My Very Long Ghanaian Beauty Routine (aka How Casey Gets Mortar Out of Her Hair)

By Casey

In the mornings here, I wake up 15 minutes before breakfast, choose the least dirty pair of work pants, grab a shirt drying in the bathroom, slather myself in first sunscreen, then DEET, lace up boots, grab bandana, and head out the door. Super fast.

In the afternoons after build days, however, the prep time is quadruple. Here is what happens:

Come in the door, go straight to the balcony to leave dirt-caked boots and socks. Back in, slide off pants which often stand up in the corner of the room by themselves (I mortar them pretty liberally). Into the bathroom, take face wipe and try to rediscover skin underneath dirt/sunscreen/sweat mix that has its own mortar-like quality. Shuck off shirt, bandana into the sink for handwashing.

Wash arms as best as possible in the small sink (it has slightly better water pressure than the shower), brush out chunks of mortar and knots from hair, then proceed into bath to do round 1 of dirt removal. After that, assess any critical injuries - today's count was big
bruise on knee, cut on calf, and concrete brushburns on both forearms-
I thought I had acquired one really strange bruise in the crook of my
arm but it turns out that I just didn't soap it enough... It was concrete dust just ground really far into my skin. Because the shower head has the water pressure just over a trickle, it takes about 20 minutes to get all my hair wet and shampooed. I gave up with rinsing out conditioner, I figure it's probably better anyway! After round
two of soap and a finak check for remaining mortar and dust, I am finally looking Irish again.

Wash out and hang dirty shirt and bandana, one more face wash at the
sink, and I am ready to roll. You know, one hour later.

I'll tell you, it's not easy being clean!