Jamaican Beauty Secrets I Learned From My Grandma

The island of Jamaica is known for its beauty: tropical beaches, gorgeous people, and its lush, relaxing resorts. But, did you know it’s home to some of the best kept, natural beauty secrets?

Born in the USA myself, I learned second-hand from my Jamaican-born grandmother — Nana, as we call her — all of her suggested beauty regimens throughout the years. They were regimens passed on from my great-grandmother, a woman who learned to make do with what little she had early in life because of the country’s political turmoil and economics.

“In Jamaica, we used what we had, what was around us,” Nana says about the tips she’s amassed over the years.

At one time, though, I had chalked up the pointers she’s passed down as simply advice from an older woman not willing to let go of her culture. But, seeing as she was a woman with long, silky hair and seemingly ageless skin and had a tip for every beauty occasion, I was eventually eager to learn her “magical ways.”

The following bits of wisdom are my Nana’s, and I have come to find that they’ve kept my own hair and skin healthy over the years. Click through to find out what my Nana suggests for facials, hair treatments, and more. Does Grandma know best? She does for me.