Ananda Mahony
NaomiEthno Botanicals from Africa Part 3
January 25th 2008 00:29
Link: www.vitalenatural.com.au
Something went askew in my brain over the last week. What was meant to be a 2 part blog actually has 3 parts and there are heaps of spelling mistakes. Excuse the format because the content is fascinating! So Part 3 of Ethno Botanicals from Africa:
Now for something different. A compound for cleansing that is so unique, so pure and so good for your skin. Well it’s called a soap, but not actually a soap at all…
African Black Soap (Anago)
This is an organic and pure compound of oils, butters and plants used to wash even the most sensitive and fragile skins. This amazing cleansing compound can even remove make up, sooth and care for damaged skin even up to the most sever or chronic pathologies such as acne, eczema and burns.
The generic formula consists of organic shea butter, virgin palm kernel, virgin coconut, cocoa butter, cocoa pods and agow and plantain skins and bark. The wondrous compound is free of animal fats and of course totally free of any synthetic additives or fragrance. Each village will have a slightly different recipe and some with more shea butter, some with more or less virgin palm kernel, but basically the exact recipe and process is kept a secret by the women of each village.
The real thing is extremely difficult to source and is done so via Fair Trade organizations exclusively. Therefore there are many, many imitations on the market globally.
In its raw, unprocessed form it is a chocolate coloured, dense fudge like consistency with clear pockets of different plant matter and butters compressed to form a solid compound. The real black soap is neither hard enough to be a hand held bar nor soft enough to dispense through a pump or plastic tube.
In skin feel, lather and pH effect, Anago (often called Alata or Ose Dudu in different regions) is very different from soap as we know it. Kinder, more emollient but non-comedogenic as a cleanser for people that want the purest of products possible.
Finally one of my all time favourite Vegetals that is indigenous to African and Asian soils…
Black Seed Sesame (inci: Sesamum indicum)
This particular sesame has traditionally been used not only in African village culture, but is part of Indian ayurvedic practice. It is a rich emollient very high in EFAs and significant in minerals such as zinc, phosphorus and magnesium as well as vitamin E. This oil really does a good job of helping to maintain integrity of skin tissue with restructuring and moisturising properties. Sesame also has been found to have slight natural sun protective qualities, though not as high as that provided by the natural cinnamate of shea butter.
The one word of caution with this oil; it is quite heavy and significantly dense molecularly thus suggesting that it should not be applied to facial skin on it’s own, but would be much more effective as a facial nutritive oil if blended with much lighter vegetals and essential oils.
Black Seed Sesame is also known as gingili oil and from the earliest antiquity of Ancient Egypt to the Indian continent has been revered as a valuable nutrient and soothing skin elixir.
So, from the rich African soil we have the opportunity to experience some of the greatest natural aromatic plants, emollient oils and extracts for the benefit of skin and hair on the market today. Some are already in common use or already making their way into products within the UK/EU market. However, some such as marula and baobab, have yet to really take their rightful place as value options for formulators and customers here in Australia.
Author: Lisa Phipps, creator of Remedica Australia. Remedica products can be found at Vitale Natural Skin Care - www.vitalenatural.com.au
Now for something different. A compound for cleansing that is so unique, so pure and so good for your skin. Well it’s called a soap, but not actually a soap at all…
African Black Soap (Anago)
This is an organic and pure compound of oils, butters and plants used to wash even the most sensitive and fragile skins. This amazing cleansing compound can even remove make up, sooth and care for damaged skin even up to the most sever or chronic pathologies such as acne, eczema and burns.
The generic formula consists of organic shea butter, virgin palm kernel, virgin coconut, cocoa butter, cocoa pods and agow and plantain skins and bark. The wondrous compound is free of animal fats and of course totally free of any synthetic additives or fragrance. Each village will have a slightly different recipe and some with more shea butter, some with more or less virgin palm kernel, but basically the exact recipe and process is kept a secret by the women of each village.
The real thing is extremely difficult to source and is done so via Fair Trade organizations exclusively. Therefore there are many, many imitations on the market globally.
In its raw, unprocessed form it is a chocolate coloured, dense fudge like consistency with clear pockets of different plant matter and butters compressed to form a solid compound. The real black soap is neither hard enough to be a hand held bar nor soft enough to dispense through a pump or plastic tube.
In skin feel, lather and pH effect, Anago (often called Alata or Ose Dudu in different regions) is very different from soap as we know it. Kinder, more emollient but non-comedogenic as a cleanser for people that want the purest of products possible.
Finally one of my all time favourite Vegetals that is indigenous to African and Asian soils…
Black Seed Sesame (inci: Sesamum indicum)
This particular sesame has traditionally been used not only in African village culture, but is part of Indian ayurvedic practice. It is a rich emollient very high in EFAs and significant in minerals such as zinc, phosphorus and magnesium as well as vitamin E. This oil really does a good job of helping to maintain integrity of skin tissue with restructuring and moisturising properties. Sesame also has been found to have slight natural sun protective qualities, though not as high as that provided by the natural cinnamate of shea butter.
The one word of caution with this oil; it is quite heavy and significantly dense molecularly thus suggesting that it should not be applied to facial skin on it’s own, but would be much more effective as a facial nutritive oil if blended with much lighter vegetals and essential oils.
Black Seed Sesame is also known as gingili oil and from the earliest antiquity of Ancient Egypt to the Indian continent has been revered as a valuable nutrient and soothing skin elixir.
So, from the rich African soil we have the opportunity to experience some of the greatest natural aromatic plants, emollient oils and extracts for the benefit of skin and hair on the market today. Some are already in common use or already making their way into products within the UK/EU market. However, some such as marula and baobab, have yet to really take their rightful place as value options for formulators and customers here in Australia.
Author: Lisa Phipps, creator of Remedica Australia. Remedica products can be found at Vitale Natural Skin Care - www.vitalenatural.com.au
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