As Nigerians, most of us are bent on thinking that some things are oyinbo culture, hence we tend not to see the benefits in those things and just go with the narrative that oyinbo people are more vulnerable than us so we do not need to do things like them, stuffs like:
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• Wearing sunscreen to prevent your skin from the sun.
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• Using anti-blue light glasses to prevent our eyes from the blue light being emitted from our screens.
• Carrying umbrella when walking in the sun.
• Eating fruits.
• Flossing and brushing twice a day and so on.
As a Nigerian that has believed all these things were vague and irrelevant I have come to accept that the above listed things and practices are in fact going to sav our lives more than it would affect us.
Let us address everything being listed here and analyse its pros and cons according to my own point of view and experience with them.
I started my skincare journey in 2023 and I was introduced to it by my friend in school, I started with the regular; face wash, serum, moisturizer. As I got into using it, I saw the need to tackle hyperpigmentation hence the need for me to use harsh chemicals that would help my hyperpigmentation but could potentially worsen my case if I went out in the sun without a sunscreen. I had no choice I had to get a sunscreen and I must say, using harsh chemicals or not sunscreen is an essential hence it is indeed beneficial to use it.
I got my anti-blue light and photochromic glasses done few months ago because I use my laptop a lot and my eyes were getting weary and painful. I got my eyes checked and I was advised to get the glasses, I would have objected to this recommendation few years ago because I would have just assumed it is a weird culture and I didn’t need it, but within the few months of its usage I have seen great improvements and its benefits. In my opinion I think it’s a necessity for everyone using their laptops a lot.
A lot of people think carrying an umbrella is an ajebo thing but contrary to what people might think dermatologists actually advice to carry an umbrella when going out during the summer or wear protective clothing covering your whole body to avoid skin cancer.
Eating fruits would never be a bad thing, we all need to stop seeing eating fruits as though it is rich people things, fruits are very beneficial to our health and will always be, eat fruits pleaseee!
Flossing sounds very foreign just as brushing twice a day sounds like a lot of work, try brushing twice for a week and see the results for yourself. It’s benefits though is greater than the few minutes it takes to actually do the acts. The act of picking your teeth with toothpicks after eating meat is flossing, simple as that.
As African, we should stop seeing certain diseases as too foreign to affect us, we should incorporate good practices in our lives so that our life expectancy can be improved.