The skin is the most visible and largest organ of the body, covering about 20 square feet of the total area of a human body. It is very important as it protects us from microbes and the elements therein help regulate body temperature. The skin also permits the sensations of touch, heat, and cold.
In human beings, however, skin varies from one individual to another. That also explains why some have smooth skin while some are not so lucky. Those that are not blessed with smooth skin may have various skin disorders such as Acne, Cold sore, Blister, Hives, Actinic keratosis, Rosacea, Carbuncle, Latex allergy, Eczema, Psoriasis, Cellulitis, Measles, Basal cell carcinoma and 12 others according to Healthline.com
Joy Amadi, a resident of the Central Area in Abuja is one of those who had craved smooth skin for a long time. An ebony black beautiful woman, her confidence always sags whenever she is in the midst of her peers owing to the multitude of pimples on her face.
Pimples, also known as acne and acne vulgaris, is a long-term skin condition that occurs when dead skin cells and oil from the skin clog hair follicles. Typical features of the condition include blackheads or whiteheads, pimples, oily skin, and possible scarring. It primarily affects skin with a relatively high number of oil glands, including the face, upper part of the chest, and back. The resulting appearance can lead to anxiety, reduced self-esteem, and, in extreme cases, depression or thoughts of suicide.
She has spent a fortune on foreign medication to cleanse the pimples that before now, refused to go until she started to apply the Gimbiya Face Cleanser and the Cream. The two are products in the range of the NorthSpa Skincare. After three weeks of application, the pimples vanished, leaving her face like that of a new baby.
The same goes for Mercy Agabi, whose face, due to previous application of harsh beauty products and overexposure to the hot Abuja sun, got discoloured with patches of sunburn. Initially, her preference was for foreign products but all let her down until she got introduced to the Gimbiya Face Cleanser that has now cleared her sunburn, giving her a new look.
Joy and Mercy are not the only ones with low esteem owing to their skin types, so also are Kingsley Michael with dry and dull skin, and Amina Alhassan with discolouration and dull skin. They have for a long time been with the depression caused by their skin.
“Madam NorthSpa” an elated Joy who could not contain her excitement screamed, “I have given your contact to my friend who saw how better my face is. My face is very very clear now. Thank you, you are the best”, stated Joy who has now gotten her swagger back.
Mercy, the lady that her sunburn refused to go until the application of NorthSpa, cannot hide her feelings as she shouted, “My face is clearing o. I don’t believe this… Honestly, it is working”, said an appreciative Mercy who is a living witness and has also ordered the Sarauniya black soap to complement the one she bought earlier.
These are some of the testimonials that have set the stage for NorthSpa, launching its skincare products that are made locally to compete in the saturated market of beauty products that is dominated by foreign firms.
The Skincare range comprises the Sarauniya range, Zinariya range, Gimbiya range, the Sarki range and the Specials. In the northerners’ parlance, Sarauniya means Queen, while Zinariya is gold and Gimbiya means Princess.
In the Sarauniya range are the Sarauniya Whitening Black soap (3x), Sarauniya Whitening Cream, Sarauniya Brightening Black soap (2x), Sarauniya Brightening Cream, Sarauniya Face Cream, Sarauniya Brightening Oil.
The Zinariya range includes the Zinariya Black soap and the Zinariya Popping Oil while the Gimbiya range of skincare products are Gimbiya Face Cream, Gimbiya Face Cleanser, Gimbiya Sunblock Cream and the Gimbiya Vitamin C Serum.
Other skin disorders are classified under the Specials that comprise North-Spa (NS) Stretch Mark Cream, NS Exclusives Knuckle Oil, NS Exclusive Knuckle Cream, NS Exclusive Exfoliating Sugar Scrubs, NS Blackarm and Feet Cream, NS Underarm Lightening Cream, NS Babies Cream and the NS Knuckles Maintenance Cream. Also is the Sarki skincare range that is exclusively for men.
The skincare products range is the pilot step in the vision of Amina Hussaini-Kana, a 25-year old Mass Communication graduate of Nasarawa State University, the promoter of NorthSpa whose dream is to own a traditional Beauty Spa that uses wholly, native raw materials for her products to distinguish them in the market and make NorthSpa, the most sought after, especially by those that are tired of applying chemicals on their bodies. Other services at the NorthSpa are Body waxing, Body scrubs, Sauna bath, Body polish and pedicure, Henna design and Make-up.
The name, “NorthSpa” is coined from the origin of Amina, a northerner from Kana village in Nasarawa state who is bringing to the public glare, the richness of native ingredients that have long been ignored for the embrace of western products. The native ingredients have been in use for ages and still retain their efficacy for skin and beauty care.
Hear Amina, “NorthSpa skincare is one of the services rendered by ‘NorthSpa’ a traditional spa that uses ancient techniques such as plant-based beauty treatment, sugar wax, hammam scrubs, traditional herb massage, facial makeup, henna, and other salon and beauty products of all kinds to bring out the beauty in the body.
NorthSpa skincare focuses on traditional herbs sourced in Nigeria and other neighbouring countries like Togo and Cote D’Ivoire and the Benin Republic that are finely blended to suit clients’ skin to enhance a radiant glow.
In a way, the current inflation scare in Nigeria is beneficial may at the end of the day be beneficial to Amina and her NorthSpa as a depreciating local currency has caused a decline in the overall demand for foreign beauty and personal care since 2020. The major impact on the market was the weak economy which entered recession in 2020 as Nigeria struggled due to low demand and falling prices for its key revenue generator on international markets – crude oil.
This has shifted focus to locally made beauty products that are cheaper and mostly made, taking into consideration, Nigerian weather conditions.
NorthSpa skincare products which thus has a large space to operate, hence fit into a healthy skin care routine as it also repairs damaged skin from previous use of harmful skincare products as seen in the case of Mercy Agabi whose sunburn has now vanished.
“We do not just sell our products, we recommend to clients what to use after guidance and counselling session that helps to reveal the skin disorders and the failed attempts to correct the skin flaws,” noted Amina who stated that this is the best way to know the exact skincare products that will work for each client.
Skincare products basically seek to beautify the skin and the users in some cases need to use it for a long period to achieve the desired result. In the case of NorthSpa however, Amina agrees that the essence of the products is to fix, repair and beautify the skin using naturally sourced ingredients but the skin texture determines how long the repair takes. “I can say basically that our clients have reported visible difference upon usage between two to four weeks”.
Mercy who has now ordered for the Sarauniya black soap, after the clearance of her sunburn attested to this. “My face has cleared, Honestly the product works”.
Nigeria is in the tropic where the skin colour is usually black pigments and users had complained over the application of some products over a period of time for fear of skin damage. For this, Amina assures her clients of the tenderness of her products on all types of skin.
“My products are for all skin shades and not just for lightening, so it depends on my clients’ choice on whether they want to use products that will repair, maintain, brighten or glow their skin. Second, because we do not use chemicals, our raw materials are 100 per cent organic ingredients which cannot damage the skin. Rather, our skincare products protect the skin according to testimonies from users”.
Kingsley Micheal from Mararba district in Nasarawa state with dry and dull skin was introduced to the Sarki range of products in April. Two weeks after, he testified to the efficacy of the products and has also brought his friend to the fold of NorthSpa users.
“I am loving the Sarki soap because it is making my skin fresh and soft. This is a good job”, screamed an excited Kingsley.
Testimonies from light-skinned users have shown that the whitening set is totally safe, according to Amina who stated that recommendations to clients are based on the outcomes of the discussion sessions with them during which advice and varied options for their skin growth are given. This is to correct the widely held belief that all local beauty products bleach and endanger skins.
The beauty products market is now an all-comers affair especially with the current realities of the economy, and the poor value of the Naira, the Nigerian currency, that has forced all to embrace local products owing to the expensive nature of imported brands.
Depending on the individual’s location and the size of the venture, Amina said a prospector can start off on a budget of between N150,000 and N200,000 after about three months of tutorials.
NorthSpa skincare products’ prices which are considerate of the current economic realities range from N4,000 depending on what the users want to achieve. The good thing about Amina’s products is that users are not compelled to continue the use of the products after achieving their goals.
“It depends on the clients to want to continue with maintenance kit which is optional but once the skin repair is done, the client is good”.
For Amina Alhassan, another user of the products who live in the Utako district of Abuja, “I trust NorthSpa products, they are the only skincare products that have given me a bit of the change I want. I know with consistency I will get my desired results”.
Instagram handle @north_spaa
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