses (because there are reportedly somewhere around 200 of ‘em) that cause colds will lose a lot of their impact if you drink this; and that makes it worth a shot — well, swallow. Some fire cider recipes can be found here, here and here.
2. Probiotics
A few years ago, I wrote an article for the platform entitled, “80% Of Your Immunity Is In Your Gut. Take Care Of It Like This.” — and that alone should explain why and how a probiotic can help to prevent colds and make it easier to get over them. The reality is that a healthy gut is what helps to monitor how your immune system reacts and responds to harmful pathogens that may try and get into your system, including ones that cause the common cold.
And since probiotics feed your gut with “good bacteria,” this gives your gut the ability to be better (and quicker) at fighting off the bad. So yeah, take a probiotic — all of the time and definitely while you have a cold. It helps.
3. Peppermint (or Eucalyptus) Oil
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Although I rarely get sick (praise the Lord!), when I do catch a cold, I think what I hate the most is not being able to comfortably breathe. Well, something that is proven to help with that is peppermint essential oil. That’s because it contains properties that act as a natural decongestant as well as a fever reducer. Another essential oil that can hook you up in this department is eucalyptus oil. It’s bomb because it helps to soothe a nagging cough, it can clear up chest congestion and ultimately makes it easier to breathe.
So, before turning in at night, either mix a few drops of one (or both) of these oils with a carrier oil like grapeseed, avocado or jojoba, warm it up for 10 seconds in the microwave and apply it to the sides of your nose or on your best or back. Or put the oil in a diffuser. It can quickly ease cold-related symptoms while also making it so much easier for you to rest (which is something else your body needs to get over a cold; more on that in a sec).
4. Zinc Lozenges
Zinc is a mineral that helps to keep your immune system healthy and strong — and since a weakened immunity is directly connected to having more colds (2-4 a year is considered to be “normal,” by the way), it’s always a good idea to have some zinc in your body. As it relates to colds, specifically, aside from the fact that zinc can help you from catching one to begin with, there are also studies which say that sucking on zinc lozenges can help to shorten the timespan of a cold as well.
To be fair, some people have said that zinc lozenges make them feel nauseated; however, everything has its pros and cons and so, how would you know if you’re one of these folks unless you try it? Oh, and while we are on this topic, there are also zinc supplements and foods that are high in zinc (like red meat, lentils, hemp seeds, cashews and quinoa) if you want to try and get more zinc into your system that way (although lozenges are gonna be your best bet on the shortening tip; just sayin’).
5. Foods Rich in Vitamin C
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Speaking of foods that can fight a cold, out of all of what you’ve read here, probably what you are quite familiar with is the fact that vitamin C and colds are mortal enemies. In fact, one pretty significant study says that by taking one gram of vitamin C a day during a cold, you can reduce the severity of your symptoms by as much as 15 percent.
That’s because vitamin C is packed with antioxidants, it helps to reduce bodily inflammation and it helps to strengthen your immunity too. Foods that are full of vitamin C include chili and yellow peppers, kale, kiwi, papaya, broccoli, kale and citrus fruits.
6. Elderberry Tea
If you’re someone who likes to put preserves on your biscuits or toast, have you ever tried one that is made from elderberries (recipe here)? It’s actually pretty good — and good for you because elderberries are high in vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants. And that is why they are great whenever you are trying to hurry up and get over a cold because they also contain properties that are literally antiviral — and since a cold is a virus…well, there you have it.
One of the best ways to get elderberries into your system? Elderberry tea. If you add honey to it, honey can help to shorten symptoms like a stuffy nose, sore throat and cough by 1-2 days. Very cool.
7. REST
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Did you know that even one day of not getting the sleep that you need to weaken your immune system and increase bodily inflammation at the same time too? That’s because one of the benefits of a good night’s rest is it rejuvenates and recharges your system, so that your immunity can work at its optimal level.
Not only that but, according to science, if you already have a cold, getting plenty of rest can benefit you on a few different levels as well. First, your cytokines (proteins that boost your immunity) are released when you sleep.
Second, your body temperature elevates enough to kill some of the bacteria and viruses that are making you sick. Finally, sleep provides you with the energy that you need in order to get through the day while you are healing from your sickness. So, if you want to get through your cold ASAP, be intentional about getting as much rest as you possibly can.
BONUS: A Humidifier
When you get a chance, please check out “10 Really Good Reasons To Get Yourself A Humidifier This Fall”. There really are all kinds of solid reasons to invest in a humidifier around this time of the year — and one of them is to make getting through the cold (and flu) season so much easier for you. Since humidifiers bring moisture into the air, that can help to loosen up congestion, soothe an irritated throat, decrease coughing, help with the healing process of respiratory infections and it can help you to sleep better — so that you can get past your cold sooner.
So, if you don’t already have a humidifier, cop one ASAP. Your future colds will absolutely hate that you did. LOL. For a list of some highly recommended humidifiers that are currently on the market, click here.
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