African Food and Art

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Xhosa Tribe Made at Home Ingceke Sun Cream

South African Xhosa tribe traditionally make ingceke sun-cream, a mixture of water and clay to protect themselves from the sun's burning rays, and used as skin ointment to treat rashes and eczema. 

Ingceke is a traditional broad-spectrum sunscreen that provides black Africans skin protection from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Sunscreen for African skin is essential in the unrelenting South African sun. Learn the use of Ingceke sunscreen cream made from the sausage tree.

Sunscreen Wearing south African tribal woman
Ingceke is a traditional broad-spectrum sunscreen.

The special sunscreen lotion for African skin made by the South African Xhosa tribe may look like paint for a traditional dance performance, but it is simply sunscreen. The white creamy sunscreen lotion for black South African skin is called ingceke. It is used as a sunscreen and skin ointment for protection and healing against the harsh South African sun and wind.

In the Eastern Cape Province, conditions inland are usually drier and hotter, with a lower rainfall than at the coast. The South African region has Subtropical weather; during the summer months, temperatures range from 74℉ - 92℉ or 23℃ - 33℃ between September and April. January is usually the hottest month, with hot and humid days, so sunscreen becomes essential.   

The Xhosa traditionally make ingceke sun-cream, a mixture of water and clay, to protect themselves from the sun's burning rays. It is used as skin ointment to treat rashes and eczema.

Fair-skinned people are likely to absorb more solar energy than dark-skinned people under the same conditions. Given the recognized public health benefits of sunscreen use, Africans use sunscreen with other sun protective measures to make a difference in how well they can protect themselves from sunburn, skin cancer, early skin aging, and other risks of overexposure to the sun.

Sunscreen comes in many forms, such as:
Lotions
Creams
Gels
Oils
Kinds of butter
Pastes
Sprays

The famous ingceke cream is made from the fruit of the exotic sausage tree. The fruits are ground to a pulp, burnt to ash, and pounded with water to make a white paste to apply to the face and body.

Xhosa ingceke cream is not paint but the ash of the fruit of the sausage tree. Sunscreen for dark skin is essential in the unrelenting South African sun. The Xhosa people of southeastern South Africa are the second largest cultural group in South Africa. South African Xhosa tribe traditionally make ingceke sun-cream at home. Ingceke sunscreen cream is made from the sausage tree Kigelia africana.

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