Good Morning, it's Wednesday, March 12. There’s a matcha shortage in Japan, a new book on Black girl gardeners is out and for Holi we’re bringing you a skincare guide featuring a leading dermatologist in Mumbai 🍐🍭👩🏾🌾🍵
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📜 Tupac’s Unreleased Lyrics: Three of Tupac’s handwritten unreleased manuscripts are up for sale and could cost as high as $250,000.
🍵 Matcha Shortage: Your favourite tea might become scarce soon, as increasing global demand for matcha puts a strain on Japan’s tea industry.
🇮🇳 India’s Obesity Crisis: According to a new study, India could have more than 440 million overweight or obese people by 2050.
🏀 NBA’s Shortest Player: Basketball is a sport that favours the tall, but Yuki Kawamura, center for the Memphis Grizzlies, is the fan-fave 5 foot 8 Japanese player.
💔 Love Nest Scam: In China, 36 men are reeling from being scammed by the same lover, a woman who managed to lure them into buying flats in a nearby city.
👩🏾🌾 Marketing Fresh Produce: In Senegal, young female farmers are taking to YouTube and using their filmmaking skills to market their produce online.
Gunk Facials: Beauty writer Shawna Hudson writes on her experience getting a hydrafacial (a.k.a gunk facial) and how it helped her acne-prone skin tremendously.
Kojic Acid for Dark Spots: We love our koji-san bars, but is kojic acid really effective? Dermatologists Ife Rodney and David Kim say yes, but it may not be as do-it-all as people claim.
🍐 Prickly Pear Oil: Oil from Opuntia, or prickly pear, is a traditional Moroccan beauty secret, and is great during Ramadan as it is non-comedogenic and deeply hydrating.
Sunscreen from Indulgeo Essentials: The science-meets-Ayurveda brand’s latest broad-spectrum sunscreen contains venuceane 1% and helps with skin sensitivity.
Black Celeb Beauty Secrets: From Cynthia Erivo’s bald scalp routine to Emma Naomi’s love for hydration, here’s how these Black celebrities get red carpet ready.
Regina Song’s Makeup Essentials: The Singaporean singer-songwriter loves Kosas’ Brow Pop Pencil and the Too Faced Blurring Blush, amongst other essentials.
Do You Really Need Electrolyte Drinks: These nutritionists and doctors say you might not need them, especially if you have an endocrine disorder or are not physically active.
BV From Men: Contrary to what we’ve always thought, new research is showing that bacterial vaginosis may actually be recurring from contact with male partners, and may require they get treated as well.
👩🏾🌾 Black Girls Gardening: Amber Grossman’s hobby-healing book profiles 31 women, their gardening tips, and their personal journeys.
🇸🇦 Nour Kelani’s Riyadh Villa: The businesswoman takes us on a tour of her lush home with incredible art from various Saudi artists and books from AIUla Arts Festival.
Chanel Iman’s Florida Home: The model and her NFL star husband show us into their marble-clad home with surfboards on the walls and a resort-like backyard.
The River Has Roots: Amar El-Mohtar’s latest fantasy explores sisterhood as an unbreakable bond, even in Faerieland.
The Dream Hotel: Laila Lalami’s latest book is as unsettling as it is brilliant, telling the story of Sara who is told she will commit a crime against her husband.
Plátanos Are Love: Alissa Reynoso-Morris’ children’s book follows a young girl who, with her Abuela, learns how plátanos are not just food but a big part of her culture.
This Friday is Holi and it means getting our skin ready for all those richly pigmented powders and time outdoors. For melanin-rich skin, this can lead to more pronounced skin concerns like hyperpigmentation and breakouts.
Dr. Madhuri Agarwal, dermatologist and founder of Yavana Aesthetic Clinic in Mumbai shares her best tips for melanin-rich skin in festival time.
Getting Ready for Celebrations
Holi is typically spent outdoors, where you’re exposed to more sun rays, dust and other elements. These elements can worsen certain skin conditions people of colour are more prone to.
“Skin of colour generally has certain concerns like hyperpigmentation, oiliness, and a tendency to acne, even more when compared to other skin types,” she explains, adding tips for protecting your skin.
“Applying broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30-50 PA+++ is incredibly important as it gives maximum coverage and reduces your chances of increased pigmentation. If you’ll be wearing makeup, use your sunscreen as a base before doing other steps. It's also important to keep your sunscreen with you so you can reapply.”
Oral Sunscreens Can Help
However, there are times when you cannot reapply sunscreen so you can consider using oral sunscreens.
“Oral sunscreens can be started preferably one month in advance for better results, but this should only be done in consultation with your dermatologist. Oral glutathione can also be administered as it protects your skin from free radical damage,” Dr. Agrawal adds.
Removing Pigment Safely
When the fun’s over, it's important to thoroughly remove all the Holi colours from your skin before you go to bed.
“Sleeping with the pigments on can clog your pores, resulting in breakouts and dull-looking skin. Additionally, these breakouts can also leave dark spots, especially on skin of colour,” she states.
Rather than cleansing wipes or abrasive towels, cleansing balms and oils are a gentle removal option as they melt the colours without the need for rubbing.
Consistency is Key
Staying consistent with your skincare routine will before, during and after Holi will help your skin cope betetr.
“A regular skincare regimen with cleanser, a chemical exfoliant (twice a week), a vitamin C serum (for mornings) and regular use of sunscreen will help you achieve healthy, glowing skin. Use of retinols, peptides, and anti-acne serums at night is also encouraged,” Dr. Agrawal states.
What to Eat
Taking care of your skin from the outside is not enough when your diet is unhealthy. This is why Dr. Agrawal recommends keeping hydrated and eating a balanced diet with lots of green vegetables to avoid skin concerns.
“It's also important to avoid foods with high salt content and hard alcoholic drinks”, she adds.
Post-Holi Skin Rejuvenation
If you’re looking to rejuvenate your skin after the celebrations, there are lots of Medifacials available in dermatology clinics these days, most of which Dr. Agrawal recommends for their ability to give women of colour an immediate glow.
“Facials like Radiante, Golden Glow, Luxury Facial, Carbon Peels and Red Carpet Medifacials are great during the festive seasons. The Aqua Revive Medifacial also hydrates and boosts blood circulation to the skin after a period of having heavy makeup or colours on,” she says.
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