Mango Butter: Your Skin is HUNGRY for it!

Mangifera indica

Native to South and Southeast Asia, the mango tree and it's delectable fruit has come to be cultivated almost world wide in frost free zones and known far beyond those reaches as an exotic and nutrient rich food. This long living tree has been known to reach ages of 300+ years and produce thousands of individual fruits each year of it's life!

Though the fruit is well know and well loved, the semi solid oil or "butter" cultivated from the mango seed is much less well known.   For hundreds if not thousands of years this butter has been used by the native people of the tropics.  It is prized for it's skin softening and soothing properties, the ability to rejuvenate sun and weather damaged skin as well as tackle skin issues such as rashes, eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis.  Yet this butter is so gentle in nature that it is also the perfect solution for babies skin. It remains semi- solid until about 95 degrees Fahrenheit, then becomes a liquid.

Unadulterated Mango Butter

What is it you ask, that makes this butter such a prize among plant based oils and butters?
It contains stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids (unsaturated omega 6 fatty acid), each of these acids are hungrily eaten up by our skin. And also contains vitamin A, copious amounts of vitamin E, C and D, multiple B vitamins, folic acid, calcium, iron and magnesium! It helps the dermal layers maintain hydration and reduces the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles while helping to restore elasticity and tensile strength of skin.

Science has shown us that vitamins A and C have a direct influence on the growth, strength, and structure of our hair.  As well as combating and reducing free radical effects and other daily toxins that come into contact with our skin.

Mango butter also is touted to have a natural SPF of about 4-6. Though not advised here to use as a replacement for sun screen it does have the ability to protect skin and hair from damaging UV rays and in the aftermath of sun burn soothes and nourishes the sensitive skin.

Traditional Extraction of Oil

Traditional harvesting begins with the collecting of the mango's in their peak of ripeness. Once collected the fruit is pealed away leaving only the "stone" or seed of the mango. These are washed with water and the seeds are left out to sun dry, reducing the moisture content to 12-15%. The dried seed stone is then roasted in a drum roaster and the hull is removed manually by beating with wooden clubs. The separated kernels are crushed into small pieces and placed in hot water so the fat's float to the top where they are scraped off and collected as "butter".  There are more modern practices also used today involving hexane and solvent extraction and mechanical instead of hand powered processes. 

 *It is always advised to know where your product comes from and decide for your self if solvent extraction oils are something that you want to use for your skin. 

DIY Hair Tonic: 

Take mango butter 1 time per month using a liberal amount coat your hair from scalp to the end of each strand. 

Brush through alleviating all the tangles and wrap in a warm moist towel for 20 minutes prior to showering

Rinse out and shampoo and condition as normal. 

Let us know HOW this works for you! Do you notice a difference? 

From us at Recherch'e Organics to you!

Enjoy

Crazy about Kombucha! The Beauty Behind it's External Use.

Kombucha: Fermented Tea

 Kombucha:
Many of us have become familiar with this probiotic rich drink over the last 2 decades (introduced into mainstream America in the early 1990's) but did you know that this sweet fermented tea has been around in different parts of the world for at least 2,000 years? There is record of it's uses and benefits in China (Qin Dynasty) dating back to 220 BC!  Early records indicate it's traveling to Japan and Russia early on as well and then continuing it's spread through out many cultures.

This "elixir of health" as it has been referred to world over, has a naturally effervescent (bubbly carbonation), and known for its probiotics, antioxidants, and B vitamins, and almost too many to name bacterial acids (yes this is good for you and your skin).

Kombucha Scoby

 This strange membranous thing pictured above is called a kombucha scoby.  It is a cellulose membrane that forms with all the health giving bacterias colonizing on it. This is what turns your tea from regular a sweet tea to a fermented and health giving "liquid gold".

So how can this fermented tea be of external use for our health and beauty regime?  Many people who love kombucha begin home brewing, caring for their  scoby, and making their own delicious concoctions. Sometimes by accident (or purposefully) we let a batch sit just a little too long, turning into a vinegar like drink instead.  Many people prefer the stage right before the kombucha turns to a vinegar for drinking purposes.  Here are some wonderful reasons WHY  to let a batch or two every once in a while sit a little too long...

Facial Toner:
Kombucha, just like regular vinegar, helps to balance the pH of your skin.  But unlike normal apple cider or white vinegar it also has many different acids and healthy bacteria to help fight bacterial imbalances that come with conditions such as acne.  Kombucha also gently tightens, firms, and tones the skin that it is applied to.  It has been seen to over time reduce dark spots and color imbalances fro the face and neck as well.  Application with a cotton pad followed by a cool water rinse, or kombucha added to a small amount of other facial ingredients (aloe water, hydrofoils, etc.) and spray misted on to the skin are both great ways to incorporate this into your daily (weekly) routine.

Hair Rinse: 
Another application that can be substituted for regular apple cider or white vinegar; the hair rise!
The longer you have allowed your kombucha to ferment the better.  This rinse will strip your hair of all of the build up from daily usage of hair sprays and gels, shampoos and conditioners, as well as the build up that happens from toxins in our environments.  It gently takes off residue and helps begin the repair process of damaged, dry, and over treated hair strands.  Not only does it work with each strand of hair, it gently removes the built up oils from the scalp, helps balance pH, and is great for reducing and eventually eliminating unwanted itchy scalp and dandruff.

Note Worthy Neem Oil

Azadirachta indica: Neem Tree

 Neem has been called The "tree of promise", this is an Indian Lilac,  a large standing tree of the mahogany family.  The Neem tree, Azadirachta indica, is native to the Indian subcontinent and has it's roots deep in historical uses of this culture.  Used both internally and externally, this tree has been used as a "cure all" in many tropical cultures throughout the world.

Immature Neem Seeds

 Every part of the Neem tree has medicinal and botanical uses; the branches, leaves, bark, fruits, flower and roots are all extreemly beneficial as they contain a compound called azadirachtin which gives this plant it's anti-septic, anti-viral,  anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic qualities.

Fresh Harvested Neem Fruit

Neem Oil is procured from the fruit of the Neem Tree. Often hand harvested, this oil has become a cash crop of the the tropics.  Since being "discoverd" by the Western culture, demand for this precious oil has sky rocked.  The oil it's self comes in an array of different colors, depending on methods of extraction and quality of how the Neem fruit has been handled.


 


Often times, the oils is obtained by crushing the interior kernal and extracting the oil it's self by methods of cold process or temperature controlled heating.  In India, neem oil extractors, "Teli" or oil men, were considered as a specialized profession.

 Recentally, hexane extraction has become a cheap and quick method in comparison of more traditional methods of oil extraction. It is important to note that this chemical extraction  is always an inferior oil end product.

Lets begin to talk about the oil it's self.  This oil is rich in Omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids.  It also contains Palmitic acid and palmitoleic acid, the rarely known omega 7.  These acids provide building blocks for hair, skin and nails, help combat wrinkles, increase elastin in skin, help maintain hydration and helps repair sun and oxidative damage to skin cells. It is widely considered for it's anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal properties.

Benificial Uses of Neem for Beauty

Hair: Neem is a natural cure for dandruff and dry scalp.  Weekly applications of this oil have shown to reduce dandruff, cleanse hair folicals, strengthen individual hair strands, and promote growth.  It can also be used to condition rough or frizzy hair as well as countering the effects of thinning hair due to stress, medication, pollution and more.

Skin: Neem has proven its effectiveness with eczema, psoriasis, and acne prone skin.  Due to it's astringent properties, it helps with wound healing and skin dammage caused by the above said skin conditions. Neem helps fight acne by distroying the bacteria that causes break outs. Neem oil contains an asprin like compound that helps with on site pain relief while it's anti-inflammatory agents (nimbidin and nimbin compunds) help reduce redness and further inflammation.  The high fatty acid content in this oil helps prevent scar tissue from forming and the oil it's self is non-comedogenic (or non pour clogging).

Neem naturally has a high level of anti oxidants which protect the skin from environmental dammage.  It also contains carotenoids, an anti-oxidant, that helps defend the skin from free-radicals.  All of the vitamin and esssential fatty acid content is readily absorbed into the skin, improving elastin, and smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles. 

Neem can also be used to fight fungal infections of the skin, such as athletes foot, ring worm, nail fungus.  Tests have proven that 2 compounds found in the leaves of the neem tree, gedunin and nimbidol, are effective against 14 different cultures of fungi. 

DIY BEAUTY TIP:

*1 TBS: of you favorite Clay (bentonite, french green, kaolin to name a few) 

*Add 3-5 drops of neem oil 

*Add coconut oil or another liquid until the consistancy of tooth paste.  Other liquids could

        include: water, aloe vera water, hydrosol, any carrier oil of choice, milk, etc...

* Put on face in nice circluar motion and allow about 7-10 minutes to dry. 

*Rinse with warm water just before clay mask gets totally dry.  This is when the most of the 

    toxins have been pulled out and nothing is yet being taken back into the pores. 

This mask is good to use on a weekly basis, much more and skin will begin to dry out.  It is natural for our skin to produce oil and constant stripping of this natural process is less beneficial for our skin.

a lil' cup of Joe

INFORMATION BROUGHT TO YOU BY: RECHERCH'E ORGANICS

A lil' Cup of Joe~

Coffea arabica: A Coffee Plantation

Coffee, "nectar of the gods", referred to by many names, consumed by millions daily, and  known planet wide for one sole purpose (ok maybe 2 purposes), to please the palate and awaken the mind. This shrub is grown in tropical regions through out the world.  With it's distinct aroma, and bitter and delightful flavor, humans have come to know this plant well. But did you ever consider it has many, many other uses than only that of the "morning eye opener" it has become best know for?

Fruit of the Coffee Shrub

Did you know that Coffee actually grows on a Shrub?  Some people picture a large stately tree that these lovely little fruits and thus coffee beans grow on, but in fact it is a small shrub with a relatively strait trunk, preferring shade but will also grow in full sun.  These shrubs live for approximately 50-70 years.  The first flowering usually occurs the 3rd year after planting, however true yields do not come on until the fifth year of growth. There are over 60 different types of coffee trees planet wide however 2 alone dominate the world trade; Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora.  Coffea arabica is responsible for approximately 75% of the coffee world wide.

Roasted Coffee Beans: Coffea arabica

"COFFEE- THE FAVORITE DRINK OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD." 

Thomas Jefferson

The process of roasting coffee beans is a complex practice.  It is the art of removing all, or nearly all of the moisture content and in it's place allowing the aromatic oils to come to the forefront.  The typical "coffee smell" is produced my the caffeol oil.  Research is showing that this aromatic oil is highly beneficial for both skin and hair applications.  The oils in dark roast coffee maintains the strongest forms of this aromatic oil.  It mildly cleanses and moisturizes the skin resulting in soft and supple skin tone.

  It is not only this oil that is found to be beneficial to skin and hair.  In fact caffeine works wonders with the outer shell of our beings.  In the way that caffeine increases circulation and awakens the "coffee consumer" in the morning (afternoon, or evening:) it also works in these ways with your dermal layers of skin. Caffeine treats redness and inflammation due to its anti inflammatory properties, it can reduce under eye circles by reducing the blood build up in the sensitive under eye skin.  This build up of fluid and blood is associated with puffiness and dark circles that adorn so many eyes.   Many companies and even individual people claim the reduction (short term at least) of the appearance of cellulite through out the body.  This is due to the fact that caffeine makes small blood vessels contract and therefore makes cellulite less visible (as I said this is a temporary solution, but a plausible one).   A research project preformed at the University of Sao Paulo Brazil, researchers found that the application of skin cream containing caffeine to cellulite riddled areas reduced the size of cellulite fat cells by 17%.  

A Little Cup of Joe

In the same way that caffeine stimulates the circulatory system, it can also be used to stimulate hair growth.  Massaging directly into the scalp, the caffeine in coffee can stimulate the hair follicles to speed up growth and tensile strength.  Research suggests that hair roots are sensitive to the male hormone testosterone.  Caffeine in coffee may work to protect the follicles from letting loose of the hair.   Coffee has also been known to enhance natural hair color for brunettes.  It can darken and add shine and dimension to the hair.

 

DIY RECIPE: 

Hair Treatment:

Use a very strongly brewed coffee as a hair soak or rinse.  Pour the coffee through the hair, and allow it to skin in (10-30 minutes).  You can cover with a shower cap for convenience.  For a thicker moisturizing experience mix coffee grounds with your favorite conditioner.  After allowing to sit 10+ minutes rinse, your hair will be left shiny with an even over all tone and color.  You will notice a brilliance and silkiness left in the hair. Doing this on a regular basis (maybe 1 time per week), you will likely notice less shedding and an increase in hair growth.