Natural ingredients, such as avocado, aloe vera, and carrots, are just some of the recurring ingredients used in beauty products. However, the problem of using processed products are numerous. More often than not, harmful preservatives and chemicals are added to these products and they often cause patchy skin or breakouts. What better way to avoid these negative results than to use natural products!
Natural products offer even better results than processed products and are so cheap, they can be found everywhere — all with little to no side effects. For African women and men, alike, looking good can be as easy as plucking an apple from a tree – literally. Since Africa is blessed with numerous natural ingredients, every person should glow. Here are just five natural African products that you need to get in to your beauty closet.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is an extract from coconuts. Its benefits are numerous and can be found everywhere. When it comes to beauty secrets, coconut oil tops the chart. The wonderful thing about coconut is that it can be used for numerous unrelated things. It works perfect for healthy cooking, great hair, and revitalized skin. It is a perfect hair mask, body oil, facial cleanser, lip balm, highlighter, and much more.
When it comes to health benefits, coconut oil reduces heart diseases, cancer, inflammation, weight loss, and more. For your skin and hair, it protects your skin and reduces eczema and dandruff. It also works as an anti-aging product and generally makes you glow.
Making coconut oil is super easy as well. All you have to do is grate an amount of a fully developed coconut and blend it with an amount of warm water. You then need to sieve the resulting milk out, allow it to ferment for a few hours, and heat it up until you get the desired look. You can always avoid the entire process by purchasing coconut oil from a vendor near you.
Shea Butter
Shea butter is another natural beauty product every African must have in his or her closet. It is an ivory colored fat that is taken from the nut of the African Shea tree. As a beauty product, shea butter can also be used for tons of skin and hair needs. It can be used as a body cream, an anti-aging lotion, for your lips, to treat your hair, sun screen, shaving cream, and so on. It prevents and heals dandruff, hydrates your skin, moisturizes your hair, softens your skin, treats rashes, heals dermatitis, and more.
Rather than buying different creams for your various hair and skin needs, you can simply use shea butter. It is readily available almost everywhere, so it is unimaginably cheap to get! It has been tagged as the ultimate beauty secret by beauticians and various specialists. If you do not already have this, you need to get it now.
Baobab Oil
Baobab oil is an extract from the baobab tree. The baobab tree is found in very remote areas of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and some other African and non-African locations. The oil is made by simply pressing the seeds from the fruit of the baobab tree. The baobab fruit is high in calcium, zinc, fibre, magnesium, and so on; however, baobab oil comes with much more beauty benefits and uses.
Baobab oil is perfect for those with delicate skin. It gives you healthful and glowing skin by rejuvenating your skin and improving elasticity. It also restores your complexion, combats the early stages of aging, and more. This oil is also perfect for hair, especially natural hair. It gives you strong and shiny hair, and it protects you from hair breakage as well. It certainly meets all of your beauty needs.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is sometimes described as a “wonder plant” for reasons you will soon be aware of. It has served as the cure to many health problems within and beyond Africa. Many people use it as a decorative plant in their homes, but its benefits go beyond making houses look good. Generally, it reduces blood sugar and can be used as a mouthwash, laxative, heartburn reliever, weight loss aid, and more.
Another beauty secret is that Aloe Vera protects your skin and hair as well. It can be used as an exfoliator or scrub and as a remedy for dry skin. In fact, it is good for the general well-being of your skin. For hair, it contains certain ingredients that would repair the dead cells in your scalp. It works as a conditioner, aids hair growth, prevents itching on your scalp, reduces dandruff, and other things that you can think of. The great part of this is not just that it is readily available, but that it does not have to be cooked or created. Aloe vera juice can just be applied on your hair and skin to unleash its great potential.
Sesame Oil
Finally, we have sesame oil, which is an edible oil that is derived from sesame seeds and called the “Queen of oils,” and its healing power reveals why. Just as with the other oils and natural products, the health benefits of sesame oil are many, promoting healthy bones, reducing high blood pressure, and so on.
For the skin, it works as a sunscreen, moisturizer, an emollient, and soother. And for your hair, massaging it in to your scalp prevents dandruff and kills bacteria that causes hair issues. It also helps to darken the hair and reduces the occurrence of hair breakage. This is yet another all-encompassing wonder oil.
