This Month in Photo of the Day: 2011 National Geographic Photo Contest Images

The Himba women of northern Namibia perform daily rituals in which they anoint themselves with a mixture of ochre, oil, and ash to protect themselves from the harsh desert climate. They never take a shower, but rather burn aromatic herbs in a pot each morning with which they smoke themselves as if applying perfume.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2011 National Geographic Photo Contest.)

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