Sunny Side of a Coin

The Burmese women take greatly care of their beauty like the Filipino women do. But there is a big difference between these women in the two countries on how they maintain their beauty. In the Philippines, people can easily buy the international and national branded cosmetics with affordable prices such as Baby power and Maybelline products. However, the Burmese women still keep on practicing natural ways of beautifying their bodies especially their faces.

For the Burmese people especially for the women, Tha-na-hka is the most affordable and popular cosmetics. Its botanical term is Limonia Acidissma Linn, which mainly grows in tropical areas of Burma. The central part of the country is very hot which gives an amazing blessing ,Tha-na-hka out of the horrible heat.

Of course, most of the outsiders are very curious to find these Burmese women, girls and young boys with the Tha-na-hka on their faces. It seems to put yellow mud on the faces!

The Burmese people cherish the Tha-na-hka very much as it is a natural product out of the local tree and it can grow only in a certain region of Burma. A Tha-na-kha tree is used from 3 years old until 35 years old. There are two types of the Tha-na-hka plants, the male plant and the female one. The male plant is better than the female and very popular but quite expensive. Among them, the Shin-ma-dawng Tha-na-hka is the best and most popular among the Burmese.

The Tha-na-hka means a lot for every age of the Burmese people. Since they are born into the world, their mother puts the Tha-na-hka on their babies' faces as well as whole bodies. It is deeply rooted in the Burmese society. People also apply it as a medicine to cure different kinds of the skin diseases.

Normally, the Burmese people use the Tha-na-hka to protect their skin from the sun and to control coolness on their faces. They believe that it helps whitening and smoothing to their skins. The younger ladies use the Tha-na-kha not only for foundation but also for powder. They believe that its fragrance of sweet-smelling constantly arises sexual attraction to opposite sex. Generally, every woman applies it in the morning after they take a bath. It gives their satisfactory sensation and fresh perfume for the whole day.

Most of the Burmese still use the old way of applying the Tha-na-hka on their faces and bodies. They chop the Tha-na-hka as a moderate size of joss stick and put a little amount of water for grinding it with two hands on the Kyawk-pyin which is a round and smooth surface with 3 legs of flat rock। After a while They put a little water again and grind it until a certain jolly-juice paste. Then, they put it on their faces with different styles and limitation of density. Besides, its daily activity contributes physical exercises for arms as well.


The Tha-na-hka is cheap and affordable for everyone in Burma. Today, the western cosmetics are strongly influenced in the cities, but all of the Burmese women still stick on the Tha-na-hka as a source of maintaining their beauty. The most significant effect of the Tha-na-hka is that it has a certain vitamin which enables to fight against the aging for the old women and it gives youthful and smooth skins constantly.

For the Burmese, the Tha-na-hka is inseparable from their lives and daily activities. Traditionally, they heritage it from the past generations. Today it becomes a custom and norm in the Burmese society. Hopefully, the Burmese women can easily have the Tha-na-hka like the Baby power which is widely and largely used among the ordinary Filipinas.

ref// pictures are from internet sources.