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ANCIENT AFRICAN BEAUTY SECRETS AN EAST AFRICAN SAFARI

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ANCIENT AFRICAN BEAUTY SECRETS AN EAST AFRICAN SAFARI

Posted by Afya (http://afyatherapy.com/author/neva/) / Beauty Secrets (http://afyatherapy.com/category/beauty-secrets/) / 1 comment (http://afyatherapy.com/ancientafrican-beauty-secrets-an-east-african-safari/#comments)

/ African beauty secrets (http://afyatherapy.com/tag/african-beauty-secrets/), henna (http://afyatherapy.com/tag/henna/), Maasai (http://afyatherapy.com/tag/maasai/)

Maasai beauty (http://afyatherapy.com/tag/maasai-beauty/), Swahili beauty (http://afyatherapy.com/tag/swahili-beauty/), Zanzibar (http://afyatherapy.com/tag/zanzibar/)

Africas ancient beauty secrets are nallycoming into the fore. Even though the continent producessome of the worlds most bene cial & unrivalled organic and naturalingredients for

natural skinand hair care, its own ancient tribal traditions have been largely ignored. Until now.
Learn the secrets of Africas ancient beauty and look out for some of these ingredients and tribal stories in Afyas upcoming collections. From our cosmetics to our skincare, Afyas

products are created to celebrate Africas tribal beauty traditions and customs, whileensuring that our consumers get the full bene t of this inherited wealth of knowledge.
The Maasai
TheMaasaiare aNiloticethnic group of semi-nomadic people inhabiting southernKenyaand northernTanzania. They are among the best known local populations due to

their residence near the many game parks of theAfrican Great Lakes, and their distinctive customs and dress. The piercing and stretching ofearlobesis common among the
Maasai. Various materials have been used to both pierce and stretch the lobes, including thorns for piercing, twigs, bundles of twigs, stones, the cross section of elephant
tusks and empty lm canisters. Fewer and fewer Maasai, particularly boys, follow this custom. Women wear various forms of beaded ornaments in both the ear lobe, and
smaller piercings at the top of the ear.

(http://afyatherapy.com/wp-

content/uploads/2015/11/maasaigirl.jpg)Head shaving is common at many rites of passage, representing the fresh start that will be made as one passes from one to another
of lifes chapters. The most celebrated aspect of the Maasai culture is the warrior class. Maasai men are rst and foremost warriors, they exist to protect their tribe, their
cattle and their grazing lands.Warriors are the only members of the Maasai community to wear long hair, which they weave in thinly braided strands. The hair and head/face
is then carefully smeared in a mixture of ochre and fat, giving their heads and hair a red appearance an elaborate fashion, which aims to look both erce and beautiful.
The Swahili

TheSwahili people(orWaswahili) are an ethnic and cultural group inhabiting theAfrican Great Lakesregion. Members mainly reside on theSwahili Coast, in an area
encompassing theZanzibararchipelago, coastalKenya, theTanzaniaseaboard,
and northernMozambique. The name Swahiliis derived from theArabicword Sawahil
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meaning coasts. Mainly united under the mother tongue ofKiswahili, a Bantu language, the Swahili people originate fromBantuinhabitantsMENU
of the coast ofSoutheast
Africa, inKenya,TanzaniaandMozambique.
The language of Kiswahili was derived when Arab, Persian, and other migrants who reached the coast as early as the 7th or 8th century AD mixed with the local Bantu
people there, providing considerable cultural infusion and numerous loan words fromArabicandPersian.
Bantu/Arab settlements along the Southeast African coast are noted as early as the beginning of the 1st millennium. They evolved gradually from the 6th century onward to
accommodate for an increase in trade (mainly withArabmerchants), population growth, and further centralised urbanisation; developing into what would later become
known as the Swahili City-States.
Zanzibar and Pemba are one of those states, and their modern inhabitants have inherited a wealth of rich, traditional beauty rituals, usingindigenous herbs, owers and
spices. Singo, a natural scrub traditionallyused when a Zanzibar girl is preparing for her marriage. Singo is prepared from fresh jasmine, ylang ylang owers, rose petals,
mpatchori (notthe famous patchouli but a sweet smelling herb growing mainly on Unguja), mpompia (geranium), mrehani (sweet basil) and liwa (sandalwood) ground
together in a Kinu blender with a little rosewater. The bride to be undergoes a daily singo, the scrub exfoliating her skin, leaving her fragrant and glowing, with skin as soft
as silk.

(http://afyatherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/saltscrubfeet.jpg)
On Pemba, couples scrub each other at the same time; men rub their beloved with singo, while women use the invigorating clove based scrub known as vidonge for their
husband. Vidonge are made from the remains of clove stems and buds, after they have been distilling to make clove oil. The stems and buds are pressed into a small ball, with
a little rose water. The result is a coarse, warming scrub, leaving skin energized and fresh. The vidonge is said to increase mens libido and stamina and could be a perfect gift
to take home. Swahili massage treatments include hot sand massage and kukandwa. In a hot sand massage, sand is heated and tied into a muslin parcel, then applied to the
skin to alleviate pain or in ammation, opening the pores and bringing a medicinal heat to the muscles. Elderly Swahili people use the old, traditional massage kukandwa using
mbarika leaves (castor seed). The leaves are soaked in hot water prior to applying them, which opens up the pores and relieves post natal fatigue, sport injuries and
exhaustion.
Henna is also an important beauty ritual on the archipelago of Unguja and Pemba and is made of the dried leaves of the henna tree. Nowadays many places unfortunately use
the very aggressive piko which has absolutely nothing to do with natural henna and is actually nothing more than hair dye. Real henna painting takes time, with Zanzibari
patterns combining elements from Arabic, Indian and African styles. The henna powder is mixed with black tea and lime juice to retrieve a darker colour and must be applied

at least twice to get a good result.

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(http://afyatherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/henna.jpg)
In Zanzibar henna, locally known as hina in Swahili symbolises the world of beauty, joy and happiness. It is an acknowledged local decoration said to change a woman to look
more attractive. It is obtained after pounding the dried leaves of mhina plant (LawsoniaInermis) which is then mixed with water to form a paste. Lemon juice, if wished can
be an additional ingredient to make the dye more reddish and suitable for use.
Today henna occupies a special place in marriages and festivals in both rural and urban Zanzibar and Pemba. It is decorated on the soles of the feet, ankles, palm and nails.
Once the rst layer is applied, one has to wait for it to dry before a new layer is applied. The more complex the design is, the more attractive the woman becomes.
After adornment, there follows a week in which a woman does what Zanzibari people call giving henna its deserved rights. A woman dresses in her nest. Khangas of the
latest issue, jewels and gold ornaments are put on. A Zanzibari bride is sent to her somo (teacher) a week before the wedding. There she is adorned in elaborate designs of
henna. During this period men are restricted in seeing her.
Zanzibari women use henna to express their happiness and to mark religious or traditional occasions. They also adorn themselves with henna to gladden and welcome home
their spouses who have been away for days. Men compliment their spouses by buying them new pairs of khangas ( piece of cloth worn by local women), shoes or jewellery.
Henna is not without being associated with social taboo. According to Swahili customs, unmarried girls are forbidden to decorate themselves with henna as married women
do. Odds are that younger woman can easily tempt man which is considered to be the domain of their elders and disapproved by society. Some men forbid their wives to

apply henna as it is also a source of mischief.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
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Do you want to know more about Africas beauty secrets? Read more here:
Ancient African Beauty Secrets a NorthAfrican Safari (http://afyatherapy.com/ancient-african-beauty-secrets-a-north-african-safari/)
Ancient African Beauty Secrets an WestAfrican Safari (http://afyatherapy.com/ancient-african-beauty-secrets-a-west-african-safari/)
Ancient African Beauty Secrets an Ethiopian,Sudanese and SomaliSafari

About the Author: Afya (http://afyatherapy.com/author/neva/)

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We're a premium organic skincare brand inspired by the healing traditions of Africa's myriad tribes, whose stories are elegantly told through the ecofriendly packaging
and design. Beauty from #skintosoul.

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