In this post I will explore the popular Hair and Make-Up trends in South Africa, and create an overview of my findings.
As mentioned in some of my previous posts, natural beauty is widely embraced within African culture, meaning a less is more approach to makeup is extremely popular. However, although women commonly create a more natural base, a bright lip or eye liner is fairly common too. Matte base products also seem to be a favorite in South Africa’s beauty market.
Due to South Africa’s warm climate, and its vast variety of ethnic groups, there are many kinds of hairstyles seen worn, However, braids are among the most popular. All different kinds of braids and twists are worn by different women, including; dutch braids, cornrows, and micro braids. Due to the heat, short hair is also fairly common, and natural hair is widely embraced.
It goes without saying that Tribal make-up is a popular choice for people within the tribal groups of South Africa. Tribal makeup holds extreme cultural and spiritual significance, and the kind of markings a person wears often refers to their social standing and authority.
Tribal markings can be used to represent a variety of different aspects of life, including; hunting, religious representation, tradition, military purpose, to scare an enemy, social marking, distinguishing boy from man, representing marital status, and symbolizing different tribes – allowing people to tell the difference.
Furthermore, a person will usually start with few and simplistic markings and symbolism’s – weather that be with makeup or a permanent tattoo – then, they will add more throughout their life to represent certain achievements and stages of life. Therefore, usually the more complex markings represent a person of much higher rank.
Tribal makeup is usually created using either paints or clay’s that are mixed into different hues using dried flowers and plants. The color of each tribal marking also holds significance. Below I have created a list of the main colors incorporated within tribal markings, and their individual significance.
Red – Danger, Daring, Urgency, Energy.
Blue – Peace, Calm, Trust, Affection.
Grey – Security, Authority, Maturity, Stability.
Black – Power, Evil, Death, Mystery.
White – Hope, Purity, Light.
Green – Life, Growth, Freshness, Healing.
Purple – Royalty, Luxury, Wisdom, Passion.
Yellow – Joy, Warmth, Energy.
After completing this research I know I definitely want to incorporate both the popular natural, no-make-up make-up, and the tribal marking makeup into my design. I will use this color guide to help me represent different elements of the culture.
Megan Hoff 