

Yvonne Orji On Why A Bidet Is 2020’s Must-Have Bathroom Accessory
I was today-years-old when I learned that I needed a bidet and all of the credit goes to Insecure'sYvonne Orji for putting me on game.
In her recent interview with NY Mag, the actress broke down 8 of her favorite things, one of which just so happens to be this must-have bathroom accessory. She told the publication:
"We shot season one of 'Insecure' at this house in Malibu that had a bidet. I remember everybody was like, 'What is this? It's spritzing water on our intimate parts and it's warm?' For the latest season, we shot at another place that had a bidet, and Issa [Rae] and I were both like, 'Dang, we wish we had a bidet.' I looked at her and was like, 'Girl, what's stopping us?' And she was like, 'You right.'"
Celebrities like Tiffany Haddish, Whoopi Goldberg, and Chrissy Teigen have all publicly expressed their love for the luxury home item, which can be purchased on Amazon for as little as $30. Yvonne, who bought her first home last year, says that a bidet in her bathroom was non-negotiable:
"I just happened to be in the middle of a home renovation, so I told Neffi Walker from The Black Home, who was doing the work, that I wanted a bidet. She got me this one with a seat that warms up. Now I love going to the bathroom."
In the feature, Yvonne also dished on some of her skin and hair must-haves and explained why she can't live without her handheld Hypervolt Cordless Massager. For more of Yvonne's favorite things, scroll below!
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Hyperice Hypervolt Body Massager
"I call this my boyfriend — and when I actually get a boyfriend, I'll cheat on him with my Hypervolt. My personal trainer introduced me to it: She used it all over my body to make sure my hamstrings weren't tight. One day, I decided I wasn't going to wait for her anymore, so I bought it and had it shipped overnight. The Hypervolt has all these different heads that get at the crux of every knot. At night, before I go to bed, I work it all through my neck, my back. When I wake up, I don't feel as tense. So this is my jam."
Dr. Teal’s Pure Epsom Salt Soothe & Sleep Lavender Soaking Solution
Amazon
"I love taking baths. I've had chronic shoulder, neck, and back pain for the last two years, and when I use this soak, it just feels like my muscles are relaxing. Soaking in it with candles lit and soft music playing makes me feel like everything is a million miles away. I can just be still and quiet."
Kiehl’s Calendula & Aloe Soothing Hydration Masque
Amazon
"Every time I get a facial, they're always like, 'Your face is dehydrated.' I don't understand: I'm drinking a gallon of water, I'm doing all the things, and they're still like, 'Yeah, dehydrated.' So I use this. It's so light, I'm like, Is this working? I put it on while I'm taking a bath and let the steam work its magic. I probably keep it on longer than I should, but when I take it off, my face is so soft. I naturally have textured skin, and sometimes it can feel overly textured. You know when your face just feels like it needs a scrub? This gets rid of all the dirt and impurities."
The Mane Choice 3-In-1 Revitalize & Refresh Conditioner
Amazon
"I have 4C hair: It's very coarse, straight from Nigeria, and not diluted in any sense of the word, so there are very few things that can make it soft or that I can work through it. But this co-wash makes my hair so soft. I texted Courtney Adeleye, the founder, 'You have helped me in the quarantine.' Staying at home, this has been a game-changer because I'm able to leave my afro out and allow it to be its best self. I use it as a co-wash whenever I wash my hair in the shower, and on a daily basis I add it to a concoction of water and oils, like Jamaican castor oil, that I make to help keep my hair soft."
Jane Carter Solution Nourish and Shine
Amazon
"One, it smells delicious. Two, putting it all over your body is the business. Sometimes, I find these things stay very surface level and just give you a shine up top, but don't actually help nourish or moisturize beyond the outer layer. I like this because it does a little bit of both. Sometimes, I'll mix it with Jergens to get even more moisture and shine."
‘Big Idea Food: A Weekly Devotional for Entrepreneurs, Side Hustlers & Dreamers’
Amazon
"My morning routine is reading a verse from the Bible and from this devotional for entrepreneurs. Sometimes, there will be a Bible verse to go with whatever the devotional's daily subject is, so I'll go and read the whole chapter that verse comes from, too. We all have a lot of time now to think, rework, craft. For me, that means a lot of self-reflection — what's working, what's not, what does the Bible have to say about this? — and digging deeper. That's kind of where I'm at."
Michael Kors Eau de Parfum
Amazon
"I went into Michael Kors once and I was like, 'What is that smell?' The staff was like, 'Michael Kors perfume.' I was like, 'That tracks.' It's very sweet without giving you a cavity. It's sweet with a little spice. It's like kettle corn, and I like that."
Featured image by Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
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.
Black Girls Tennis Club Is Empowering Black Women and Girls To Reclaim Their Space On The Court
The face of tennis is changing, and it’s about time. Over the years, if you were asked to name any Black tennis player, two would come to mind: Serena and Venus Williams — and rightfully so. But as new tennis sensations like Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka rise to fame for their athleticism and tenacity, it’s clear that there’s a new era of tennis taking shape to bring forth a fresh take on representation and reclamation on the courts.
For that reason alone, there’s no better time than now for Black Girl Tennis Club co-founders Virginia Thornton and Kimberly Selden to lead the charge of making tennis more accessible to Black women and girls so the next Serena and Coco can emerge.
What began as your everyday lunch chat between friends to discuss their mutual dream of owning a boutique hotel turned into a proposition to start a tennis club together. With Virginia being a tennis player since adolescence and Kimberly entering the sport as a hobby in her adult life, the two jumped at the idea of making a space where Black women could discover a new hobby and not feel like the “only one” on the tennis court.
“The club kind of started for selfish reasons, but not in a bad way,” Virginia tells xoNecole. “We realized that there was actually a need for this.”
Kimberly adds, “Now we're literally disrupting a whole industry. We didn't plan it, but it felt divine; like we were called to do this. Black Girls Tennis Club has been a catalyst for personal growth in all areas of life, and we would have never anticipated that.”
Since establishing the Black Girl Tennis Club in 2022, the two have made it their mission to cultivate a space for “Joy Equity and Radical Wellness.” Their platform serves as a means to inform, inspire, motivate, and reshape the narrative around Black women and girls in the tennis world while highlighting the transformative power of sports and play for liberation.
With approximately 78% of tennis players being white and only 6.8% being Black, and the average cost of a private tennis lesson being $60 per hour, racial and economic disparities within the sport are vast. To help close this gap, the two founders have banded together to develop free tennis instruction clinics for girls aged 8-18 and local tennis events that bring adult offerings through programs like the Self Love Tennis Club and Cardio Tennis Classes to HBCU campuses in Virginia.
Both Virginia and Kimberly understand the power of their mission and believe that they were brought on each other’s path to execute it together. “It’s the power of alignment,” Kimberly says. “I think when you're doing the right thing and you're obedient, and answer the call, that’s when things start to happen, and the universe conspires to make them happen.”
We caught up with the founders to discuss their mission, the importance of representation, and how they plan to disrupt the tennis industry one court at a time.
xoNecole: Could you talk a little more about your CARE pillars with change, access, representation and exposure?
Kimberly Selden: As we started to do the work, we saw that there were so many equity issues. Although we knew from our own personal experiences that there are barriers to tennis being an expensive sport, we just acknowledged it as the culture of tennis. Because it's predominantly white, that transfers over to the fashion, the dynamics on the court, the attitudes, and the mindset. And so we knew this required a culture shift for us to ever really feel comfortable.
We were exposing kids to tennis, and then after the clinics, they're like, "Okay, now what?" It's still expensive, and they still may or may not have had access to it if they're not with us. We don't want to just pop in like, "Hey, here's a clinic, bye!" So, the culture change is just a reflection of what our existence looks like. Access is about being able to access the sport through courts, programs, or a coach. Representation is that we can't believe it until we see it.
Granted, there are a lot of pro Black women tennis players taking off, and we love that. But we think about media representation as well [as] representation within the USCA, in the boardrooms, and the people that are making the rules around the game.
xoN: Why do you all think it’s important for Black women and girls to reclaim their space on the tennis court?
Virginia Thornton: It's rare, at least in my world, where you're in a space and see nothing but women who look like you. But it makes me feel great when I can be my authentic self, especially on a tennis court. Just shedding all the weight of pretending to be anything else. You feel at home when you're around nothing but Black women. Even small things like seeing a young Black girl being okay with how God made them is amazing.
KS: [In] the Atlanta clinics we did, everyone was crying. It's just clear how desperately we need it. Connection is the key to a long life. So many of us — especially from the pandemic and working from home — are isolated. With every clinic, it's just fun to be there, and it just fills you up. I think people need hobbies. I think a lot of people, especially people in big cities, feel that way and were confronted with that during the pandemic.
xoN: How did sports play a role in helping you two find your voice and confidence both on and off the court?
VT: I think what people don't realize is that tennis is such a mental sport. You could be a 4.0 player and have a bad mental day, and you will play like you've never picked up a racquet before. So, the mental piece is super important. For me, it's like ‘you against you,’ even though you are playing somebody.
If you're able to work through those mental pieces with yourself on the court, that will translate off the court. I had an issue on the court where I have a habit of saying, "Sorry," — I think a lot of Black women do, honestly. Then I realized that they wouldn't say sorry or they’d use my kindness as weakness. I've learned a lesson in that because everything translates on and off the court.
"If you're able to work through those mental pieces with yourself on the court, that will translate off the court."
KS: It's easy for me to do things that I'm good at, but it's not easy for me to do things that I'm not good at. Tennis is still challenging for me, but it pushes me. It’s a reality check for me; I know when things are aligned, and when they're not. It feels like a big metaphor for me because it's pushing me to do something that's uncomfortable and makes me work for myself more.
xoN: What do you hope the long-term impact of Black Girl Tennis Club will be?
VS: We want to have a space for people who might be workaholics or might be going through depression. It's always great to have a hobby, whether that's knitting, sewing, or what have you. For me and Kimberly, it’s about creating hobbies for Black women and girls but also knowing that it’s okay to not be amazing at it. You don't have to be amazing at tennis; you could hit around the court, and that's okay.
The next Serena or Venus might come from Black Girls Tennis Club.
To support Black Girl Tennis Club’s mission, donate to their cause here and follow their Instagram page to stay up to date with new clinics and events.
Featured image by LumiNola/Getty Images