SKIN BLEACHING.......

by Rita Oziegbe

Growing up as a child, I disliked a neighbor who had a young wife. My reason was because he was a bad man to have hit his wife in the face so hard as to give her those dark patches by the side of both eyes that wouldn’t just go. I remember those patches now as an adult as I see them on other faces…don’t think I am naive as to think that they were also caused by the beatings these individuals have received. I was a child then, now I know better that those big dark patches are the effects of the constant use of bleaching creams. Sometimes I begin to wonder if aliens have not invaded our earth because we now have a lot of people with a rainbow skin:- white face with dark patches, red, yellow, green, purple, blue veins all visible on their body and especially on their faces.

Now let’s see; what is skin beaching, what are some of its effect and the contents we should look out for when we go out there to buy body creams/lotions? Skin bleaching is the practice of using chemicals substances in order to lighten skin tone or produce an even skin complexion by reducing the melanin concentration in the skin. What is melanin, you say?... Melanin is a substance in the skin that causes pigmentation. It helps in the absorption of some of the dangerous ultraviolet radiation (UV) in sunlight. It also has DNA repair enzymes that helps in reversing UV damage, therefore people who lack the genes for these enzymes suffer very high rate of skin cancer.

Many people tend to forget or may not know that the skin is the largest organ in human system and plays an important role in protecting the body against pathogens and excess loss of water. Other functions include; insulation, temperature regulation, synthesis of vitamin D, the protection of vitamin B foliate and sensation. In their desire to look like the whites who in many ways want to look like them by tanning, they damage their skin by using all sorts of chemical, some even go as far as mixing hair relaxers and hypo bleach into their body creams. Don’t scream, it’s the truth... Everyone wants to look like “oyibo” forgetting that as Africans, God in His wisdom knows what He is doing. We want to outsmart Him, but we surely will pay the price.

The effects of skin bleaching are dangerous and cannot be overlooked. For those of us who still want to look the way God made us and not like ghosts, do not buy any body cream containing hydroquinone and if you must use them, it should not be above 2%. Also look out for arbutin which is a natural source of the later, kojic acid which scientist say may have carcinogenic properties in large doses and causes allergic contact dermatitis, mercury, ellagic acid, ferulic acid, licorice extract and certain fruit extract that bleaches the skin. In a nutshell dear friends, stay NATURAL, stay BEAUTIFUL, stay HEALTHY and stay ALIVE!!!

source(Wikipedia)                                                 

YOU IGNORE, YOUR BAD....

YOU IGNORE , YOUR BAD..

It’s no news that the climate is changing. There are seasonal shifts as the dry and raining season don’t come as at when we usually expect them. When they finally do, the intensity is alarming. The sun is so hot these days that you feel its rays sting you on the skin. Even the early morning sun which doctors say is healthy, am afraid might no longer be. When it does rain, my goodness!........ everywhere becomes flooded and refuses to dry up. Findings shows that the world has warmed by 0.8 degree Celsius since pre-industrial times and recently scientists carrying out research on global warming have predicted that average global temperatures could increase between 1.4 and 5.8 degree Celsius by the year 2100. Isn’t that scary???...........

The horror is not just the harshness of the sun on our skin and subsequent damages but the fact that it would have major and unpredictable effects on the world’s water systems, there would be severe weather events and extreme weather conditions which would adversely affect farming and agriculture; a source of food supply and livelihood for more than half of the global population. I wonder how we would survive by then. To think that almost everyone in Naija has “ I beta pass my neighbor” (generator set) which produces fumes as dark as those we see in movies when the devil wants to appear and we are busy cutting down every little plant/tree all in the name of clearing and space hunting for buildings, yet we do nothing to correct the situation.

 It is not enough buying / applying all the creams with sunscreen, sun umbrella, sun canopy and what have you………..lols…….. Let’s get busy planting trees, reduce our rate of generator usage; of course that would be when the government does something about the power sector to improve the mass electrical consumption and if you can afford it, get other sources of generating electricity.

YOU NEED THESE!

by Rita Oziegbe 

A tree cannot make a forest they say because the beauty of the forest lies in the varieties of the plants and how they co-exist. In the same vein, an individual cannot make a family, an organization or a society. The ability to work together towards the achievement of a common goal as a people can never be ruled out in human existence neither can its effect be ignored in our daily lives. This could be attributed to the possession of certain skills by humans and one of such is the SOFT SKILLS. One would begin to wonder, “What are soft skills?”…….. Don’t get so curious, I’ll tell you.

Soft skills are characters, traits, and interpersonal skills that characterize a person’s relationship with others. They are the abilities to recognize and manage our own and other’s emotions. It also includes how we organize and how we approach life. Did I hear you say “What has it got to do with family, organization and the society?”…………… Of course it does have a lot to do with these units, every family unit has a common interest and goal/s and so does every organizational workplace, groups and society. Each unit is made up of more than one individual and each individual have their own emotions. The ability to manage your own emotion as a part of the unit and that of the other members will go a long way to determine the success of one’s family, the organization in which you work and the society you belong.

Now what are some of these soft skills? They include; communication skills, teamwork and collaboration, adaptability/flexibility, problem solving, critical observation, conflict resolution, dependability, personal habits, leadership traits, conscientiousness, creativity, self motivation, accepting responsibility, optimism, commitment, coaching and mentoring, sense of humour, good decision making, empathy, diplomacy and respectfulness, common sense, good manners, time management and ability to work under pressure, when to speak, listen and suggest a compromise and many more.

They are important because they are one’s unique selling point and give you a competitive edge in the workplace, in the family and perhaps in life. They are considered a complement to hard skills, which refer to a person’s occupational skills and knowledge. You can simply put, they make your hard skills glow. Although most of these skills are innate, some can be learnt and boosted over time to give you an upper hand on a job/ promotion, other areas of your life and in the society at large.