Dena Anuksa got stuck on an island in the pandemic, so she started making skin care. “All products were running out and I had to start using island things,” she laughs. A multi-talented musician and DJ, she had been offered to work in the Maldives in February 2020 and found herself unable to leave when the world went into lockdown. “If you have curly hair you know the struggle of having to carry seven products around with you at all times,” she says. 

In need of something easier and inspired by a book about Cleopatra’s beauty tricks, Anuksa created a hair, skin and nail butter. “All my products start with my own journey and what I need at the time,” she explains. “My skin was really bad and I needed to make the best possible product for myself.” From there, she embarked on a journey to make skin care with the intention to practise self-healing and heal others through preserving ancient remedies. 

Two years later, her brand, Ancient Naturals, is evolving into a collection of local Egyptian practices, from herbal healing as taught by the Bedouins in Sinai, to crochet hats and bags made in collaboration with Nubian women in Aswan.

Preserving local knowledge

Anuksa is Egyptian and was mostly raised in the UK where she has always been fascinated by the natural remedies of her ancestors. “The organic living movement that has evolved in the UK is a privilege,” she explains. In Egypt, a consciously organic lifestyle is not a priority to the majority of people as buying organic products is expensive and inaccessible. 

However, Anuksa noticed how knowledge that is sought out in the west is innate to people’s lifestyles all across Egypt. “Organic living naturally occurs here, we just need to preserve it.” Living in Dahab, a small town in Sinai, she traces sustainable ways of homebuilding, learns about natural materials, and turns her research into a growing brand that aims to be fair trade, non-toxic, and educational.

Smoking herbs as an ancient ritual 

According to Anuksa, ancient Egyptian tradition believed that the smoke of herbs was a manifestation of the spirit. As a sacred ritual, smoking ceremonies were said to carry intentions, wishes and dreams up to the sky. It was believed that smoking certain herbs connects the spirit to the plants and clears the mind, cleansing it of any toxicity. After the ritual, people would give an offering of gratitude to the earth and sky before going on with their day, feeling recharged and purified. 

“My mum started smoking tobacco in January 2021 and that’s when I got into herbal blends,” explains Anuksa. “I wanted to give her an alternative that doesn’t contain nicotine, but everything online tasted bad.” So, she created her own. Learning from Dr. Ahmed, a herbalist and healer in Sinai, Anuksa assembles herbal blends that enhance mental clarity, benefit the respiratory and nervous system, and relieve stress and anxiety. 

“Herbal blends have been around for thousands of years but because the industry is always trying to promote tobacco, they are not encouraged,” she says. “I haven’t even learned a fraction of what herbs can do yet, but once I have done a lot more studies, I would love to buy land in Sinai, grow my own herb garden, and open up a centre that teaches people about the healing powers of our land.” 

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The Nubia Collection

In a different corner of Egypt, the people of the South can also teach us valuable lessons about sustainable living. While most urban centres combat heat with air conditioning, Aswan, the birthplace of Anuksa’s grandmother, holds ancient knowledge about sustainable architecture and homebuilding techniques, as well as unique artistry and colours. 

“A lot of people from our generation are learning about their methods now, finding out about ways of living that have existed for a long time,” she says. On a trip discovering the history and heritage of her family, Anuksa fell in love with the patterns and colours of the place and connected with a group of all women crochet specialist garment makers. 

She launched The Nubia Collection, a collaboration of their craft and her colour designs for hats and bags. “It is important for me to work with local businesses and practise fair trade,” explains Anuksa. “As an entrepreneur I want to add value to my own country and provide more jobs in Egypt. I don’t haggle the price, I just agree and make sure that everyone is happy.” In return, she gets to tap into practices that are lost to those living in big cities. 

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Collecting Egypt 

Building a sustainable brand in Egypt comes with a different set of challenges than in the UK. Local knowledge is ample and many people’s lifestyles are well in tune with their environment and yet it is difficult to source natural products locally. “Especially shea butter and mango butter cost 10 times the price of what I pay in the UK,” says Anuksa, “Even though we have a huge mango industry.”