July 2025

Composite by ESSENCE Staff Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… Father’s Day can stir up a reminder of all the lessons we’ve learned from our dads. While we might teach them skincare routines, they raise us with lessons about beauty, confidence, and how to achieve our heart’s desires whether we realize it or not. After all, growing up, what we learned from our father figures– from fathers to step fathers, grandfathers and uncles– guides us throughout adulthood. Today, in honor of Father’s Day, we look back and acknowledge all the lessons we don’t want to unlearn. Below, 8 ESSENCE editors share the important self-confidence guidance they’ve received from their fathers. Akili King, Senior Beauty Editor “Growing up, I remember my dad would brush my hair before...