The origins of Rooibos tea
Long, long ago, 300 years to be exact, the Khoi and San, indigenous tribes from the Cederberg region of South Africa, harvested the Rooibos plant to create herbal remedies to treat various ailments like inflammation, wounds and digestive issues. Rooibos, is an Afrikaans word directly translated as ‘red bush’. Rooibos tea is harvested from a small plant, called the Fynbos plant, also known as the Aspalathus linearis. The small shrub has needle-like leaves that only grows in Cederburg, a mountainous region of South Africa and is primarily consumed as a herbal beverage/ tea. While the Khoi and San are the first tribes to produce and consume tea from the leaves of the Rooibos plant, Carl Thunberg, a European botanist, who visited the Western Cape in 1772 was the first to report on the Rooibos plant.
Years later in 1904 a Russian immigrant, Benjamin Ginsberg, invented the rooibos tea curing (or ‘sweating’ or fermentation) process that is used today. Ginsberg used his manufacturing connections in the tea industry and began to commercially sell and market the drink as a herbal alternative to traditional tea Black tea, calling it ‘Mountain Tea’. (One thing about colonisers they will steal, but I digress).
Fast forward to the present, in addition to its smooth and sweet flavour, scientists across the world have discovered a plethora of minerals, antioxidants and nutrients that are found in Rooibos tea. As a result, the consumption and popularisation of Rooibos tea has grown exponentially. Today, Rooibos tea is one of the most sought after teas in the world, and widely used to treat various health ailments and often used as a beauty treatment.
The Benefits of Rooibos Tea in Skincare
Rooibos tea is more than just a cup of tea. Apart from its medicinal benefits Rooibos tea has a plethora of healing properties in skincare and can either be applied topically on the skin or consumed as a tea. Here’s why Rooibos tea is beneficial in skincare:
Anti-Inflammatory- Rooibos tea contains an anti-inflammatory chemical called Flavonoids. Flavonoids aid in calming sensitive or inflamed skin and improves ailments like eczema, rosacea and acne.
Rich in Antioxidants- Rooibos tea is rich in antioxidants like Aspalathin, Polyphenol and Quercetin. These antioxidants fight against the free radicals that are harmful towards the skin and result in premature ageing.
Moisturising and Hydrating-
Rooibos is naturally hydrating and prevents dryness of the skin.
Antibacterial properties-
Rooibos tea also has antibacterial properties that assist in fighting infections.
As a result of its many healing properties and popularity, the wellness and beauty industries are now actively incorporating Rooibos as an ingredient into their products. Not only is Rooibos a natural product that actually works, but it is also backed by science. Here are two black owned skincare brands that contain Rooibos as an ingredient:
Lelive
Created by South African media personality Amanda du Pont, Lelive is a South African skincare brand that uses nature and science to alleviate all skincare issues. “lelive is a clean, conscious, and high-performance skincare brand formulated with African botanics and scientific actives to give you clear and glowing skin”.
Lelive incorporates a plethora of natural ingredients, including Rooibos into their skincare collections. Their Jelly Splash Cleanser is a non-stripping cleanser containing Rooibos and is suitable for acne-prone and oilier skin. Lelive’s Jelly Splash cleanser contains salicylic acid and lactic acid to clarify and control, rose water, hydrolysed jojoba esters and aloe for a hydrated, non-stripped feeling and niacinamide and green rooibos tea to brighten and renew.
S’ABLE LABS
S’able Labs is a melanin inclusive skincare brand. Created by Sabrina and Idris Elba, S’able Labs skincare products cater to melanin rich skin by using powerful African botanicals like Rooibos, Black Seed, Okra, Boabab and Qasil. As part of their skincare collection S’able Labs contains a Rooibos Micellar Water for sensitive skin. The micellar water clarifies, replenishes, brightens and enhances the skin’s barrier function.
As a result of the Rooibos, the micellar water also provides soothing and healing benefits to irritated skin through powerful antioxidants that inhibit hyperpigmentation for a more radiant and even skin tone.
