SUBSCRIBE
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Health For Mzansi
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
No Result
View All Result
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
No Result
View All Result
Health For Mzansi

Eczema battle inspires new skin and hair brand

by Sidima Mfeku
28th December 2021
in Conversations
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Gugulethu Ntombela created Ngwedi Beauty to deal with her own struggles of dry skin and eczema. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Gugulethu Ntombela created Ngwedi Beauty to deal with her own struggles of dry skin and eczema. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Instead of bowing down to outdated standards of perfect skin and hair a Cape Town entrepreneur, Gugulethu Ntombela, created her own vegan beauty range inspired by nature.

Gugulethu Ntombela is the founder of Ngwedi Beauty. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Ntombela says she created Ngwedi Beauty because she felt excluded and unseen on beauty shelves in leading supermarkets. Being diagnosed with eczema in 2017 was the final push she needed to create her range of handmade skin and hair products.

“The emotion that inspired me to make my own skincare products was frustration. I was not finding the right products for my chronically dry skin in the shops,” Ntombela tells Health For Mzansi.

“At the time, I thought I had an allergic reaction but then the doctor informed me otherwise. I thought the only way out was through medical creams that contained cortisone. I used them for a few months, but they did not work for me, and I didn’t have medical aid at the time to get more [of the prescribed products].”

So, her true healing came from nature. Nature is beautiful and we come from it, she says. And it only made sense to turn to Mother Nature for the tools to heal her skin and embrace her natural beauty.

‘My skin, my armour’

Skin conditions like eczema and acne are some of the most common conditions that exacerbate skin and beauty insecurities. The 25-year-old Ntombela was no different.  

“I didn’t have much self-confidence when the breakouts got bad,”she says.

“I just wanted the eczema gone so I could feel comfortable in my own skin. I reached a point where I had to make my own skin products because I didn’t have a choice and my saving grace was my body butter.”

She adds, “After the first time I used whipped shea butter. That became the standard way I used shea butter on my skin. My friends and family started to notice the health and glow in my skin and would ask what I was using.”

While others may find it challenging to experiment with their skin and hair, her journey has been one of self-discovery.

“It was all a great and fun experiment, I tested my products on my own skin and that of my loved ones,” she says.

‘I knew I was onto something’

Gugulethu Ntombela used natural products to create her vegan beauty brand, Ngwedi Beauty. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Shea butter is fat that’s extracted from the nuts of the shea tree.

It’s solid at warm temperatures and has an off-white or ivory colour. Shea trees are native to West Africa, and most shea butter still comes from that region.

“After realising that the base ingredient, shea butter, worked for my skin I tried numerous other oils on my skin and stuck to the best ones. And ever since I used shea butter, I never looked back. It healed my skin and moisturised it well.”

The magic to healthy skin does not always lie in the shea butter though. Ntombela also follows a healthy diet to maintain healthy skin and hair.

“My skin’s health is great, and I also apply my body butter on a daily basis, and it has kept the eczema away. Ever since I switched to whipped shea butter, I have had no issues. I don’t currently use prescribed creams,” she says.

“People might not be aware that their skin is absorbent and will take in anything put on it, including cancer-causing ingredients. I decided to step up, overcome my insecurities and bring some magic into peoples’ skincare and haircare routines.”

She further urges South Africans to reject the notion that light skin is better and brighter. “Young women to embrace their skin,” she says. “Use natural products that will enhance their natural beauty rather than hide it,” she emphasises.

Also read: Get good skin this summer

Tags: Food medicineHealthHealthy lifestyleWellness
Sidima Mfeku

Sidima Mfeku

Related Articles

Conversations

Pill by pill: How addiction nearly destroyed a mother’s life

by Noluthando Ngcakani
7th July 2025
Healer’s heart: Dr Gina is changing lives, one child at a time
Health Heroes

Healer’s heart: Dr Gina is changing lives, one child at a time

by Vateka Halile
30th June 2025

Stories

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites
Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics
Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy
Canola oil: A heart-healthy choice for your kitchen
No more pain! Tackle the torment of toothaches
How smoking causes harmful bacteria in your mouth
Discover delicious, healthy dishes that will make your heart sing
Rediscover the joy of creamy pap with chicken livers
No Result
View All Result

Latest

Carnivore diet: Experts warn against meat-only madness
Nutrition

Carnivore diet: Experts warn against meat-only madness

by Vateka Halile
8th July 2025

Think you can thrive on meat alone? Think again! While some praise the carnivore diet for curbing cravings, experts warn...

Read moreDetails

Pill by pill: How addiction nearly destroyed a mother’s life

7th July 2025

Student hunger crisis spurs vital UCT intervention

4th July 2025
Enjoying the sun

Catch the morning sun for better health in winter

3rd July 2025
Achooooo! Tame winter allergies and take back control

Act fast with allergies: Anaphylaxis can be deadly

2nd July 2025
Health For Mzansi

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824

News: hello@healthformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

Awards & Impact
Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy
Copyright

Somagwaza

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites

cropped-scott-webb-yekGLpc3vro-unsplash.jpeg

Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics

Dr Sinethemba Makanya

Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy

Carnivore diet: Experts warn against meat-only madness

Pill by pill: How addiction nearly destroyed a mother’s life

Student hunger crisis spurs vital UCT intervention

Catch the morning sun for better health in winter

Act fast with allergies: Anaphylaxis can be deadly

Tradition meets taste: Goat meat gets a modern twist

error: Content is protected !!
No Result
View All Result
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes

© 2021 Health For Mzansi | Farmers For Change Pty (Ltd)

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy Canola oil: A heart-healthy choice for your kitchen No more pain! Tackle the torment of toothaches How smoking causes harmful bacteria in your mouth Discover delicious, healthy dishes that will make your heart sing Rediscover the joy of creamy pap with chicken livers