
Homebody Haven: The Ultimate Gift Guide For The Self-Care Queen In Your Life

It’s safe to say that we all have a “wellness girl” in our close circle. She’s the matcha-sipping, Pilates lover, who always makes time for her morning meditation and affirmations. Whether she’s a yoga enthusiast or self-care aficionado, she’s there to be your personal reminder to slow down and take some “me time,” and that alone deserves a token of our appreciation.
As the holiday season continues, we find ourselves immersed in the spirit of giving, and what better way to express your love and care than by gifting your body-, mind-, and soul-focused friends and family some wellness goodies?
Amid the hustle and bustle of daily life, these thoughtful wellness gifts can serve as a gentle reminder to pause, breathe, and prioritize their self-care. From habit-tracking journals to fitness essentials and mindfulness tools, our guide covers a wide range of options to cater to the homebody homegirl who are true to their wellness practice or need the extra nudge to get in touch with themselves.
To help you start “adding to cart,” we've curated a collection of gifts that go beyond the ordinary, designed to foster a sense of peace and balance in the lives of your loved ones.
1.Dieux x Violette: Forever Eye Mask
Dieux
These reusable eye masks are perfect for their "me-time" moments, again and again.
2.Vaseline® Radiant X Deep Nourishment Body Cream
Vaseline
They’ll love slathering themselves with this nourishing body cream right after those “everything showers.”
3.Galison Pajama Mamas Jigsaw Puzzle (1000-piece)
Galison
For those “turn your brain off and unplug” kinds of days.
4.Victoria’s Secret Ribbed Modal Henley Short Set
Victoria's Secret
If she’s a cozy girl who enjoys lounging around the house, she’ll love this matching set.
5.Fenty Beauty Butta Drop Warm Cinnamon Body Cream
Fenty Skin
What’s better than eating a cinnamon roll? Smelling like one.
6.lululemon Nulu Wide Reversible Headband
lululemon
The solution to keeping your gym-rat friend’s edges preserved is here.
7.Boy Smells Trio Votive Set
Boy Smells
Nothing sets the mood like a lit candle that smells as good as it looks.
9.Golde Pure Matcha
Golde
Matcha is the silly little beverage we can’t live without, so trust us when we say your matcha-loving sister will thank you for this stocking stuffer.
10.Therapy Notebooks - Build-a-Habit Guide
Therapy Notebooks
Give your wellness-forward friend a headstart on your new year goals with this daily, habit-forming journal that actually works.
12.Baggu Puffy Slippers
Baggu
They love staying in the house, so why not make it more comfortable with these puffy slippers?
13.Hey Dewy Wireless Facial Humidifier
Hey Dewy
Detox the air and your mind with this personal humidifier.
14.Glossier You Rollerball
Glossier
Be the reason for your bestie’s inflated confidence due to all the “you smell good” compliments she’ll be getting with this signature perfume by Glossier.
15.Bala Bangles
Bala
From Pilates to yoga, or even her hot girl walks, these trendy weighted bangles will be the perfect additive to her active lifestyle.
Featured image by Westend61/Getty Images
Aley Arion is a writer and digital storyteller from the South, currently living in sunny Los Angeles. Her site, yagirlaley.com, serves as a digital diary to document personal essays, cultural commentary, and her insights into the Black Millennial experience. Follow her at @yagirlaley on all platforms!
Luxury Hairstylist On Viral 'Hey Boo' Texts & Professionalism In The Hair Industry
As Black women, our hair is our crowning glory - whether we paid for it or not. We take pride in how we wear and take care of our hair. As with everything, hair care and hair styling have evolved over the years. Long gone are the days of Blue Magic (although I hear it’s making a comeback).
Now, we have a plethora of creams, oils, conditioners, shampoos, and stylists to choose from. Beyond wearing our natural curls, we have a range of options, from wigs and sew-ins to tape-ins, I-tips, and K-tips. So much choice! But you know what they say about too much of a good thing...
The Black hair industry has definitely blossomed in the last decade with a wave of new stylists and salons popping up all over the place. As much as I love that for us, many of these stylists have become the subjects of viral TikTok and Instagram tirades because of their alleged questionable behavior and bizarre rules.
Excessive policies, strange fees, long wait times, poor performance, and the infamous “Hey boo” texts. Beauty is pain, they say… xoNecole got to the root of these issues with luxury hair extensionist Dee Michelle, who’s been in the hair game for 20 years and runs a seven-figure business - all while being a mom of four.
Antonio Livingston
“I started my business with my career in the hair industry [at] very, very young age when I was maybe like eight...So, over the years, I've just built a very successful seven-figure business very quickly just by offering high-end services and creating great experiences for my clients, many of whom are high-profile professionals,” she said. “I'm also a mother of four, including a set of triplets, which inspires me daily to show what's possible with my hard work and focus.”
Dee’s business has gone viral on social media because of what many call outrageous prices for her invisible K-Tip installs.
“When I developed my invisible K-tip extensions technique, I made sure that it wasn't just about the hair or the style, but about providing a high-end experience from start to finish. So, my clients just aren't paying for the extensions or just the style itself, but they're investing into my meticulous, seamless craft and premium hair sourced from the best suppliers…I've spent so many hours mastering my craft, creating this seamless method that gives my clients long-lasting natural results, and my pricing just reflects that - the value of my expertise and the exclusivity of the service.”
The K-tip specialist stands on business when it comes to catering to her clients and giving them an experience worth the cost.
“And it's just important for me to also say that my clients are high-profile individuals who value quality, their privacy, and their time. They want a service that fits into their lifestyle and their time. They want things that deliver perfection. And I deliver that every single time.”
I’m sure we’ve all seen the various TikTok rants about people’s nightmare experiences with stylists and uttered a silent “FELT!” We asked Dee her opinion on a few nightmare scenarios that beg the response, “please be so forreal."
On stylists charging extra to wash clients’ hair:
“I think they should just include it in the price, to be honest. Because I feel like when clients go to a stylist, they're expecting you to wash their hair. Personally, if I see that washing is extra, I just wouldn't go to the salon because it just shows a lack of professionalism, in my opinion, and a lack of experience.”
“I think they should just include it in the price, to be honest. Because I feel like when clients go to a stylist, they're expecting you to wash their hair. Personally, if I see that washing is extra, I just wouldn't go to the salon because it just shows a lack of professionalism, in my opinion, and a lack of experience.”
On ‘deposits’ that don’t go towards the cost of the service:
“I think that's kind of weird, too, for deposits to not be like a part of the service. I've seen people have booking fees and I just don't understand it, to be honest. I disagree with that kind of policy…By all means, people should do what works for them, but to me, it doesn't make sense. Why does somebody have to pay a fee just to book an appointment with you? I don't get it. It feels like exploitation.”
On stylists charging extra to style (straighten/curl) wigs, sew-ins etc., after installing:
“I don't get it. Clients come to us to get their hair done, to get it styled. So why is it extra for you to style it? If you're going to charge extra, just increase your price. I feel like it could be just a lack of confidence in those stylists, feeling like people won't pay a certain price for certain things, or just their lack of professionalism as well, because people are coming to us to get styled.”
On the infamous “Hey boo” text stylists send to clients when they need to cancel/reschedule:
“Professionalism in any industry, especially the beauty industry, is everything. So texting a client the, “Hey boo” is so unprofessional, and it's damaging to the client-stylist relationship. Clients book their appointments expecting a level of respect and care, especially when they're investing their time and money and a service. And I get it, emergencies happen, we're all humans. However, it should be done with a formal apology and a clear explanation.”
“Professionalism in any industry, especially the beauty industry, is everything. So texting a client the, “Hey boo” is so unprofessional, and it's damaging to the client-stylist relationship. Clients book their appointments expecting a level of respect and care, especially when they're investing their time and money and a service. And I get it, emergencies happen, we're all humans. However, it should be done with a formal apology and a clear explanation.”
We know all too well what kinds of things will keep us from ever gracing certain hairstylists’ chairs with our butts again. So, what should hairstylists do to provide a good service to their clients? What is good hairstylist etiquette?
“For one, being on time is an important rule for stylist etiquette. It's just not okay to require your clients to be on time, and you're not on time. Also, communication. Being able to communicate clearly, respectfully, and professionally, whether that's in person, via text, or on social media. Style is etiquette. Appearance matters. So just maintaining a clean, polished, and professional look. Clients respect you more whenever your appearance reflects your work. There's just so many things, but another thing I would say is active listening. So, being able to pay close attention to what your client wants and also clarifying any questions that they might have. Just to ensure that they feel heard and to minimize any misunderstandings.”
Dee also shared some red flags to look out for when considering a new stylist.
“Even me as a client, if I'm booking somebody and they have a long list of rules, I don't even book with them. That's, for one, just such a huge turn-off. Also, stylists who have inconsistent or unclear pricing, that's a red flag. People who change their rates too much without an explanation. Poor communication. So, if a stylist is responding very slow or responding unprofessionally, or giving vague answers to questions, that can make clients question whether or not they are respecting their time and their needs.
Another red flag - an inconsistent or low quality portfolio. And I feel like, I see this a lot with stylists stealing other people's work, and their portfolio on social media is just very inconsistent.”
We couldn’t let Dee go without getting the tea on what styles she predicts will trend in 2025.
“I feel like people are going back to natural-looking styles. So, a lot of people are ditching the wigs, the lace fronts, things like that. People are still wearing them, of course, but it is becoming more of a trend to embrace your natural hair and something that's not looking too fake. That’s one thing that we're going to be seeing a lot. I would say a lot of layers are coming back, heavy layers. Those are becoming really, really trendy. And people are leaning more towards platinum-colored hair. I've been seeing lots of like blondes coming out. Also, jet black is always going to be a trend. But I would say more like natural colors, but natural colors that are still making a statement.”
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Feature image by Antonio Livingston.
Valentine’s Day is coming up this weekend and while couples are the target demographic, singles can also get in on the love as it comes in many forms. We give and receive love to our family members, friends, pets, and ourselves. Whether you’re single or in a couple, it’s important to have self-love.
Self-love keeps us from believing negative things we tell ourselves or what others may say about us. So while Valentine’s Day may be a reminder for some people that they’re single, it can instead be a day to indulge in self-love. Instead of wallowing or trying so hard to avoid Valentine’s Day, start your day with saying self-love affirmations to yourself.
And if you’re coupled up, you can still participate by saying the affirmations to yourself or together with your partner. Check out these 10 self-love affirmations below.
- I am worthy of love, kindness, and happiness.
- I choose to love and appreciate myself unconditionally.
- My heart is full of love, and I share it freely with myself.
- I deserve the same love and care that I give to others.
- I embrace my flaws and imperfections—they make me unique and beautiful.
- I am enough, just as I am, and I celebrate my own worth.
- Love flows to me and through me in abundance.
- I am my own best friend, and I treat myself with compassion.
- I honor my feelings, my journey, and my personal growth.
- Today, I choose self-love, joy, and gratitude for who I am.
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Feature image by Deagreez/ Getty Images