You too can enjoy the benefits. Discover the ingredients in African women’s facials.
SHEA BUTTER, ESSENTIAL FOR THE FACE CARE OF AFRICAN WOMEN
Shea butter is a key ingredient in African beauty. Used as much for the body as for the face, it is a vegetable oil of natural origin. Rich in moisturizing agents and vitamins A, F and D, shea butter from West Africa protects and repairs skin weakened by the sun. It fights against the problems of dehydration and desquamation due to the dryness of the climate. Shea butter also shines the hair and accelerates the healing of wounds.
Apply it before your shampoo as a moisturizing hair mask or on slightly damp hair, focusing on damaged ends.
Shea butter can also be applied to the skin as a moisturizer for the body or face.
KAOLIN, THE BEAUTY SECRET OF CAMEROONIAN WOMEN
Kaolin is a white and very friable clay rock, but it is especially one of the softest clays for the skin. It is particularly suitable for dry and sensitive skin, and also cares for acne-prone skin. Kaolin regulates the production of sebum and clears the skin, without drying it out, leaving the skin soft and clean.
Mix a tablespoon of kaolin in a bowl half filled with mineral water. Make sure the texture is lump-free before applying evenly to the face, taking care to avoid the eye area. Leave the mask on for one hour.
THE AVOCADO, FOR A MOISTURIZING FACE CARE
The flesh of the avocado is used in West Africa to soften, protect and regenerate the skin thanks to its rich composition in fatty acids. It also restores shine to dull hair. In oil, avocado is an excellent moisturizer, softener and protector of the skin. Avocado oil also calms eczema and skin irritations.
To make an avocado mask, mix a few drops of lemon with the crushed avocado before applying the resulting cream to the face. Leave it on for 15 minutes, then rinse it off. This mask will allow to soothe and to soften the skins pulled by the dryness.
ARGAN OIL, A SUPER INGREDIENT IN COSMETICS
Gorged with essential acids, vitamin E and polyphenols, argan oil protects the skin from aging and maintains the moisture level of the epidermis. It also strengthens muscle tissue and regulates the supply of good fat in the blood.
Argan oil can be used as a food product and cosmetic. It is served plain with bread or drunk on an empty stomach by Moroccan women. This oil is a moisturizing milk for the body, a regenerating hair mask, a strengthening care for the nails, a massage oil, or an anti-wrinkle night cream.
COCONUT OIL, FOR ALL SKIN TYPES
Rich in vitamins A and E as well as in auric acid, it is suitable for all skin types. Dry, dehydrated or lacking elasticity skins will appreciate its ability to tone the skin and give it back its radiance.
In Benin and Ivory Coast, coconut oil is used to treat sunburn. The vitamin E will allow to reduce the inflammation, in the same way that would act Aloe Vera or Biafine. Coconut oil will reduce redness and help the skin to rehydrate to fight against the burn.
In case of a slight scratch, same thing, apply coconut oil. Its antibacterial properties will prevent the wound from getting infected. Put a few drops on the wound, let the product penetrate and apply a bandage or a compress. Repeat the procedure 2 to 3 times a day if necessary.
Coconut oil also contains fatty acids that have a stimulating effect on the production of collagen, the protein that plays an important role in the strength and elasticity of the skin. Coconut oil can therefore be used to reduce the appearance of fine lines and accelerate the disappearance of scars.
THE RED CLAY OF THE HIMBAS WOMEN OF NAMIBIA
The Himbas are a semi-nomadic people who move between the Kaokoveld, an arid region in the north of Namibia and the Kunene River, the border with Angola. The Himbas women use red clay to protect themselves from the sun’s rays and insect bites.
Rich in trace elements, it gives a glow to the face and illuminates the dull complexion. The sensitive skins will appreciate the softness of the red clay used in mask. It tones and purifies the skin while giving it a slightly tanned complexion.
BAOBAB OIL, FOR THE CARE OF MATURE SKIN
The baobab tree is an ancestral African tree, emblematic of Senegal and Guinea. The seeds from these fruits are naturally dried before being cold pressed to extract the famous baobab oil.
Baobab oil is rich in fatty acids and proteins, but especially in vitamins A, D, E, and F. It protects and moisturizes the skin leaving it soft, smooth and supple. This oil is very effective in reducing the marks of mature skin, chapped skin and stretch marks. Simply apply it daily.
ALOE FROM CAPE VERDE, A CLASSIC IN WOMEN’S FACIAL CARE
Aloe-ferox is a variety of aloe from South Africa and Lesotho. Enjoying dry tropical climates, this wild aloe grows in open areas with full sun, on sandy or silty soils with moderate watering. Aloe-ferox is very similar to aloe vera, but aloe-ferox produces orange or red flowers.
This form of aloe is very effective after a burn, irritation or sunburn, it helps to heal, soothe and regenerate the skin with its cooling effect. It also fights against the signs of time by accelerating the production of collagen. It smoothes the skin, helps reduce sebum and tightens pores.
KABAKROU, A FACIAL CLEANSER
Known to all Ivorians, kabakrou is a soap made from palm oil and caustic soda. It means “pebble” in Dioula (ethnic group from the north of Côte d’Ivoire).
For its manufacture, palm oil, this red oil, is heated all day in barrels until it becomes white. It is left overnight to cool down. The next day, the caustic soda is poured into a barrel containing water. The result is then left to rest for 2 days, before mixing the two substances together. This mixture is kneaded with a stick, before turning into a paste and forming soap balls.
CONGO FRUIT SOAP
In the Congo, women do not throw away the peel of their bananas or papayas after eating them, but make soap out of them. The peels are dried in the sun, then reduced to powder and boiled until the water has completely evaporated. The black paste is washed with water, before being mixed with palm oil. The result is then put on the fire, before arriving at a very pure and soft soap, perfect for body and hair.
MARULA OIL, AN AFRICAN TREASURE
Marula grows only in southern Africa, its bark is used against malaria, scorpion stings and snake bites. In cosmetics, the oil from the almond is rich in vitamin E and is suitable for all skin types.
A true treasure of the African pharmacopoeia, Marula oil protects the skin from dehydration and slows down water loss from the epidermis. It nourishes, softens and smoothes the skin, thanks to its richness in omega-9 and omega-6 fatty acids. Particularly rich in antioxidants, it also fights against premature aging of the skin and helps maintain skin tone and elasticity.
This oil is part of the wonderful ingredients that make up Mawena’s ROSE MARULA Radiance Protection Hydration Serum Oil. This nourishing complex is an oil-serum that is quickly absorbed by the skin for an immediate moisturizing and protective effect. It contains choice ingredients to nourish and strengthen the skin without making it greasy.
Mawena is a 100% natural, organic and vegan cosmetic brand that highlights the beauty rituals of women around the world, which have been passed down from generation to generation. The brand was created in Mexico, when Helena, the founder of the brand, found herself immersed in a community of Mayan women. She then set out to create a range inspired by layering and drawing on natural active ingredients (PEG-free, GMO-free, alcohol-free). Tepezcohuite, which we find in all the products of the brand, is a Mexican plant produced by a Mayan cooperative, which respects the production cycles of the plant. The face care products are made in France, and offer your skin the best that nature has to offer.
