About Usahm

Usahm is an independent online magazine devoted to the beauty traditions of the Dead Sea and the wider Middle East. We began with a simple conviction: that the jars of mud, the vials of oil, and the handfuls of salt that line modern bathroom shelves carry stories far older than any brand. Behind every mineral soak and every drop of argan or black seed oil lies a landscape, a trade route, a grandmother's recipe, and often several thousand years of practice.

What we cover

Our pages are organised around four threads. In Mineral Skincare we explore the science and lore of the minerals drawn from the Dead Sea and the region's springs, from magnesium-rich waters to bromide and potassium. Mud & Salts follows the celebrated black mud and crystalline salts from shoreline to scrub, tracing how they were harvested, traded, and used from antiquity to today. Oils gathers the histories of the region's great botanical oils, including olive, argan, sesame, apricot kernel, and black seed, each with its own geography and craft. Traditional Rituals is where we slow down: the hammam, the bridal preparations, the seasonal cleansing practices, and the quiet domestic routines passed between generations.

How we write

We are storytellers first, but we hold ourselves to accuracy. Every tradition explainer and ingredient history is researched with care, drawing on historical sources, regional scholarship, and conversations with practitioners wherever possible. When a claim about an ingredient cannot be supported, we say so plainly. When a practice belongs to a particular community, we name that community and treat its heritage with respect rather than flattening it into a generic trend.

We are not a shopping guide and we do not chase fads. You will not find hurried listicles here, nor miracle promises. What you will find are long, evocative reads about why Cleopatra's association with the Dead Sea endures, how olive oil soap came to define Nablus and Aleppo, what actually happens to skin in a salt-saturated sea, and how a hammam visit unfolds from the first wave of steam to the final glass of tea.

Who we are for

Usahm is written for readers who love natural beauty but are hungry for context: the curious bather, the ingredient obsessive, the traveller planning a first hammam, the home ritualist mixing a scrub at the kitchen sink. We publish in English, French, and Dutch, because this fascination crosses borders just as these ingredients always have.

We deliberately stay away from politics. The region we write about is complex, and we believe beauty traditions deserve a space where they can be appreciated on their own terms, with cultural curiosity and genuine respect. Our mission, in the end, is modest and sincere: to honour the hands, landscapes, and histories behind the rituals, and to help you bring a little of that depth into your own routine.