In a world where most people are striving for a light skin tone and turning to skin bleaching as a solution, I feel as though I need to stand up for my dark skin tone. I love my skin colour and it does so many things for me that I would not trade for anything. This week I am just going to focus on my beautiful dark skin tone and share some myths and truths that many people have about dark skin.

Sunscreen – Myth

Since it’s summer I’ll begin with one of the myths people have about dark skin tone. People tend to think that dark skinned people don’t need sunscreen, but in actual fact they do. Yes, our skin has more melanin that helps protect us from sun damage, but that is not enough as we still need Sun Protection Factor (SPF) found in sunscreen to be fully protected. So don’t be fooled and run around the beach unprotected this summer, get your sunscreen on.

Kinky hair – Myth

It’s amazing how people think that all dark skinned people have kinky hair. We all don’t have the same textured hair just because our skin colour might look similar. For example my mother’s hair is not at all kinky and she is 100% black, where as I have kinky hair which I get from my father. But still don’t let the salon hair stylist give you the same treatment just because you are dark skinned. You know your hair texture so treat it according to what works for you.

Colour blocking – Myth

Dark skinned people can rock an outfit that is colourful and actually look good in it. Yes, a dark skin toned person makes bright colours pop or appear more whereas for a light skin tone person the colours tend to blend in and not look as bright. But the key thing to remember that it is not the colour, but rather the shade of colour. So pick the one that works for your skin tone.

Black hair grows slower than others – Myth

I have heard people say that dark skinned people’s hair grows slower than other people. But actually on average every person’s hair grows at least 1/2 an inch per month, which means that everyone goes through the same hair growth cycle. Another thing is that our genetics and age, play a role in how fast our hair grows, but our skin tones do not affect that in anyway. Sure your hair can grow faster or slower depending on how you take care of it and yourself. But other than that hair doesn’t discriminate, it grows the same. A good tip to keep your hair growing well is to always remember to moisturize it and do your trims once in a while to help improve its appearance.

There are many more myths out there that can confuse you, but what I can say is to love your skin no matter the tone. Do your research so that you can give your skin the absolute best. I hope you found this blog interesting and if you have any comments and suggestions, I would love to hear it. #loveyourskin

Written by Phoebe Sibomana

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Tell us: What colour outfit complements your skin tone best?