Beauty Tips
Lessen die ik heb geleerd van de berbervrouw uit Marokko
In 2018 I was invited by Net-a-Porter to discuss “wellness” with their staff during the company’s “Wellness Week”. After giving it some thought, I decided to focus my discussion on the “Wellness Lessons I’ve learned from the Berber Women of Morocco”. These women have touched me deeply with their way of life, their strength and their creativity. I am celebrating the achievements of the Berber women of Morocco who have inspired me in creating the KAHINA™ brand.
Life here is difficult. The mountains are rocky and arid and practically nothing grows. Most men leave for the big cities to find work leaving the women behind for 11 months out of the year. With little vegetation for farming, the Berbers of the Anti-Atlas depend on goats for milk, meat and wool. And Argan.
Illiteracy rates remain very high. Among girls, only 26% in rural Morocco continue their education beyond the third grade. The girls marry young, between the ages of 16 and 19 on average. With little access to hospitals and maternal healthcare, the infant and maternal mortality rate is high in the mountains.
1.Slow everything.
Most everything is made by hand and there are few shortcuts. Wheat is ground by hand to make flour. Wool is spun to make thread. Clothes are sewn by hand. They exist without the constant distraction of email or pressures to meet deadlines or dread over daily news. There are extreme challenges and real problems, but, I would argue, less angst. Life takes on a rhythm of its own.
7. Inshallah
Like most Moroccans, the Berbers are Sunni Muslim. Among other things, their spirituality offers them a certain alignment to a higher power. The phrase “Inshallah”, translated to God willing, is commonly used as a way to express their belief in destiny and acceptance of what comes their way.
8. Celebrate!
Each time I have visited, the women of the village have made of point of celebrating with music and dancing well into the night. From what I can gather, these celebrations happen frequently – to mark a wedding, the harvest or the arrival of spring.
It would be impossible for an American woman with a husband and three children who runs a business out of a sixth floor Manhattan apartment to replicate the life I’ve described here, but I try to keep the Berber women in mind as I go about my daily life. I recall them as I stress about politics and deadlines, reacting to a barrage of emails and juggling school, family and work obligations. At the very least, their hard work puts my relatively small problems into perspective. Beyond that, I am reminded to forge deeper connections to community, family, the earth and to honor hard work, creativity, ritual and song.
KAHINA™ is my everyday touchstone. All photos were taken during my many trips to the Berber villages of Southwest Morocco.THE SCIENCE OF ARGAN OIL
The raw argan oil found in Kahina Giving Beauty products is composed of a high percentage of vitamin E (more than three times as much as olive oil) and 80% fatty acids, including hard to obtain Omega 6 and Omega 9 acids. Other components key to promoting skin health include antioxidant polyphenols, phytosterol compounds, and squalene.
The antioxidants and fatty acids in argan oil work together to help stop inflammation and to protect and maintain skin elasticity, smoothness and radiance. Phytosterols help strengthen the protective skin barrier and are also antiseptic.
Squalene is a lipid that is naturally present in, and extremely compatible with, our own skin, which is why argan oil is so easily absorbed. Our body’s own squalene production declines starting at the age of 20 and replenishing helps skin retain its moisture, as well as supporting cell regeneration and oxygenation