During the 40's and 50's women used rather awkward and unreliable methods to avoid falling pregnant and choices were limited to the insertion of vaginal jellies or the diaphragm, use of herbal douches and reliance on condoms, often termed rubbers, which were totally male controlled and compared to women, men enjoy a virtual life-time of fertility.

Then after years of extensive research, "the pill" as it became known, was launched in 1960, often labelled as "the greatest scientific invention of the 20th century". Now female hormones could be managed in a simple way by inhibiting fertility. This method had huge advantages, was easy to use and was "female controlled".

It is probably safe to say that plant derived ingredients; named botanicals were among the very first cosmetics. Natural colourants, plant juices and fragrant oils were all used in ancient times with many benefits.

Regardless of sex or social status, oils were rubbed into the skin to lessen dehydration in the hot, dry Mediterranean regions. Green make-up was created from malachite and copper and red ochre ground together with water, used to colour the cheeks and lips, while henna was a perfect dye for finger and toenails.

Even after death, one’s looks were critical before the body was presented to the gods.

Botanicals are powerful extracts from herbs, roots, berries, flowers, nuts and seeds.

The extractions from seeds in particular are powerful as these contain the energy for new life. The fact that seeds germinate in polluted  areas, reflects their strength and absolute endurance.

Plants offer oils such as lavender, tea tree derived from the Melaleuca alternifolia bush and rosehip seed oil from seeds of a wild rose bush. Other examples include olive oil, coconut oil and many more.

Extracts from nuts produce sesame, macadamia ,marula and almond oil used extensively in the cosmetic industry.

There are many benefits to be derived from the above having anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, offering a decrease in microbial activity and allergic reactions.

With the current demand for natural products, a major concern lies in the sourcing of ingredients and that no harmful chemicals are added.

To safeguard consumers, due to an explosion of botanical ingredients now used in cosmetic items, the need arose to re-examine the industries rules for identifying these very inclusions.

In addition, finding a vast number of “green products” on our shelves, now commonplace ` these are being advertised as pure and natural. Unfortunately in many cases these claims could not be further than the truth as often handfuls of botanicals are mixed in with potentially toxic ingredients.

Did you know that MATSIMELA’s new in-room spa & amenity offering is 100% natural and of a ‘green’ base with no nasties ! Products are kind to the body and the environment !

On the 9thof August, women throughout South Africa should, regardless of their status, colour or role in society, be treated with dignity and respect.

This newsletter is in recognition of all the beautiful women across South Africa.

Today’s women are no longer the down-trodden persons of earlier times. Through emancipation, women now lead active lives in positions across the spectrum, such as politics, religion, education, the media, medicine, law and trade unions.

This too is a day of women’s solidarity with continual efforts for recognition in social and economic areas, minus discrimination.

Many ordinary women worldwide have through courage, perseverance and determination, created a better environment for others who in the past might have been marginalized.

In society, lesser known women tend to admire those great achievers who receive credits and media coverage for being in elevated positions. Yet many have dormant capabilities yet to be explored & should not be overlooked.

What then may one ask are the ingredients for success?

Those who have arrived at this point all agree that without being deeply passionate one will not be motivated to go beyond a certain point. Having confidence and faith in oneself is the key to moving forward and to not be nervous of taking risks, or to have unrealistic expectations that every “to do list” will be tackled successfully.

Despite heavy schedules, all agree that one must have time for one’s spouse and children and to always acknowledge the input from staff and others who offer support.

In these fast moving times a housewife is often looked down upon and yet she has a fulltime job with no salary, pay rise or annual leave, this being the only job in the world that does not allow for a letter of resignation !

Happily there are great treats offered to women this Woman’s Day as Matsimela has special gifts for all !

Visit one of our stores or enter online andwin a morning of absolute pampering with your bestie @ Mowana Spa in Fourways valued at over R1800 !

We are giving away11pamper mornings ! Enter now !

When the famous British explorer, Wilfred Thesiger, crossed the planets largest desert in Saudi Arabia in the 1940’s with his 2 bedouin companions, he later swore that he would never again want to see another date and yet it was this fruit that supplied the vital energy for this gruelling journey!

Even much earlier, since biblical times, dates were believed to have profound healing properties, but only now is science acknowledging what our distant ancestors were talking about.

So revered is this fruit that it is said that the Prophet Muhammad would snack on dates before fasting during the Holy month of Ramadaan.

Eating dates during this time has become a longstanding tradition among Muslims across the world.

Dates are common in the Middle East being produced in the more arid parts of the globe and can vary in taste and texture.

The fruit having glucose and fructose supplies energy, and as far as snacking goes, is much healthier than chocolate! Dates also contain 7 essential minerals and a number of vitamins and are easily digested.

Dates have many culinary uses and can be used in breads, biscuits and tarts.

Despite their sweetness, dates are famously used in savoury dishes,  together with spices and lemon. A typical meal worth mentioning is the Moroccan “Chicken Tagine” served with couscous, eliminating the blandness with the addition of chopped almonds and dates.

Dates are also an excellent addition to a cheese board as the sweetness and saltiness team up well and are a healthy addition to one’s cereal together with yogurt and other fruits.

Besides the above mentioned, a number of decadent sweetmeats can be created by stuffing dates with pistachios or preserved ginger, rolling them in coconut or ground almonds and the ultimate treat - dipping them in melted dark chocolate! Just as spices like clove, cinnamon and ginger merge wonderfully well with dates, so do many spices enhance beauty products like bath crystals, soaps and so on

Matsimela’s warm orange and ginger & vanilla sandalwood products are a feast for the senses and bring a sense of the exotic into our homes.

It is not surprising that signs of ageing such as wrinkles, discolouration and loss of elasticity, causing ‘crepey’ skin show up on the neck. The latter resulting in the rather derogatory term “turkey neck “! There is no doubt that today’s women take good care of the facial area, but are guilty of neglecting the neck and chest. It therefore makes very good sense that Dermatologists state that “the area of neglect starts at the nipples and ends at the jawline“.

One tends to be fanatical regarding the application of sun-blocker products to the face, forgetting about the importance of the neck and even the upper hands.

Another area which is lovingly cared for is the skin around the eyes, known to be the thinnest and most delicate of the body.

A brief lesson in anatomy reveals that a large sheet of muscle, called the platysma, extends from the chest wall up the neck to the lower jaw and is significant in that the skin on the neck is as fragile as that on the eyelids and should never receive vigorous massage.

A visit to a professional therapist is a great advantage so that massage at home can too be carried out correctly.

The chest is prone to much exposure to the sun and damage occurs not only due to the thinning of the skin, but to the fine capillaries, which later manifests as unsightly redness and sensitivity to heat.

Fortunately, with correct massage and the use of reputable beauty products, some damage can be reversed. As for our younger readers, it is recommended that from the age of 30 years onward the face, neck and chest be nourished to retard the ageing process.

Caring for the neck and décolletage has been stressed, but thicker, heavier creams are to be avoided as these can ultimately stretch the delicate tissues.

MATSIMELAS’s gentle ALOE VERA facial range includes a superb moisturizing cream, light on the tissues yet capable of nourishing and hydrating the neck area and their rich shea based BODY BUTTERS supply much needed nourishment to the skin of the chest and hands.

Sugar is the generic name for sweet, short chained soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in foods such as fructose, glucose and sucrose.

Simple sugars occur in some vegetables and most fruits, whereas complex ones such as lactose are found naturally in milk.

Sucrose comes from the stems of sugar cane and in the refined form is our typical table sugar.  

Research reveals that high sugar intake stimulates the brain in much the same way that drugs do, therefore sugar is addictive.

Hidden sugars lurk everywhere ` way beyond those sneaky sachets at the local coffee shop.  It is worth mentioning that honey is a favourite with millions on the planet and because it originates from bees it is concluded that it is natural and therefore healthy, but it is high in sugar and the intake should be limited.  However, dark coloured honey does provide disease fighting anti-oxidants.

It is impossible to avoid sugar altogether and in fact we need some for ready energy to fuel our muscles and to keep our brains active.

The problem arises when our bodies are overloaded with refined sugar, resulting in unhealthy metabolic processes such as hypertension and raised blood sugar and ultimate weight gain.

The W.H.O. (World Health Organization) recommends at most about 25 grams of sugar per day, which equates to about 5 teaspoons, bearing in mind that a can of cold drink will exceed that limit !If this is beginning to sound like too much mathematics for one day’s existence, perusing the labels on seemingly benign item like pasta sauce and iced tea, one might be unpleasantly surprised to see how high sugar levels are and act as a guide line for intake.

It would be sacrilege for an article like this to exclude chocolate, that delectable first bite that sparks off happy signals like fire-works in the brain !  But it is not all gloom and doom, as the experts point out that one may sneak in a block of dark chocolate now and again with its high cocoa content, preferably sugar-free.

Finally, one can now boost one’s beauty regime with chocolate flavoured cosmetic items like bath foam, body creams and lipstick, inedible of course but with all the pleasures without gaining a single gram ! Make a point of calling Life Day Spa Fourways, Design Quarter or Soulstice Silverstar and enquire on their delectable full body chocolate treatments.

Spring celebrations date back thousands of years and this is a season of renewal, rebirth and fertility. If it was good enough for the ancients, then I reckon it is good enough for us !

This season offers a time for reflection, basking in the welcome warmth of the suns returning rays and the onset of longer days.

How wonderful to put a spring in one’s step, to revitalize dormant energies and take brisk walks without the “bite” and chill of winter.
Witness the glorious blossoms making an appearance, the fragile new leaves on the trees and the earth gently stirring with new growth.
Spring offers so much pleasure to re-invent one’s cooking skills, without the heat of summer when food preparation can be rather trying.

A roasted spring chicken is most appealing with healthy greens on the side, or a chilled pea, mint and spring onion soup.
Putting some spring into one’s pasta by keeping it light with the addition of sugar snaps, fresh mint and sprouts together with a protein will be a winning dish.

Spring is the ideal time to conjure up citrus drinks including the tang of lime and to include the warmth of ginger that partners so well with the cooler salad ingredients like cucumber.

MATSIMELA offers the unique combination of ginger & Lime in products such as a light based body crème, pure Kalahari salt immersed in a light cosmetic A grade mineral oil, pure glycerine soaps, Kalahari soaks & funky fizz balls. And not forgetting Matsimela’s new in-room spa revitalize leg & foot gel for that extra get up and go, including their new 300ml upsize amenity bottles available now!

 Gauteng Spas

Kwazulu Natal Spas

Limpopo Spas

Teeth as we all know have a very specific function and in terms of good looks ` it has been said that a gleaming white smile is a great asset. But other facial features are just as important to complete the overall picture.  Yet, many of us are destroying our teeth unwittingly.

Some of these are discussed in this week’s article and can be quite an eye opener.

Frequently eating dried fruit such as mangoes, cranberries, raisins & other, which tend to be more sticky than fresh fruit, adhere to the teeth and as all fruits are acidic, this compounds the problem.

Believe it or not, some people actually chew ice cubes which can cause microscopic cracks in the enamel, further leading to more serious problems.

Wine is particularly bad for teeth, some worse than others; white wine being more acidic than the reds. The tradition of swirling wine in the mouth ensures that a greater number of one’s teeth are covered in acid. Like coffee and the tannin in tea, red wine is also a culprit as the outcome can result in stained teeth.

Some people are of the opinion that the harder the bristles of the tooth brush, the greater the cleansing process. Nothing could be further than the truth. This action tends to push the gums away from the teeth exposing the roots resulting in unpleasant sensitivity and pain.

Although fashionable with some, nothing is more disastrous than tongue and lip piercings with teeth becoming vulnerable to becoming chipped, ugly in appearance and a call for expensive dental work in future.

And as if the above are not already distressful enough, many use their teeth as tools for odd jobs such biting nails, scraping off nail enamel, pulling a cap off a bottle, ripping a price tag off an item of clothing ` all of which are traumatising to teeth and simply very bad habits !

But overall beauty can never rely on just one feature like one’s teeth. A well cared for skin is a real asset and a problematic one can be balanced regularly using Matsimela’s ALOE VERA skin care range.

MatsiMela Home Spa supplies some of the finest salons and spas across South Africa and exports to 7 countries internationally

With our dedicated agents across the country - Gauteng, Pretoria, KZN, Bloemfontein, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Cape Town, and Western Cape, you are assisted in all aspects including sales visits, training, support & promotions.

With a wide range of products available for you to use in your spa/salon you are able to perform a multitude of treatments as well as offer our extensive retail range to your clients.

Mpumalanga  Spas

Cape Town Spas

North West Spas

Pretoria Spas

Different shapes have a psychological effect on our thinking, lead us to make choices and have great power regarding the way in which we purchase products.

Colour combined with shapes adds greater impetus to the above.

Lines or curves that create shapes have meaning and are important building blocks in our visual world. For example, soft flowing lines can create a pleasurable feeling, whereas darker, heavy ones known are more dramatic.

Shapes have an endless variety of characteristics, each communicating a different message. There are basic shapes like round, oval, oblong, triangular and square. These geometric shapes have a regular pattern, easily recognizable and suggest organization and efficiency.

A circle has no beginning or end and represents the eternal whole in every culture. Wheels and balls represent movement and suggest energy and a sense of sensuality.
Squares and oblongs represent conformity and quality. In Buddhist symbolism ' a square (the earth) inside a circle (eternity) represents the association between the life and the divine.

A Triangle such as a pyramid represents purpose and dynamic action.

However, more complexity is involved when different shapes interact with one another for example a round overlapping a square or an oblong that is distorted will draw more attention to the consumer. Even soft curves and jagged lines are meaningful.

As far as manufacturers are concerned, in moving their products off the shelves they know the importance of leading the eye from one design element to another because different shapes stir the emotions unknowingly.

All of the above mentioned shapes illustrated on paper appear lifeless and boring, but are the mainstay in creating physical items. Everything that we touch has 3 dimensions and at this stage we enter the fascinating realm of consumerism.

MATSIMELA has utilized a number of shapes to enhance their packaging. For example fizz balls are round, as are the tubs of body butters. Square and oblong boxes are elegantly transparent for gifts and these visuals provide satisfaction of the superb quality within the range.