One of the first thing that the first time visitors notice sooner or later is the faces of the women of all
ages and children coating with yellowish white substance. Then they ask
the guide: What is that white stuff on their faces? What is that for? The
guide explain them proudly about the "Thanaka" which is the beauty
secret of Myanmar women. In the bedroom of a Myanmar woman on the
floor besides the dressing table there has an 8" long Thanaka wood
cutting, a flat circular surfaced whetstone or grind stone and a small water
bottle with a pore on the lid. After a bath she sits at the whetstone put
several drops of water on it and rub the Thanaka cutting on the whetstone
continuously at a circular motion with body pressure. Because of the
friction of water soaked whetstone and the Thanaka wood bark the paste
forms on the whetstone. When the enough paste of Thanaka deposited on
the whetstone, it has collected by forefinger and apply on the face and
body. It should say Thanaka is the gift of the Saint to Myanmar women.
Because Thanaka trees are very hardly thrive well on non-fertile soil of
Upper Myanmar arid region where there has a little rainfall. Thanaka trees are perennials and the age must be 35 years old to be mature enough to yield good quality cuttings.