You've probably spent full years of your life searching for the perfect combination of skin products, from moisturizer, to foundation and sunscreen. But in Burma, there's an ancient skincare practice that's just a one-step application, and it's a paste made from trees called thanakha.
According to many Burmese, the yellowish paste made from ground thanakha tree bark is used to cool the skin, prevent sun damage, clear acne, and even reduce fevers and headaches when eaten. This tradition is especially interesting to me as someone with very fragile skin/hair/earthly existence. I'm one of those freaks who only uses henna on my hair, edible creams on my skin, and I'll be damned if I'm not about to walk around with yellow trees on my cheeks. Plus look at all of the fun ways to wear it!
But it seems like I'm more excited about thanakha than young women in Burma, who more and more are being exposed to the advertising power of western cosmetics. According to Than Than Aye, a cosmetic street vendor, "Young women now wear makeup when they go out. All these cosmetic brands have changed their way of thinking." Since 2010, the once isolated nation has undergone democratic reform, resulting in a flood of our wonderful western consumerism. Young girls are influenced by shiny billboard models, as cosmetic department store worker Sandi Oo states, "A lot of girls think wearing thanakha makes you look like a villager."
Despite the competition from modern cosmetics, the tradition doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and women sometimes mix it with western styles, as travel agent Khin Mi Mi Kyaw prefers wearing a dusting of thanakha on her cheeks and forehead. Of course, the opening up of Burma to the rest of the world is inherently positive, but it would be sad to see an ancient practice die out at the hands of modern marketing campaigns. But I guess at the end of the day, people should wear what makes them feel their best, whether it's thanakha or MAC makeup.
(Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/does-the-secret-to-perfect-skin-live-inside-burmese-trees/
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