Nollywood actress Habibat Jinad has taken fans through the pain that pushed her to stop bleaching her skin, saying she now wants other people stuck in habits they no longer want to know that quitting is possible.
She shared the account on Instagram on Thursday, October 8, 2026, with photos and videos from the period she was lightening her complexion. Jinad was clear that the thread was not a plea for pity.
“The pains behind my bleaching journey. I don’t just post these things here – I’ve been through them. This is one of the reasons I decided to stop bleaching my skin. I’ve learned to embrace my natural skin, and honestly, black is beautiful,” she wrote.
She said the physical and emotional cost of the practice was part of what forced the decision. She did not name the products she used or describe medical treatment, but she framed the chapter as something she lived, not something she was inventing for engagement.
“I’m not sharing this to get attention or seek pity. I’m sharing my story because I want to inspire someone out there who has been looking for a way to stop a habit they’re no longer comfortable with. Whatever it is you feel is not good for you, you can stop. It may not be easy, but you can do it. I made up my mind to stop, and I followed that decision with my whole heart. Today, I’m grateful for the peace that came with it,” she wrote.
She closed by pointing readers back to themselves.
“If you truly want to change, make up your mind and take that first step. Almighty God will surely give you the strength to start a new life. You deserve to be at peace with yourself. You can do it. Don’t give up on yourself.”
Comments under the post split between praise and pushback. Some users thanked her for saying black skin does not need to be lightened. At least one person said they had just started bleaching and did not want advice.
Jinad has spoken about colour and bleaching before. In 2024, on Biola Bayo’s Talk To B, she said insults about her dark skin on a film set, including a comparison she attributed to Mide Martins, were what first pushed her to consider bleaching, and that the practice left her with stretch marks she had not had before.