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African Black Soap
black soap, or simply black soap (also known by various local names such as ọṣ''e dúdú'', ''sabulun salo'', and ''ncha nkota''), is a kind of soap originating in Nigeria, invented by the Yoruba people. It is made from the ash of locally harvested African plants and dried peels, which gives the soap its characteristic dark colour as well as oils derived from plant sources. Black soap has become a popular toiletry product in North America. In Nigeria, black soap is often made by women using traditional recipes and is often exported through fair trade groups. Black soap has been found to have some antimicrobial properties against skin microbiota such as ''Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli ''and'' Candida albicans.'' History The earliest origins of African black soap are traced to the Yoruba People of Nigeria. It is intertwined today with the cultural practices and natural resources of various West African ethnic groups. For instance, while some communities use shea bu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to the east. Ghana covers an area of , spanning diverse ecologies, from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests. With nearly 35 million inhabitants, Ghana is the second-most populous country in West Africa. The capital and largest city is Accra; other significant cities include Tema, Kumasi, Sunyani, Ho, Cape Coast, Techiman, Tamale, and Sekondi-Takoradi. The earliest kingdoms to emerge in Ghana were Bonoman in the south and the Kingdom of Dagbon in the north, with Bonoman existing in the area during the 11th century. The Asante Empire and other Akan kingdoms in the south emerged over the centuries. Beginning in the 15th century, the Portuguese Empire, followed by other European powers, contested the area for trading r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moroccan Black Soap
Moroccan black soap or ''beldi'' soap is a kind of soap originating in Morocco. It is a high-alkaline soap made from olive oil and macerated olives, which give it its gel-like consistency and characteristic dark greenish-black color. In the of Morocco, black soap is used for cleansing, moisturizing the skin, and exfoliating. A pinch of soap is rubbed onto wet skin. After 5–10 minutes a coarse fabric washcloth called a is used to remove dead skin. The soap is high in Vitamin E. Moroccan black soap should not be confused with African black soap from West Africa, as the ingredients and place of manufacture are quite different. See also * African black soap black soap, or simply black soap (also known by various local names such as ọṣ''e dúdú'', ''sabulun salo'', and ''ncha nkota''), is a kind of soap originating in Nigeria, invented by the Yoruba people. It is made from the ash of locally ha ... * Aleppo soap * Castile soap * Marseille soap References Soaps [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Exfoliating
In cosmetology, exfoliation is the removal of the surface skin cells and built-up dirt from the skin's surface. The term comes from the Latin word ('to strip off leaves'). This is a regular practice within the cosmetic industry, both for its outcome of promoting skin regeneration as well as providing a deep cleanse of the skin barrier. Being used in facials, this process can be achieved by mechanical or chemical means, such as microdermabrasion or chemical peels. Exfoliants are advertised as treatments that enhance beauty and promote a youthful and healthy appearance. History Exfoliation was first practiced among the ancient Egyptians. This was also used in Asia, specifically in China, during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1944). Mechanical exfoliation Mechanical exfoliation methods involve physically scrubbing the skin with an abrasive material. These types of exfoliants include microfiber cloths, adhesive exfoliation sheets, microbead facial scrubs, crêpe paper, crushed aprico ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Camwood
''Baphia nitida'', also known as camwood, barwood, and African sandalwood (although not a true sandalwood), is a shrubby, leguminous, hard-wooded tree from central west Africa. It is a small understorey, evergreen tree, often planted in villages, and known as ''osun'' in Yoruba. The wood is of a very fine colour, and is used in woodturning for making knife handles and similar articles. The tree's bark and heartwood are commonly used to make a brilliant but non-permanent red dye, which is soluble in alkali In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The a .... Pterocarpin is a pterocarpan found in ''B. nitida''. Osun (camwood) extract is also used in some soaps and skin treatments, primarily among the Yoruba people of West Africa. The extract of the Camwood can be formed into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mother Nature Network
Mother Nature Network (mnn.com) was a news and information website focused on sustainability and ranked by Alexa Internet as the most visited for-profit website in the world in its environmental category. It was labeled "the green CNN" by Time magazine, "green machine" by the Associated Press, and "best of the breed" by Fast Company. Founded in 2009 by former marketing executive Joel Babbit and Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell, it was the flagship property of Narrative Content Group, whose equity partners included CNN and Discovery Inc."MNN.com Analytics" SimilarWeb. Retrieved 2015-08-02. MNN generated revenue via exclusive content category sponsorships versus the traditional advertising model utilized by most websites. Brand partners included Walmart, Mercedes-Benz, AT&T, |
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil (or coconut fat) is an edible oil derived from the kernels, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat below around , and a clear thin liquid oil at higher temperatures. Unrefined varieties have a distinct coconut aroma. Coconut oil is used as a food oil, and in industrial applications for cosmetics and detergent production. The oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids. Due to its high levels of saturated fat, numerous health authorities recommend limiting its consumption as a food. Coconut oil is widely used for cooking and baking due to its high smoke point and distinct flavor. Manufacturing Coconut oil can be extracted through a wet or dry process. More simply (but perhaps less effectively), oil can be produced by heating the meat via boiling water, the sun or a slow fire. Wet process thumb , Traditional () extraction directly from the milk in the latik">Philippines. The process also produces ''latik'' (curds), used as a G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saponification
Saponification is a process of cleaving esters into carboxylate salts and Alcohol (chemistry), alcohols by the action of aqueous alkali. Typically aqueous sodium hydroxide solutions are used. It is an important type of alkaline hydrolysis. When the carboxylate is long chain, its salt is called a soap. The saponification of ethyl acetate gives sodium acetate and ethanol: : Saponification of fats Vegetable oils and animal fats are the traditional materials that are saponified. These greasy materials, triesters called triglycerides, are usually mixtures derived from diverse fatty acids. In the traditional saponification, the triglyceride is treated with lye, which cleaves the ester bonds, releasing fatty acid salts (soaps) and glycerol. In one simplified version, the saponification of stearin gives sodium stearate. : This process is the main industrial method for producing glycerol (). Some soap-makers leave the glycerol in the soap. Others precipitation (chemistry), precipitate t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alkali
In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The adjective alkaline, and less often, alkalescent, is commonly used in English as a synonym for basic, especially for bases soluble in water. This broad use of the term is likely to have come about because alkalis were the first bases known to obey the Arrhenius definition of a base, and they are still among the most common bases. Etymology The word ''alkali'' is derived from Arabic ''al qalīy'' (or ''alkali''), meaning (see calcination), referring to the original source of alkaline substances. A water-extract of burned plant ashes, called potash and composed mostly of potassium carbonate, was mildly basic. After heating this substance with calcium hydroxide (''slaked lime''), a far more strongly basic substance known as ''caustic potash ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shea Tree
''Vitellaria paradoxa'' (formerly ''Butyrospermum parkii''), commonly known as shea tree, shi tree (, also ), or vitellaria, is a tree of the family Sapotaceae. It is the only species in the genus ''Vitellaria'',''Vitellaria paradoxa''. AgroForestry Tree Database. World Agroforestry Centre. and is indigenous to . The shea fruit consists of a thin, tart, nutritious pulp that surrounds a relatively large, oil-rich seed from which shea butter is extracted. It is a deciduous tree usually tall, but has reached and a trunk diameter of . The shea tree is a traditional African food plan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cocoa Bean
The cocoa bean, also known as cocoa () or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted. Cacao trees are native to the Amazon rainforest. They are the basis of chocolate and Mesoamerican foods including tejate, an indigenous Mexican drink. The cacao tree was first domesticated at least 5,300 years ago by the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in South America before it was introduced in Mesoamerica. Cacao was consumed by pre-Hispanic cultures in spiritual ceremonies, and its beans were a common currency in Mesoamerica. The cacao tree grows in a limited geographical zone; today, West Africa produces nearly 81% of the world's crop. The three main varieties of cocoa plants are Forastero, Criollo, and Trinitario, with Forastero being the most widely used. In 2024, global cocoa bean production reached 5.8 million tonnes, with Ivory Coast leading a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palm Tree
The Arecaceae () is a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are colloquially called palm trees. Currently, 181 genera with around 2,600 species are known, most of which are restricted to tropical and subtropical climates. Most palms are distinguished by their large, compound, evergreen leaves, known as fronds, arranged at the top of an unbranched stem, except for the Hyphaene genus, who has branched palms. However, palms exhibit an enormous diversity in physical characteristics and inhabit nearly every type of habitat within their range, from rainforests to deserts. Palms are among the best known and most extensively cultivated plant families. They have been important to humans throughout much of history, especially in regions like the Middle East and North Africa. A wide range of common products and foods are de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
