The Perfumers Of Eastleigh

“Uunsi and khatharen are scents of seduction. Our traditional dress, the diraa, achieves this too; the more transparent it is, the sexier it is for our men.”

Fatuo Hassan is a professional cosmetologist. Her raspberry red coloured hair makes her easy to spot in our rendezvous point at an aromatic coffee shop where we met for a rundown on what beauty means to Somali women. As anyone of Somali origin knows, beauty is a concept to which perfume is central, thus the coffee shop with its delicious scents seems an almost perfect choice of location.

Fatuo relishes describing her recently found hobby, the art of mixing perfume oils. With a background appreciative of perfume and a nose that knows its scents, Fatuo resolved to start mixing her own perfume. Using perfume oils bought from Eastleigh for about Kshs 300 per 5ml bottle, Fatuo mixes scents with cosmetic products such as hand and body lotions.

On selecting the right oils she says, “I usually go to Eastleigh on a day when I can spare the time since I need to sit down and go through many bottles of scent to identify the ones I fancy.”

She hands us a tin of lotion to which she has already added some drops of perfume oil; the scent still lingers hours after the interview.

The Somali community regards efforts at beautification highly and it is a concept that is instilled early in life. It is no wonder then that both Fatuo’s career and hobby are along this line. She explains that Somali girls, from the age of 13, are taught grooming rituals. “I remember every Saturday my grandmother would have us treat our hair with sesame oil and egg yolk and apply sandalwood oil and rose water on our bodies” she reminisces.

Aromatherapy teaches that there is a correlation between fragrances and sex; perhaps a fact the Somalis discovered ages ago. We are enchanted as Fatuo narrates a key traditional ritual that accompanies Somali weddings.

“The bride’s mother with help from her friends prepares uunsi just before the wedding day. The uunsi is then burnt in the matrimonial home before both bride and groom take occupation.”

Uunsi is a fragrant traditional incense made from resin, sugar and fragrant oils hot-mixed together. Uunsi is used by married women for deodorising. The block of perfumed resin is placed on a burning traditional charcoal incense stove. The incense burner is then laid between a woman’s legs, under the diraa, a traditional Somali dress, to cleanse the genital area and armpits and remove unwanted body odour.

On the question as to whether Somali women with their conservative customary long and covering dresses, are conservative as well in matters beauty, Fatuo replies in the negative.

“I have seen Somali women in their homes, within the comfort of their walls and they are the most beautiful women. They have been brought up trained on how to look beautiful and they do make an effort at looking and smelling sexy for their husbands. In the house a woman would ideally wear a diraa, this is undoubtedly a long dress but a sheer fabric is chosen for that seductive quality.”

Fatuo explains that there is hardly any need for a Somali woman to frequent beauty salons. There are home recipes even for facials.

“Most Somali women have a traditional facial mask recipe which would involve anything from an egg white mixed with avocado. Turmeric is also used a lot for clearing spots on the skin.”

Fatuo’s passion holds the promise of a beauty that every woman can aspire to. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder but it wouldn’t hurt the behest to help things along. Perhaps this is another secret gleaned by the Somali ages ago, Fatuo certainly thinks so.

Read more of the Juakwality Issue here