Hair Color Inspiration From Our Favorite IG It Girls
“Beautiful hair comes in all types, not stereotypes.”
Hair is such a significant part of being a black woman. We are often told to tame, to make smaller, and to accommodate to the comfortability of others when it comes to our hair. Yes, it’s that big of a deal. It’s become so programmed in us that sometimes we don’t even realize that tendency is in our actions and decisions. In an effort to not intimidate, we constantly accommodate - and that act unfortunately extends to what we do with our hair. If there is not one thing that I’ve loved more about the natural hair movement, it’s our acceptance and our pride of our true selves and one another and embracing beauty that was not always considered as such.
In the same way that we as people come in all types, so does our hair, and that should be an aspect of ourselves that we all embrace.
ORS Olive Oil is doing the damn thing with their new line of hair care products catering to the parts of all of us that thirst and crave for a change when it comes to our looks. With their new hair color line, Hues, ORS seeks to redefine what beautiful hair looks like by incorporating our sisters that live for a little color in their life. A little hair dye never hurt nobody, and especially not with ORS Olive Oil Hues. The color it creates is long-lasting without any of the damage, thanks to their vitamin-infused formula. So color doesn’t have to mean dry, brittle, or damaged.
Hair color allows us to take our expressiveness to another level and wear our hair not only wildly, but also live and in color. Now that we're in a transitional season, it’s the perfect time to make a change in how you choose to express yourself by entertaining other colors. Hues offers a select range of colors that include Midnight Black, Cocoa Brown, Raging Red, Honey Blonde, and Light Blonde. Whatever the color, we are more than here for it!
Scroll down below for some of our favorite winter hair color inspiration from our favorite IG It Girls:
Midnight Black
Ambrosia Malbrough is one of my favorite YouTubers, but also makes a splash in the IG world as an influencer and natural hair goals aesthetic for many. She takes a minimal approach to life and her hair, relying heavily on protective styling, which is why her jet black 'do always looks full of life and luster. Check her out at @brosiaaa.
Cocoa Brown
Sunita V. is the ultimate "big hair, don't care" hair goals and has been slaying since the beginning. I absolutely love the cocoa/bronze tint that her strands have and feel like it adds another dimension to her curls. You can catch her serving #hairgoals on IG at @sunitav_
Raging Red
As Smartistabeauty, YouTuber Bri Hall teaches her viewers not only about the latest hair and beauty tips and tricks, but also shares and uses her influence to promote self-love and interior beauty just as much as the exterior, if not more. She's gone from her natural dark brown to bleached blonde to cotton candy pink, and as of late, has been rocking red/burgundy strands - all with an undercut by the way. She is daring with her hair color choices and keeps her looks bold, yet playful. Find her at @smartistabeauty.
SZA is a singer/songwriter and known as the first lady of TDE. The R&B songtress was daring in her hair choices earlier this year when she dyed her signature midnight black tresses to a bright red-orange color before dialing it down to a honey blonde and then a cocoa-tinted black. And while we await the arrival of her next full-length studio album A, we can use her hue as inspiration at @justsza.
Blonde
The Find Guru is a 22-year-old fashion, fitness, and beauty guru who is also the owner and curator of an online boutique also named The Find Guru. Her signature head of blonde curls is a combination of honey blonde, light blonde, and bleached blonde, and it all comes together making her texture and curls really pop. Find her at @goldennn_xo.
#NoStereotypes
Share your selfies and what being without stereotypes mean for you with ORS Olive Oil with the hashtag #NoStereotypes and follow them at @orshaircare!
What's your favorite hair color among the ladies? What hue do you want to try out this season? Let us know in the comments below!
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Between the rise of the creator economy and the gig economy, the window of opportunity to leverage your creativity for long-term gain has never been more potent.
For the last four years, I’ve worked as a full-time freelance writer and content creator. A year into this journey, I knew that if I wanted to create a sense of structure around my life outside of a traditional 9-5, I would have to create it.
To my surprise, that came in the form of social media.
Now, you might be wondering how someone might be able to juggle their work in a creatively-dominant career like writing while still having the mental capacity to produce ideas for their own personal brand, and well, that answer didn’t come easily.
In 2021, I hit a wall with writing and content creation.
With the stress and uncertainty that came as a result of the pandemic, to being burned out from having to live off my creativity, I reached a breaking point. For me, writing was always a space to explore my thoughts, process heavy topics, and express concepts that only words could bring reason to. However, when I didn’t have the brainpower to write or create content, I knew it was time to set parameters around my hobby of content creation and my passion for storytelling.
In this case, the biggest challenge was finding the balance between the two by releasing the guilt and shame of taking a break from both in order to reconnect with them.
Through years of trial and error, the fog finally cleared, and I was able to hit my stride in 2023. From garnering over 10K followers on TikTok, building an Instagram community around lifestyle and creative encouragement, along with my wellness collective, Black Girl Playground, and writing for xoNecole as a lifestyle contributor, the creative juices have been flowing steadily.
And it all happened by creating a strategy that allowed space for planning, resting, and creating. Today, I’ll be sharing my top tips to help you find your balance between your side hustle and passions.
On staying inspired and motivated when working on various content creation and freelancing projects:
Early this year, I came to the bright conclusion that I needed to shorten the gap between ideation and execution — and it completely changed how I create.
Oftentimes, when we have an idea come to us, we let it sit for too long, and then before we know it, we’ve either lost the enthusiasm to put it into action, or someone else grabs it. If you want to stay in a flow of creativity, whether side projects or full-time work, it’s important to not get slowed down by self-doubt, procrastination, or perfectionism.
Give yourself permission to act on your ideas as they come to you. Even if they’re a little muddy or not “perfect,” you can always fine-tune them later.
@yagirlaley shrinking the gap between [ideation] + [execution] 🧠💡#fyp #creativeadvice
On the importance of choosing a niche:
If there’s one thing that has helped me balance my work as a writer and content creator, it’s putting each in its own niche (or category). By definition, a niche is a specialized segment of the market or a specific area of expertise.
When you are creating in the same niche that you’re also making a living in, that’s an easy way to get your wires crossed. And at times, this could lead to feeling as if you don’t have any ideas for yourself because you’ve given them to the other area you're juggling.
When balancing two, you want to have enough fresh ideas to give to your personal projects and your full-time work to avoid any overlap. This ensures that your personal creative vision isn’t compromised when working on client projects while still having some for yourself.
On the strategies that have helped to maintain a consistent workflow in both areas:
I can’t stress enough how important it is to create a workflow and structure for yourself as a freelancer — this applies to those with a 9-5 in the day and a 5-9 at night, too.
As someone who admittedly has ADHD tendencies, object permanence can sometimes create a block in time and project management. That’s why I encourage creatives and professionals to create systems that allow you to see the work that’s ahead of you.
Personally, I can’t live without having multiple calendars going at once. My Google calendar keeps track of interviews for articles and events, while my physical calendar helps me keep track of important dates. I also work out of an Excel sheet where I can log in ongoing stories and track their status from drafting to submission. I’ve also heard great things about the Notion app for planning and tracking.
When it comes to creating content, spending time doing bulk content days has been an asset to my creative workflow. When I complete the videos, I save them to my drafts and upload them as needed.
Credit: Amberita
Courtesy of the writer
On the best advice for someone who is considering pursuing both content creation and freelancing simultaneously:
Don’t be ashamed of taking a break and resting — because both are essential to the life of a creative. Last month, I returned to Instagram after taking 6 months off from posting. During that time, I worked on growing my TikTok page, using the platform to practice vulnerability and allowing myself to put the fun back into creating content. Without the time, I can’t say I’d be able to approach Instagram with the same ease and playfulness; but thanks to that time away, it was possible.
Resting, letting our minds wander, or simply doing nothing are all just as productive as creating. No one can produce at all times, we have to allow ourselves the space for new concepts and ideas to flow to us. In addition to that, when we take breaks from social media, it allows us to stop the wheel of comparison and consume more than we create. So if you feel like you’re in a creative rut with all you want to balance, it may be time to take a step back, unapologetically.
Your creativity will thank you for it.
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Featured image by Sir Taylor