9 Tribal Makeup Tutorials That Honor the Beauty of African Culture

YouTube has long been the go-to authority for beauty instruction [1], offering tutorials for everything related to hair and makeup. And rather than sticking to basic eyeliner how-tos and fun lip looks, some beauty gurus are using YouTube [2] to honor their cultural heritage. By filming instructional videos about traditional tribal makeup from different parts of Africa, these women celebrate the beauty of their backgrounds (and educate others about diverse makeup options).

Whether you want to adapt these traditional makeup methods [3] for everyday wear (like this Instagrammer [4] does so beautifully!) or simply need to perfect your face-painting skills for a celebration, let these gorgeous women teach you. And remember, it's important to respect others' backgrounds without erring on the side of cultural appropriation [5] — if your heritage is not African, it's possible to learn from and appreciate these culturally significant makeup looks without donning them yourself. So go ahead and give these tutorials a watch! You'll love these unique takes on traditional African beauty that span from West Africa to Niger.