I Tried A Vajacial -- A Facial For My Vagina
Let's be real, ladies. We put a lot of emphasis on our yonis and making sure that they look (and smell) the part in hopes that will get stellar reviews from a guy we hit up on that hotline bling. Or maybe you have a significant other that you want to surprise--keeping the fire hot by keeping it interesting.
Whatever the case, we as women go through a lot to show extra love to our lady parts, including trying the latest and greatest procedures that promise a pretty punani.
So when my friend tagged me in an Instagram post for Kimberly Grimes, who was offering a one-of-a-kind experience for her intimate care company VAVAVOOM, I was all in. After browsing the site, I opted for the vajacial (vagina facial) because it "targets irritating ingrowns, below-the-belt blackheads and hyperpigmentation," and scheduled my appointment.
On the day of my appointment, I arrived to the studio and waited upstairs while Kimberly finished with the client that was before me. I admit that I was nervous. I never had been waxed before because I do my feminine maintenance at home. I even "Naired" beforehand because I wasn't going to have anyone talking about me in their head. No, honey! Now, I volunteered myself to spread my legs wide open for a complete stranger. What was I getting myself into?!
When it was my turn, I was given the privacy to partially disrobe and get comfortable on the table. The soft music playing in the background helped calm me down. Kimberly made me feel really at ease, especially since I had never received such a service before. It was like chatting with one of my girlfriends while I was given hot towel and exfoliating treatments.
While removing my ingrown hairs (and being so unfazed by it), she explained the common misconceptions many women have when it comes to their vagina. What we think are ingrown hairs are simply congested pores (I had some of those as well) due to dead skin build up or irritation of the bikini line to our panties constantly rubbing against our skin, especially panties with a lot of dyes. Simply put, it's vaginal acne. I have what I like to call "thick girl thigh rub", so keeping the inside of my thighs constantly smooth has always been a challenge. She exfoliated my inner thighs with gentle, professional-grade products and finished with antibacterial oils.
After my vajacial, my skin felt silky smooth and I was given a bottle of V Serum, which is like a mild peel to keep my pores from getting congested resulting in vaginal acne. I was to apply it to my thighs and intimate area twice a day, and put on a "no panty plan" to help my skin irritation. I was advised to wear pure cotton panties and to stay away from the ones with dyes as much as possible. She also told me to give my skin time to breathe by not wearing any at all. I have been using the V Serum regularly and it has kept my skin smooth and helped with hyperpigmentation. The no panty plan has also helped with my bikini line irritation as well.
I highly recommend that you try a vajacial. Many women talk freely about facials, massages, manis, pedis, and other spa treatments they receive, but don't talk openly about issues with their skin in their vaginal area and how they are treating them. If we take conversations beyond our close group of friends, I think we will find out most of our confusion and worries will be alleviated.
Have you had a vajacial? If not, what's stopping you?
Featured image by Shutterstock
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Originally published on October 20, 2016
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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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images