7 Surprising Beauty Secrets Black Women Want To Share With The World

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1. Showering with a washcloth acts as a gentle exfoliator, helping to keep your skin soft.

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For a lot of black women, washcloths in the shower are equally as important as the water and soap. The culture shock is REAL the first time a black girl spends the night at her non-black friend's house and discovers she's the only one sudsing up with one. Washcloths are a fave among black women because they scrub away more dirt than just hand-to-body contact, but also, they exfoliate the skin and make it baby smooth because of their semi-abrasive texture. Tips: Use separate washcloths for your face and body, and use white washcloths so that you can see all the dirt, makeup, etc., that comes off!

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2. The "Smile and Keep It Moving" technique reduces frown lines and wrinkles.

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As little girls, black women learn the "Smile and Keep It Moving" technique. This technique is also commonly referred to as the "Don't Talk Back," "Just Let It Go", and "Let the Lord Fight Your Battles." We’re urged by the older women in our lives who’ve walked the road we’re traveling to exercise the beauty ritual in instances of microaggression — like when a white co-worker misinterprets our very normal human behavior as “having an attitude,” or in instances of overt racism, like when a non-black classmate calls us a derogatory slur and faces no consequences for their behavior. For it is better to smile and handle these matters graciously than to wild TF out and be labeled "angry" and suffer consequences in the forms of termination, expulsion, or worse.

The constant smiling and resting pleasant face — even when we want to cry, scream, and/or go completely HAM on a mothafucka — reduces frown lines and other signs of aging. To see how the "Smile and Keep It Moving" technique is done, refer to the gif above of a Grammy-snubbed Beyoncé.

Get it by studying a strong black woman who has stories for days.

3. Believe it or not, Vaseline can be a great face and body moisturizer.

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Have you ever met a black woman whose face and skin were exceptionally baby-soft and seemingly poreless, even without makeup? Chances are her mom or grandma slathered Vaseline on her head to toe, against her will, every single day in the early years of her life. Not sure how this became such a thing in black households, but we're glad it did. The thick and greasy concoction that seems like it'd be a pimple-inducing pore-clogger is actually a barrier that locks in moisturizer. It even got a 4.3 out of 5 rating on Acne.org. You should absolutely not put it on until after you've cleansed your face and body, though.

The Vaseline brand uses 100% pure and refined petroleum jelly, and according to its site, the product "works by creating a sealing barrier between cells in dry or damaged skin which locks in moisture and speeds up your skin’s natural recovery process." The formula is verified by the Journal of Cosmetic Science as being noncomedogenic, which means it shouldn't clog your pores.

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4. To maintain a steady glow, eliminate the unnecessary anxiety that comes with stealing other people's cultures.

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There’s an automatic load of stress that comes into your life the day you come into the world as black and a woman, so we find ways to cut unnecessary stressors where we can. Like stealing other people's identity and land, for example. There's too much to worry about. What if you get caught? How will you perfectly execute your thieving plan so that no one knows? How will you then justify why you stole whatever you stole in the event that you do get caught? Or, if you're really a steal master, how will you manipulate your victim into thinking you didn't really steal anything and whatever you stole was actually yours all along?

That's A LOT to think about, and in between protecting our families from police brutality and finding the perfect edge control, black women just ain't got time. Additionally, some of the more commonly swiped items — like cornrows, Afros, hip-hop, and language — already belong to us, so we can't really steal them. And there are other things, like land, but due to systemic racism, we don't really have the power to pull off such a heist. All that said, the low likelihood of us stealing such massive properties eliminates another stressor. Less stress = poppin' skin!

Get it by staying in your lane and not touching stuff that doesn't belong to you.

5. A jar of organic coconut oil will save you in hair and skin emergencies, and it lasts forever.

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Long before coconut oil hit the mainstream, it was a staple beauty product for black women. Need to manage naturally curly hair? There's a coconut oil detangle method. Sensitive to makeup removers? Rub some coconut oil into your face and cleanse your face as usual. Some people have also found success in using it to manage acne. The reasons for acne vary and the oil method doesn’t work for everyone, though, so proceed with caution and talk to your dermatologist first.

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6. Covering your hair in a satin bonnet results in more quality beauty rest by repelling trash dudes.

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Yes, black women sleep in satin bonnets and scarves to maintain our hair's moisture and to prevent breakage caused by the friction from cotton sheets and pillow cases. But did you know that bonnets also repel shallow, corny-ass, lame-ass, waste-of-time-ass men? You know, the ones who think you're supposed to look like a glamazon 24/7, even when you're asleep. Resting next to this kind of man isn't really rest at all. You'll only find yourself tossing and turning throughout the night, wondering where you went wrong and at what point you decided to settle. We all know what restlessness does to the hair, skin, and body. See, only smart, woke, secure men are attracted to women who take the necessary, less glamorous steps — like sleeping with their hair tied — to make sure their next-day hair is laid. Get you a hair bonnet, and stay away from fools who expect you to sleep without one.

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7. Braiding or twisting out your hair instead of using a hot curler avoids heat damage.

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Heat damage is the WORST! That's why sometimes instead of using a curling iron or wand, black women will twist or braid their hair, let it sit for a few hours or overnight, and then untwist/braid it. The end result? A headful of beautiful curl-like ringlets. The pattern from unraveled braids or twists gives a similar effect of hot curled hair, but without the heat. It's also a great way to "curl" pieces of hair that may be permanently straight from intense heat damage. The twist and braid-outs also last a little longer than curls from an iron or wand. And to keep the look for as long as possible, just re-twist or braid the hair at night before bed and take it out in the morning! Note that the tighter or looser the braid or twist, the tighter or looser the "curl." If your hair is super straight, it may be better to do a twist or braid-out on wet hair and then unravel the hair when its completely dry.

Learn more from Shareherworld's tutorial.

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