To make the unique Africology spa experience and products available to a wider audience, the luxury South African spa brand has opened its first ever Urban Retail & Spa Store in Rosebank, Johannesburg. People are now able to purchase their favourite Africology products in a unique environment and enjoy a selection of Africology treatments, from a rejuvenating full-body massage to a relaxing manicure in one of the treatment rooms.

Africology is currently available from some of the most luxurious spas in South Africa and beyond, including Ulusaba Resort in the Mpumalanga province and the Oberoi hotel in Mauritius. The brand is known for its luxurious and ethical spa products and treatments, which are designed to balance body and mind. The products are synergised with African ingredients like rooibos, African potato and marula oil.

Africology is anti-animal testing and uses organic and local ingredients wherever possible. The brand ardently supports fair trade and sustainable ingredients. The new Urban Africology Retail & Spa Store helps to introduce the brand to a wider audience while also driving general brand awareness.

This exciting new concept is the brainchild of Eliana and Liza Droganis, who have been involved in the Africology business ever since it was founded by their mother Renchia Droganis in 2000. Proud of the growth and success of the Africology brand, Renchia is keen to give her children the chance to explore their talents and take the brand to the next level. She says: “The time is right for the next blossoming, and it is with excitement that I hand the reins of the Urban Africology Retail & Spa concept to my daughters, Eliana and Liza. I am convinced their dedication, vision and passion will turn the store into a huge success.”

If every journey begins with a single step, Africology began with a single goal in mind. The goal was, and is, to empower people through the ideals and knowledge inherent in Africa’s traditions and history. This goal has led to the creation of a brand that educates consumers, uplifts rural African communities and calls for unconditional respect for the planet that so generously sustains us.

Here’s to both sustainable and ethical beauty!

The Africology store address is: Shop G18, The Zone Phase 2, Rosebank, 2196 Johannesburg (just off Oxford Road).

“You don’t have to be a classically beautiful person, whatever that means in your culture, to attain beauty,” says Melanie Sachs, author of Ayurvedic Beauty Care. “Ayurvedic beauty is about loving the skin you’re in, about learning how to bring out your best and be your best.”

Based on the 3 000-year-old Hindu scripture, the Atharva-Veda, Ayurveda is a science that instructs practitioners in methods to regulate the processes of the human body, and to maintain one’s beauty, through the use of spices and other organic ingredients. Before applying these methods, it is necessary to understand that Ayurveda incorporates the basis of the five elements: Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth, which through their combinations work to create the three Doshas (Life Forces): Vata, Pitta and Kapha. By working with knowledge of these qualities, this helps us to gauge what is going on externally and internally at the different times and gives us a basis from which to follow and mindfully adapt to any changes.

Skin Reflections
According Claire Stephenson, a Wellness Consultant specialising in Ayurveda, since the skin is the body’s largest organ, it is often the first to reflect one’s ‘Ayurvedic make-up’ and any influences of an imbalance in one’s natural state of being (Prakriti). Therefore, she explains, “When choosing products for skin types, it is important to remember that every individual is unique in their Dosha combination, which then is also affected by the environment and seasonal changes.” Outlined below, these can be differentiated as follows:

Vata Dosha (Ether= space, Air= movement) –  In general findings, these individuals have a dry skin type and are often pale and cool to the touch, especially on their hands and feet. They tend to have thin skin, which is fine and porous and may have dry, rough or flaky patches. They are also climate sensitive, where in dry conditions their sensitivity would be heightened. When choosing oils for body  massage, sesame seed is recommended to counteract the drying and cooling properties of the elements comprising this Dosha. Essential oils that may also be used for treating this skin type include Sweet Orange or Geranium. Or warming and pleasant oils such as Cinnamon, Frankincense, Sandalwood & Basil.

Pitta Dosha (Predominantly Fire) – These individuals are mostly fair skinned, with a peachy, copper or freckled complexion. Soft, lustrous and warm, they generally they have an oily skin type and open pores. In the summer time, due to the excess in Pitta in the environment, they may develop congestion or skin pustules if there is an imbalance. This Dosha does well when treated with coconut oil, which works to cool down the heating and transforming nature of the fire element. Jasmine or Sandalwood can also be used as essential oils, as well as Rose, Vetiver, Lemongrass and Lavender.

Kapha Dosha (Water and Earth) – Admired for their “peaches and cream complexion”, these individuals often have thick, moist and pale skins. While they too are soft and cool to touch, they are not as sensitive as the other skin types and in most instances they tone and age well. Kapha Dosha may also use sesame seed oil in therapeutic application, or in some instances mustard seed is also effective depending on seasonal influences due to its spicy, heating properties. Hot and spicy Essential Oils such as Camphor, Cedar, Cinnamon, Clove, Musk, Sage, Thyme, Frankincense and Myrrh can also be blended to a Sesame Oil base.

There are also various product ranges specially designed for treating different skin types based on the principals of the Doshas. An exciting new brand, fast becoming a popular choice for therapists wishing to use natural products, is Biotique. Developed in Switzerland and imported from India, the product is organic-certified and tailor suited in accordance with each individual’s needs.

That said, it must be remembered that beauty care is more than skin deep and requires paying careful attention to one’s diet and lifestyle. In general, Ayurveda recommends a healthy, largely whole food, vegetarian diet for all types of constitutions, as well as proper exercise, sleep, hygiene practice and last but not least, meditation practice.

“What we are aiming to achieve is to radiate, from the inside out,” says Claire. Thus in order to enhance our outer beauty, introspection and knowledge must come first and foremost.

For more information on Ayurvedic treatments contact: The Skin & Body Care Professional on 082 338 8001 or email: claritystephenson@gmail.com

By Hayley Alexander

Go Commando

Forget visible panty lines and sticking out G-strings – Go Commandos is a disposable 85% cotton patch that simply sticks to your pants, so you can go without underwear yet still have the cotton comfort and protection you usually get from your panties. Fantastic for wearing inside yoga tights for that added feeling of freedom! Go Commandos cost just R55 for a pack of five. For more information visit www.gocommandos.com.

Stepping feet FIRST

Formulated with all-natural ingredients that include rice bran oil, soybean oil, white tea, lotus flower, bamboo extract, vitamin E and Manuka oil, Shobalmi Pedicure range treats and remedies common foot problems while providing a total-care regimen for the feet. The products are all antimicrobial and includes exfoliating therapies, foot soaks and masks, shoe sprays, a heal balm as well as a cuticle oil and base lacquer for toe nails so you can now be guaranteed to step forward with confidence! For more information call (011) 440 5643.

Don’t sweat it!

Did you know sweaty hands can be caused by a condition know as hyperhidrosis? While a doctor can prescribe topical as well as oral medications to stop the symptoms, products that work well to control underarm wetness are also helpful when trying to stop hands from sweating. Use a crystal salt rock or have a Botox injection – it temporarily blocks the nerves that stimulate sweating. It will not cure the problem, but it can greatly help control the embarrassing wetness.

Yoga & Meditation Balms

Working to bypass the conscious mind and soothe emotions on a deep level, Badger Mind Balms use pure essential oils to help soothe mind and spirit. Let the fragrances of Badger’s Clear Mind Balm, Cheerful Mind Balm, Headache Soother and Stress Soother help you on your way to finding inner calm and peace of mind by simply rubbing it onto your temples and feeling their calming effect – they’re super-good for the skin too! For just R100, Badger Mind Balms are available at Edgars and good health stores nationwide.

The eco-friendly alternative to tampons

Did you know that the average woman disposes of 12 – 16 000 tampons in a lifetime? Imagine then the wasteful packaging and damaging effect traditional tampons have on the environment. But there’s an alternative that’s not only safer, greener, more comfortable and more effective, it will save you literally thousands of Rands in the long term too.

The Mooncup menstrual cup, made of FDAapproved medical-grade-silicone, has been designed for your comfort and convenience. It’s soft and highly responsive to your body’s movements making it great for exercise, safe for sleep and ideal for travelling. The Mooncup is hypoallergenic and further works to prevent allergies and thrush by avoiding harmful exposure to the bleaches and fibres present in traditional tampons and pads. It collects rather than absorbs with no interference to the natural bacteria and moisture levels of your body. What’s more, the Mooncup is re-usable, lasting several years and will empower you to take control of your menstrual cycles, naturally and ethically. So order one today! For more information visit www.lunarhythm. co.za or email lunarhythm@gmail.com

Face Food

What’s unique about Skin Nutrition’s range of skin care products is that it’s made from purely nutritional extracts such as super-berries, omegas, seed oils and spinach. It’s got soluble vitamin C and high forms of amino acids and other phyto-active botanical extracts. It contains no synthetic fragrances or colours, petrochemicals or animal ingredients either. It’s literally food for your face, so why not start feeding your face correctly today! To order visit www.skinnutrition.com.

Precious stones for a precious skin

With extracts from the revitalising precious stones of blue tourmaline and amber, Dr. Hauschka’s Intensive Treatment 04 is the next generation of beauty treatments that uses natural and organic essences together with medicinal herbs and sandalwood water to help the skin retain moisture, giving it renewed vitality. Now you can prevent wrinkles, enhance skin tone and elasticity with a facial toner that’s recommended use is just four times yearly to keep you looking younger for longer. Available from Metropolitan Cosmetics and selected Woolworths’ stores nationwide. Visit www.drhauschka.co.za for more information.

Colour Your Hair – Naturally!

Why compromise style for ethical beauty practices when you can now have luscious locks without damaging the environment and look just as gorgeous as ever! Herbatint’s range of over 30 rich and natural fashion shades gives you the same colour hold as conventional permanent hair dyes but without the toxic chemicals.
Herbatint’s unique dyeing process and their quality ingredients ensures your hair is left soft and vibrantly rich in the colour you’ve always wanted. All products are recyclable, biodegradable and are not tested on animals. Available at health stores and pharmacies from R125 – R135, or order online at www.naturescolours.com.