This article is in partnership with Ulta Beauty.
With the season changing so quickly, it feels like summer just packed its bag and ghosted us. Whether we're ready or not, the new season calls for a new shift in mindset, style, and hair routines. When it comes to taking care of my natural hair, what I do in the summer is simply not enough for the fall and winter. The cool crispness of the season tends to bring about more dryness and hydration becomes a top priority. In these uncertain times, who knows what the next few months will look like, so here's what you can do now to prepare your hair for the next few months.
First things first, we'll need to rack up on all our hair needs, and Ulta Beauty is making it easier for all of us with their Gorgeous Hair Event. As one of their biggest sales of the year, you can expect up to 50% off of brands like PATTERN Beauty (today for 24 hours only all PATTERN Conditioners are half off), The Mane Choice, and so much more. Their sale is available online, curbside pickup, and in-store starting October 4 until October 24. Make sure you grab your mask and hand sanitizer and get everything you need for half the price.
I already grabbed a few of my favorites products from Melanin Haircare, which is new and exclusively available Ulta Beauty, and PATTERN Beauty to show you how I get a hydrated and juicy twist-out. It's one of my favorite styles because it can be worn as a protective style and a curly fro'.
Check out my step-by-step routine using Black-owned products from Ulta Beauty.
Step 1:
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Start on freshly washed hair and part your hair the way you prefer: side part, middle part, or straight back.
Step 2:
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Create smaller sections to create twists.
Step 3:
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Spray your hair with water and PATTERN Beauty's Hydrating Mist for maximum hydration. I like to mix the aloe vera and avocado infused spray with water to boost the hydration in curls that way the style can last a little longer before needing to remoisturize my hair. You can also use the spray to add back moisture to dehydrated strands.
Step 4:
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Apply a generous amount of the new Melanin Haircare Multi-Use Softening Leave-In Conditioner, which can be found exclusively at Ulta Beauty. The water-based leave-in makes detangling easy because the product melts right into your hair and softens your curls. An added bonus is that it smells amazing!
Step 5:
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Finger detangle or use a detangling brush to remove any knots or tangles.
Step 6:
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Apply a generous amount of Melanin Haircare Twist Elongating Styling Cream (found exclusively at Ulta Beauty) to your stands. The twisting cream is the thickest product of the collection but is good because it adds a ton of moisture on top of what the leave-in has already provided.
Step 7:
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Apply Melanin Haircare Multi-Use Pure Oil Blend, which can be found exclusively with Ulta Beauty. The lightweight oil helps seal moisture and soften hair without weighing it down.
Step 8:
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Twist and repeat.
Step 9 (optional):
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Add PATTERN Beauty Satin Scrunchie to your hair to stretch your twists and cut down on some of the shrinkage. Apply the satin scrunchie from the top of the twists as far down to the end as you can. You don't have to worry about any damage or dryness from the scrunchie because it is satin and cuts down on tension and friction.
Step 10:
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Let your hair air dry.
Step 11:
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Once your hair is is dry, add the Melanin Haircare Multi-Use Pure Oil Blend, which is new and exclusively available at Ulta Beauty, to your roots and fingertips and start to untwist your hair.
Step 12 (optional):
Ulta Beauty
Use thePATTERN Hair Pick to increase the volume in your hair and enjoy your hair.
The Final Look:
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Krissy Lewis for xoNecole.com
When it comes to getting a hydrated twist-out, you have to make sure that you use moisture-boosting products and always add water before adding any product. To keep moisture throughout the night, make sure you sleep with a silk/satin scarf or bonnet so everything you used doesn't dry out overnight.
Lastly, don't forget to head to Ulta Beauty's Gorgeous Hair Event now through 10/24 to discover your best hair with these products and more. Click below to shop!
Melanin Haircare Multi-Use Softening Leave-In Conditioner
Ulta Beauty
New and exclusively at Ulta Beauty.
HOW TO Achieve A HYDRATED Twistout
A super easy tutorial on how to achieve the perfect twistout that's hydrated and keeps your curls poppin!
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Featured image by Krissy Lewis for xoNecole.com
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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During the event, the socialite spoke to the outlet about the importance of “friendship and trust” in her three-year relationship that started in the midst of the pandemic.
“We were really good friends before we started dating, and COVID gave us that free time in our life to really get to know each other,” Jordyn said. “Because a lot of people don't really get to know each other and they go into this relationship.”
She continues, “So, we've been through a lot together. We've seen each other at all different ways, times, phases, so I think we have a very strong foundation.”
Jordyn also notes that “quality time” has been a means to bond and keep their relationship thriving. Despite the NBA star’s demanding schedule, she expressed her desire to attend as many of KAT's games as possible, including his upcoming birthday game with the Minnesota Timberwolves. “It's his birthday in a few days, so I'm going to go to that game,” she says.
Quality time isn’t the only love language that the couple speaks.“We love gift giving and... What is it? The love language? The love language is quality time. We love everything,” she says.
The couple was introduced by mutual friends many years ago, and in May 2020 decided to move forward from a close friendship to a romantic relationship. Jordyn and KAT went public with their relationship in September of that same year and have since become young Hollywood’s discreet “IT” couple.
“I'm excited. Every holiday, we like to really go large for each other,” she explained. “He does so much for me. I do what I can for him. I want to say it's a lot. So when it's time to show that appreciation, we like to go all out.”
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