[dropcap custom_class=”normal”] Natural is the new green, to some of you reading this, it probably sounds clichéd. You might scoff, roll your eyes even, and say ‘Oh Nike! Come on, of course nature has always been green!! What’s new about that?’
Well, natural hair has always been black, chestnut or whatever colour each individual is born with, *wink*. Also in nature, we have a vast variety of amazing beautiful colours existing naturally. Still it’s nature.
What am I driving at? Green is a symbol for a sustainable future. In Ecology, sustainability (from sustain and ability) is the property of biological systems to remain diverse and productive indefinitely. [1] … [/dropcap]
Going green means many things to different individuals, organisation and corporations. To some it entails planning trees to increase release of oxygen to the environment. To others it may involve one or more of the following; reducing energy use or supporting the use of alternative energy sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and global warming or doing what each person can do to minimize the environmental impact in our individual region. [2]
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What we, at Bellafricana are saying is that, going green is not limited to the environment anymore. As we sustain the environment it’s important to sustain ourselves too. Else, we won’t be around long enough to enjoy the benefits of a sustainable future.
As it is important to do more to keep our environment alive, so also is it important to do good by ourselves and do more to keep our skin, hair and organs alive.
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You are most likely familiar with the ‘Team Natural’ rave that came to Nigeria almost a quarter of a decade late (as usual) and how a lot of young ladies have joined or are beginning to join the natural hair movement.
And I wonder, what if keeping natural hair and using natural skin products actually becomes a part of us? What if, when the rave dies down, people still continue in the spirit of using organic products.
The issue is that, many times people move with the crowd and don’t bother to allow the real meaning of a trend/movement sink in deep enough for them to carry on after the world has moved on to the next new trend.
So in the light of trying to encourage you our lovely reader and the entire world to use organic products, let’s discuss how this can contribute to a more sustainable future for the environment, our personal hygiene and even the economy. Also, we will mention how you can recognise natural products that are really “natural”.
Natural Is The New Green
Did you know part of the reason we age faster than people of old is the amount of harmful substances we are exposed to. Some of the different aspects of our lifestyle that we can adapt to natural are our Hair Care, Skincare, Food and Environment.
We have taken it upon ourselves at Bellafricana to check the quality of products made in Nigeria/Africa one at a time. With the corporation of producers of these items very soon the continent will have a wealth of trusted and verified products for global use.
Hair Care:
Like I mentioned earlier, the natural hair trend is already helping in this aspect. But it is not limited to those on natural hair alone, every individual, both male and female, natural haired or treated hair alike can use natural hair products.
It is advisable to use products that are made from natural resources. They contain little to no harmful chemicals and keep your hair moisturised and help you maintain good texture.
Trusted and verified producers/vendors we recommend are Midas Naturals, Organic Life Plus (Beautifully Nappy), Inner Beautee, Aweni Organics, Natural Nigerian etc. You can view some of their products by clicking on this LINK.
Skincare:
Just like in the case of organic products for caring for the hair, so also are there good quality products that can be used in care for our skin. Some of the producers we have verified work hard tirelessly to ensure they produce skincare products for different skin types.
Verified skincare products can be found at Mint Organic Care, Natural Nigerian, Aweni Organics, Midas Naturals, Organic Life Plus (Beautifully Nappy), Inner Beautee etc. You can view some of their products by clicking on this LINK.
Food:
No one has devised a way to continue existing without needing food in one form or the other. Sometimes we have very busy schedules that we find ourselves eating fast foods more than we eat cooked ones.
Sadly, the amount of preservatives in some of the foods we eat alone can shorten the lifespan by a quarter if not more. But there are SMEs coming up with ways of producing package home cooked food, processed foods and snacks.
Some of these come a cooked food, some healthy food drinks etc. To ensure our safety in the food aspect, Bellafricana is introducing the Food Produce and Snacks category on our platform. We are verifying foods made with a lot of consideration to hygiene and safety of the consumers.
Environment:
By using products made naturally, we will indirectly be helping to reduce the effect of global warming. How so? When we patronise producers of organic health and beauty products, fewer plants will be gathered and burned.
The way this works is that, once there is more demand for plants’ natural resources, less plants will be disposed. Also, if we use environmental friendly products, they can easily decompose and add to the earth’s nourishment.
Products that are environmental friendly can be gotten from MitiMeth, Ethnikologie etc.
Economy:
Even our economy is becoming green with the rise of the made-in-Nigeria initiative. More producers are sourcing by-products locally, this in turn, gives the farmers, local workers and all those involved remuneration. this leads to motivating them to continue works in this line.
Sources:
[1] Wikipedia – Sustainability
[2] Small Biz Trends – Achievable Green Initiatives
