GOING NATURAL: My Skincare Secret

For some time now, I’ve been taking gradual steps into the natural lifestyle. It encompasses a lot and I know I’m still on the surface but I’ve been loving it so far. I call myself a mini naturalista and in this post I’m sharing my skincare secret with you. The secret is that I make my own body cream and bathing soap. Well, it’s no longer a secret now as the whole world knows. You can make yours too, continue reading to know how.

BODY CREAM

Cocoa Butter is the first body cream I remember using growing up. In school, my mates never believed me when I told them I used cocoa butter until they saw it. They asked questions like; why isn’t it making you dark, why is your skin glowing, why is it so soft? Well, cocoa butter worked well for me.

Shea butter on the other hand has always been in the house. I think this is applicable in every Nigerian household. Anyway, one time I ran out of body cream, I used shea butter and never went back. Early last year, I fell in love with coconut oil and our love is never ending believe me. I was inspired by a friend to try making my body cream and I’ve been making it since then. The thrill of it all is that it’s so easy to make; My Mum would supply me original shea butter – the hard not easy to break kind. I’d buy cold pressed organic coconut oil which is available in pretty much every supermarket and mix it up and that’s it. The coolest thing is you have the option of choosing the consistency you like. It can be thick or greasy, anyhow you like it. NEWSFLASH: It’s also my hair cream. I’m proud to say I’ve successfully initiated my sisters in this lifestyle. It’s even better for them because they live abroad and it saves their skin from dryness during winter.

Do I really need to tell you about the benefits of using coconut oil and shea butter on the skin? Okay, I’ll just mention a few.

• It leaves the skin supple and smooth
• It’s a remedy for dry skin
• It’s a natural SPF
• It clears skin burns
• It softens the skin
• It prevents rashes or treats them
• It heals inflammation or bruises

BATHING SOAP

I was skeptical about changing my bathing soap for a long time until last year. The reason is because my skin is very sensitive and I had been using the same soap for as long as I can remember. Last year May to be precise, I bought a liquid black soap from a popular Nigerian vendor to break the norm and loved it. I didn’t have any reactions and it just felt right. It got exhausted quickly though so I tried the solid option which also didn’t last too long but felt slightly better on my body than the liquid one. The black soap trend was new to me but not my family as some of the people in my close circle use black soap and rave about the benefits. I decided to join them then I got the opportunity to mix my very own black soap.

This is a mixture of Nigerian black soap, osun(sandalwood), 100% organic honey, ground turmeric and water. It took me a total of five days to get the consistency I wanted and I shared the process on my instastory then.

Some of the benefits of this soap include;

• It helps with the treatment of sunburns
• It clears dark spots
• It lathers really well so it lasts long
• It works as a face mask and exfoliator
• It gives the skin a natural glow

I’m happy I use ingredients from the earth on my body and I’m totally sure I’m not going back to chemicals. My skin is breathing and there’s just that peaceful and amazing feeling I have knowing I make my skincare products.

I’m currently transitioning to natural hair and It’s been a big struggle. I can’t wait for my hair to be fully natural though so I can whip up a hair care mix myself. For now, I only use my body cream on my hair.

Are you a naturalista or a member of the black soap gang? Would you like to see more beauty posts from me? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks for reading.

Mariam Shittu