As Africans, it can be a bit puzzling as to how we have gravitated toward light skin colours over the years. Lately, this phenomenon seems to be escalating at an alarming rate as our culture implements lighter tones in makeup, hair colour, and beauty products!
Gone are the days when people denied bleaching their skin to whiter shades in defiance of the dark skin they were gifted at birth. It was obvious and almost understandable that they had preferred to look lighter as society managed to brainwash everyone to believe that dark skin wasn’t a colour to wear in pride. In some families, this distaste for dark tones often caused the darkest skinned person to be ostracized from the rest of the household. Nicknames like, “
I believe that the nickname, “blackky,” definitely contributed to the outright hatred of dark skin by the very culture that God , our creator, assigned it to.
I beg to differ that dark skin is not beautiful or more stunning than light skin, especially the bottled light skin, not the one from the main manufacturer, God.
Of our Nigerian celebrities, there is one in particular that just never ceases to amaze me. One that I respect, not just because she’s a great actress, but because, for over 20 years, she has embraced her skin tone with pride on screen, is Genevieve Nnaji. Both Kate Henshaw and Genevieve stand out among other celebrities because they wear their skin comfortably and confidently. In contrast, I’m sure there are several other celebrities who would not encourage release of their old pictures before stardom because of the change to their skin that they have paid for. Just saying.
The sheer pride in these photos make you want to be dark, and that is what needs to be encouraged.
On the other hand, some say that when you live abroad, the weather has a way of lighting your skin. I will admit that, having lived abroad for years (too long for my liking), I have noticed my skin lighten up a bit, but definitely not because I went all out to lighten it. While Vaseline is considered my best friend, since I can’t afford to spend over £100 monthly to look good, I like to believe that I don’t need that much help from beauty products. Furthermore, I’ve only embraced Olay a few days ago to help my aging, dry skin. In other words, you won’t find a skin lightening moisturizer in my routine, that’s for sure!
I love the dark skin colour, and I think it’s time to embrace it. Once you know how to care for it, you will get the compliments that follow.
The Secrets to the Power of Dark Skin:
Medically speaking, it’s the best protection against radiation from the sun, and in Nigeria, we need all of the sun resistance we can get.
You escape the problem of photoaging. “What is photoaging?” you may ask. This is term for deep wrinkles and broken blood vessels on areas around the nose and sometimes on the cheeks, aging spots. and rough, dry, scaly looking spots known as keratosis.
You are less likely to suffer from skin cancer because the dark skin has ample amounts of melanin which protects against harmful UV rays.
Moreover, when a person has bleached their skin, or used way too many chemicals on their delicate skin, it makes them prone to these dangers.
If, for some reason, you have bleached your skin and it has started to react, do not panic, there is help for you!
First, I advise you to detox both your body and skin. You can do this by going on a disciplined water and fruit fast. This detox entails drinking lots of water and eating fruits with high contents of water such as watermelon, pineapples, and oranges. While on this diet, alternate your creams by switching to hydrating moisturizers.
These steps will jumpstart you on your way to detoxing and getting the real you back on track. I believe we have great centres in Nigeria where you can find health advisors that give advice on detoxing and diet. While you are at it, visit the sauna too as sweat plays a great part in helping the body detox while nourishing the skin.
Sade Popoola
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