‘Ottawa’ Turmeric Scrub: A Little YLLO Goes a Long Way
Jamil Bhuya and Jaz Fenton want to scrub the world clean of child marriages. Literally.
The Ottawa couple recently launched an all-natural, vegan face scrub called YLLO Turmeric Scrub made from the exotic yellow spice. In traditional ceremonies in Southeast Asia, turmeric scrubs are used to cleanse and soften a bride’s and groom’s faces before marriage. But sadly, Bhuya says, many of the weddings in these developing countries involve brides under 18.
“We want to help young girls who have had their lives dictated for them from birth. I have relatives who have endured the practice of child marriage and I stand strongly against it,” says the 26-year-old Ottawa native, whose family is from Bangladesh.
“It feels good that a little yellow can go a long way.”
Bhuya, who co-owns Burgers n’ Fries Forever on Bank Street, and Fenton, a product designer at Shopify, are donating 10 per cent of their sales to girlsnotbrides.org “to help end child marriage,” says Fenton, also 26.
“We want to bring light to this issue that many people may not know about.”
Dubbed “the ultimate badass for your face,” YLLO Turmeric Scrub is a mixture of organic turmeric, chickpea flour, cane sugar, sea salt, coconut oil, lemon essential oil and vitamin E. The scrub not only exfoliates the skin it helps reduce acne and scarring, even out skin tones, slows hair growth and leaves your face feeling soft and fresh. Oh, it smells great, too.
“We wanted to create something that was familiar — facial scrubs are easy to understand and use — but we wanted to expose the power of an ingredient that everyone might not be familiar with: turmeric,” says Fenton, who launched their online company in December.
The all-natural, vegan product is easy to use and doesn’t include any chemicals or preservatives, she says.
How to use:
Wash your face and remove all makeup. Mix a tablespoon of scrub with a teaspoon of water. Apply to face in a circular motion and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Despite the bright yellow colour, it won’t stain your skin. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.
Cost: $24.95 for 200 grams. If used twice a week, one pack should last two months.