Arab Women: The Raw Approach to Beauty
By: Waverly Nohr/ Arab America Contributing Writer
With the Middle East dating back to at least 3500 BC, we know that Arabs have had time to practice trial and error with most aspects of life. Skincare is no exception. While Arab women are known for aging seamlessly as well as having glowing skin with minimal blemishes and wrinkles, some wonder, is it just a product of their genes? This article will list four secrets that Arab women have done for centuries to remain youthful and keep the rest of the world guessing on how it could be possible. Most of the following solutions have a dual function in that they make you beautiful as well as providing help for your skin or hair for the long run, not just for the day.
1. Olive Oil
While many haircare products mention that they have olive oil in them, few use the raw form without additives. Arab women have been using olive oil as a hack for more than their hair. While they do use it for their hair and you can tell by the way it shines and bounces unlike dead hair, they also use it as an exfoliant. According to Step Feed, it can be combined with lemon, sugar, and baking soda to create an exfoliant that can revive your skin and unclog your pores. As one last use, olive oil is utilized in manicures and pedicures as it supposedly encourages healthy growth in your nails. Try it out to see for yourself!
2. Argan Oil
Turning to another oil, Arab women use argan oil for some similar purposes as they do olive oil. As some women would use the highlighter as a tool to highlight their cheekbones and other points on their face, Arab women use argan oil. Providing a glow, argan oil also has extreme long-term benefits because of what exactly is in it. It contains vitamin A and vitamin E, which, as any skincare connoisseur knows, helps with acne, dryness, and redness. This summer, opt for good skincare instead of investing in just another concealer or foundation. Healthy and balanced skin radiates on its own.
3. Rose Water
To continue on this journey of highlighting the ancient secrets of Arab women, this highlight is on rosewater as a toner. As most people know, a toner is a vital step in most people’s skincare routine. The role of a toner is to gently refresh your skin without stripping it of its natural moisture. This means toner won’t irritate sensitive skin or cause excessive dryness, according to Neutrogena, a popular skincare brand. Many people ignore the fact that a toner should neither sting nor cause irritation in your skin. Something as harsh as witch hazel could be the detriment to sensitive or combination skin. Rosewater provides a revival of the skin, being both gentle but also effective. Giving your skin time to relax and rebalance with rosewater will help so much.
4. Labneh
While labneh is known mostly for ingesting, it has benefits when used on sunburn. According to fabbon.com, With the harsh sun always hovering over, life in desert regions can be tough. This is why ancient Arabians had the perfect remedy for treating sunburn—labneh.” While labneh is the original healer to sunburn, most people in the United States can use yogurt due to its availability of it. With the application, of plain yogurt, Greek or not, the probiotics and lactic acids work to remove the skin that is damaged. This works faster than Aloe, a product we have been led to believe is the only sure way to soothe a sunburn.
In conclusion, Arab women might have really been on to something when they were perfecting the skincare that they used in their daily lives. Additionally, one thing that is apparent, drawing all of the secrets above together is that Arab women tend to use products that are versatile in their function. Not only that but, all of the listed products are natural and simple in their make-up. This is something the big brands in skincare have really lost. In being caught up with trying to find the bigger and better solutions to normal skin blemishes, more chemicals and parabens are being added than ever.
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