TRUE COLOUR - THE CRITIC-AL' SERIES ... by mary takon

I’m black. I’m proud. I’m comfortable…… In my skin.

I like Mrs. Da-Silva. She’s a very dutiful colleague. Beautiful, attractive, always in smiles, has a solution to every administrative problem at work, God-fearing, respects humanity, generous…… Plus, she has this exquisite collection of shoes and bags that I’m sure every young fashion-loving girl, like me, would kill for.

So, Mrs. Da-Silva invited me over to lunch at her place one day. I felt honored. Apparently, she wanted to hook me up with this ‘eligible’ bachelor, whom she felt would help me in accomplishing my dreams, someday. (I wonder what she was thinking. ‘Cos, at the time, I didn’t even know what my dreams were).

I wore my pretty Sunday dress and didn’t forget to buy a bottle of Rose wine, which I had discovered was her favorite. And you can trust me when I say: Lunch was good…… Soooo gooood! She’s a really good cook. Little or no wonder why her husband was so chubby. I mean, with a wife who cooks that well, one would need strict discipline on appetite control. I was munching my way down from appetizer to desert, that I barely had time to assess my ‘potential’ suitor. Afterwards, we all sat down to drink our Rose wine and we started having a non-gossip chit-chat. That was when she started telling us about her younger days and thought it would be nice to share some pictures with us, just so that we would come to terms with most of the things she had been trying so hard to explain. Then the questions started pouring in……

You see, Mrs. Da-Silva is a light-skinned lady. So light, that I would sometimes wonder if she had white blood, in her. And whenever I asked, she’ll chuckle and answer: “No, dear. Just the way God made me”. This, I got to discover that day, was a blatant lie! Mrs. Da-Silva was born: BLACK. So black, that when she took pictures at night, you could only see her eyeballs and her teeth (i.e. when she was smiling).

I was so shocked that I had to ask: “Sorry ma, but did you say these were your pictures?”

And she happily replied: “Yes dear. I’m sure you are surprised to find out I had such an exciting childhood. I travelled all around the world, I wore the best clothes, and I went to the best schools…… My parents were quite sophisticated, you know……”

And my ‘suitor’ interrupted, blurting the words out: “Madam, why were you so dark and how did you become so light-skinned? Don’t tell me you are one of those people who bleached their skin tone? Because I think bleaching is not only irritating but also un-called for.”

And there was dead silence in the room.

I usually have myself a good laugh, whenever I come across some of my fellow colored people doing their thing. If you ask me, I’d say it’s just unexplainable. Yes! UNEXPLAINABLE.

When I see fellow blacks who’ve got veins popping out their dermis, as if shouting “MARY! MARY!!” ……When I see red and black patches developing on a mid-tone negro……When I see an ebony friend suddenly turned into a funny shade of ivory…… I wonder what they are thinking!! I mean, you have this legendary tone and you just wish u could do away with it??!! C’mon guys…… When are we going to get a grip on ourselves? What’s with all the craze and hype for a lighter skin colour?? The craze popularly called ‘Bleaching’, in this part of the world. In my opinion, it’s all crap!!

Ok. On a regular day, why not take a look at a black lady’s (men aren’t completely ruled out) cosmetic products. I can bet you’ll see descriptive captions like: Brightening, Whitening, Lightening, Complexion Toning, Maxi-Tone, Quick action, Fast action…… It goes on and on. The interesting part is that most of these cosmetics are gotten at very cheap prices and eventually do more harm (than good) to the skin. Most of the attractive claims that make some of us want to fill our bath-tub with these cosmetics and swim in them all day long, don’t even turn out so ‘FANTASTIC!!’.

We see light-skinned folks burning themselves up in the sun at every opportunity they get to sunlight. We sometimes watch them go through the stress of using tanning lotions and sprays. Oh yes! I haven’t forgotten the Spray tanning machine which is designed solely for browning the skin. Some even come out looking so orange, like blotchy leather, after they’ve over done the tan. And they are stuck with the look for a couple of days. *smh. And their daily cosmetic products include darkening agents, such as: Cocoa butter, Shea butter, Aloe Vera and even Vitamin E!! (#Yea, vitamin E darkens) All in the bid to tone down the whitish pigment they have. And someone tells me not to love my brown skin? In whatever shade it comes? NEVER!!

Let’s trash this issue from the root. Time, history and biological selection has made it in such a way that we are naturally found in the tropics. Although, in some parts of the world, previous ancient activities transferred a good number of us to places that our ancestors had no name, heritage or origin. Temperate regions, to be precise. And that’s that. Nevertheless, what makes us ‘colored’ is the fact that we have pigment-producing cells called melanin in our skin that produces more of eumelanin than phaeomelanin. Darker skin types produce more eumelanin and whiter skin types contain more phaeomelanin. (Enough biology for one day, eh?)

Apart from the fact that eumelanin gives us a peculiar and particularly browner skin tone, it has numerous advantages. In hot times, darker skinned people lose more water through the skin. This may be an evolutionary change where darker-skinned individuals tended to live in hotter areas of the world and lighter skinned people lived in colder countries. Therefore, as more water leaves the skin it has a better cooling effect. Darker skin has more layers of the epidermis than whiter skin. People of colour also have higher protection to the sun, than whites. Yea. We ‘coloureds’ are walking SPF 13.4 s, compared to whites, whose natural SPF is 3.3. Meaning, for every sunscreen we use, we have an additional SPF of 10.1 than any Caucasian using that same sunscreen. It gives us higher resistance to skin diseases, thereby making us less susceptible to some terrible skin diseases. This gives our epidermis more protection to harsh weather conditions. Eumelanin helps the skin retain its brownish tone. So we don’t blush at every embarrassing statement or turn white when we are cold (no offence guys). Eumelanin gives our skin more elasticity and firmness. Yea, people of colour do not wrinkle that quickly and we age less. It also makes colored skin less susceptible to cold damage than whites. Unfortunately, most of us don’t appreciate these benefits we derive from eumelanin. And I wonder why.

I know most of us blacks like to repair the damages that our harsh weather wreaks on our natural skin tone, but we can at least do it in moderation.  I know that the harsh sun rays sometimes burn so hard on our skin that we might get darker than we naturally are. I also know that the harmattan gets so dry sometimes, that we lose our healthy glow. But there are always ways around it.

You must learn to use a sunscreen every time you have to get in the sun. I know it’s a difficult habit to adopt, so if you can stay out of the sun, then that would work even better. Any sun exposure between 11.00a.m - 4p.m/4.30p.m can get you a fair share of daily sun burn. When getting a sunscreen, get one that protects the skin from both UVA and UVB rays. The potency of the sunscreen is measured based on its SPF (Sun Protection Factor). A higher SPF ensures higher protection. But anything between SPF 15-SPF 50 is suitable for a black skin. Like I mentioned earlier, Negros have a natural SPF 10.1 embedded in their skin. This is our natural protection from the harmful rays of the sun, in the tropics, but more protection definitely works the difference.

Exfoliate. Exfoliation works wonders. Most of the dullness and unnecessary ‘brownness’ of a black skin can come from the large amount of dead cells on the epidermis. Get an exfoliating salt (sea salt), which can be used once a week. You can also get an exfoliating soap or body scrub and use 3-4 times a week. There are exfoliating bath gloves, too. These are easy to use while in the bath or shower and can be used daily, because they exfoliate the skin more evenly.

Use natural complexion clarifiers, if you have to. There is a wide range, from Oatmeal to Licorice extract to Burberry extract to Milk (Goat or Cow) to Papaya to Vitamin C…… Name them. Cucumber works well for the eye area. The advantages of using these natural skin lighteners is that they do not ‘bleach’ the skin and take off its natural colour, they restore the skins original pigment and help it to bounce back after the natural colour has been threatened by harsh weather conditions. They also help to blend the skin tone and make it even. This is important in cases where there is a noticeable imbalance in a person’s skin tone, due to natural or artificial causes. Now, most of these natural skin lighteners may be difficult to find in their natural state (Goat milk, for example). What I suggest is that you opt for cosmetic products that have these natural skin clarifiers as their primary active ingredient or component.

Eat well. A balanced diet works for the skin. It gives the skin all its natural vitamins and ingredients it needs to have that glow. Fruits and veggies (especially when eaten without being cooked) work wonders on the skin. Drinking lots of water also helps to hydrate and moisturize the skin. Green tea is a natural detoxicant. It detoxifies the skin off impurities and keeps it looking clean and fresh. Food supplements also help to make up for nutrients that may have been omitted in our diet. Why not take these nutrients in and have them work from the inside out? So you can acquire this ‘glow’ you really crave for. What goes in, definitely shows on the outside, you know.

If your skin has already been damaged by skin bleaching agents, there is very little you can do to correct the damages. I will suggest you get to a dermatologist have some proper tests run, on your skin. The results of the test will determine what type of treatment you will receive. Nevertheless, you must stop using any of these products, immediately. Do not believe that one lightening product will help to repair the damages caused by another. Do not listen to recommendations from people about what worked for their damaged skin and what didn’t. This is because your skin type, tone and requirements may be completely different from theirs. JUST GET TO A DERMATOLOGIST.

One of the first signs of noticing that your skin is being damaged by harsh chemical products is getting easily bruised at a slight cut or grazing of the skin. And when some of these sores or injuries take a longer period to heal than they normally would, that (my friends) is a “STOP!!” sign.

Or when you start having sunburn on your face, otherwise known as black under-eye patches, then that is also a "STOP!!" sign.

By the way, I need not mention that after my ‘suitor’ bluntly embarrassed my darling Mrs. Da-Silva, I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me: RUN FOR YOUR FACE!! Because her frown not only spelt out how upset she was, but also, how upset that I may be getting quite often (if I decide to take the young man a bit more seriously). All said, I believe there are many Mrs. Da-Silva(s) who had their natural skin colour changed and got away with it. These cases are really rare and I must commend you guys for your boldness. Remember that cases of skin cancer abound these days and I really do hope you have an explanation for your grand kids when you show them your childhood pictures. *winks*

Me, I’m happy. I’m black. I’m proud. I’m comfortable…… In my skin