Before skincare became shelves full of serums, toners, and complicated routines, Nigerian women were already glowing.

And somehow, their skin looked healthy, soft, rich, and radiant without a 20-step process.

Our mothers and grandmothers did not grow up obsessing over endless products. Their routines were simple, natural, and consistent. Black soap sat in bathrooms wrapped in nylons. Shea butter melted into the skin after baths. Coconut oil, camwood, and natural herbs quietly did the work modern skincare now tries to recreate.

Beauty was less complicated then.

There was less pressure to chase perfection and more focus on care. Nigerian women moisturized religiously, stayed active naturally, drank more water than they realized, and ate foods closer to the earth, vegetables, soups rich with nutrients, fresh ingredients from local markets.

And maybe that glow was not only from products.

Maybe it also came from movement. From sunlight. From community. From laughter in compounds. From sweating under the afternoon heat and still sitting outside in the evening to gist with neighbours.

Their beauty was not curated for social media.

It simply existed.

Today, skincare has evolved, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying modern beauty products. But sometimes, in the middle of all the acids, treatments, and routines, we forget that some of the best beauty practices have always been rooted in simplicity.

Because long before skincare became aesthetic, African women were already glowing naturally, quietly, and beautifully.

by jibril shifah

The Glow of Our Mothers: Before Serums and Toners

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