Akoma Natural Skincare

 

 

Virgin Organic Coconut oil

 Virgin Coconut oil (also known as VCO) has had a lot of hype in recent years, if you haven’t heard about it yet here is a little catch-up on the products, its uses and reasons for all the hype.

 

In last couple of years, virgin coconut oil or VCO has become very popular because it, unlike other oils, which cause saturation of cholesterol and formation of blockages in the blood vessels which are bad for us, Virgin Cococonut oil has been proven to work in the reverse way.  The benefits of virgin coconut oil are many – weight management, prevention of heart disease and strengthening of the immune system to name a few.

 

What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

This type of coconut oil is extracted from the coconut meat.  The oil is different in it’s chemical composition from the oil that is extracted from the dried coconut (which is known as copra) The main differences being that Pure Virgin Cococnut Oil is colourless, sediment free and has a natural fresh coconut scent and tastes lighter.

Methods used in the manufacture of Virgin Coconut Oil

Following methods are used to extract virgin coconut oil from fresh coconut meat:

Drying: The most commonly used method, this involves extracting the oil through a process of drying it by applying pressure to the coconut meat.  However this is less commonly used for medical purposes as the chemical composition is different compared to the virgin coconut oil derived from the cold-press or wet milling process.

 

 

Wet-Milling:  The fresh coconut meat is used to obtain the oil without drying it. Coconut milk is used at the first stage of the process – squeezing out the coconut meat and then further processing it to separate the oil from the water. There are many methods used to separate the oil from water. Our Ghanaian Virgin Coconut oil is made by a the traditional method of obtaining oil from coconut meat. The milk is extracted from coconut meat and is left for up to 4 days until it naturally separates from water and turns solid.

 

 

Cold-pressing: Cold Pressing is a preferred methods of extraction of coconut oil, because it involves little interference with the oil’s natural qualities (much like Wet-milling). Our Virgin Coconut oil from Sri Lanka is made in this way – using machinery to obtain the oil from the cobra (dried coconut kernels). Since boiling or heating destroys many nutrients the coconut oil obtained this way is considered to carry less health benefits.

 

 

 

Benefits and uses of Virgin Coconut oil:

 

• Hair care
• Fight off illness
• Stress relief
• Skin care
• Aging
• Heart disease
• Weight loss
• Digestion
• Immunity
• Swine Flu
• Kidney
• Liver
• Dental care

 

 

 

So you can see there are a lot of uses, I’ll go into more detail on each in another blog.

 

For now – take care,

 

 Nina

Raw Organic Shea Butter;  INCI name – Butyrospermum Parki – Native of the savannah regions of Africa, abundant to countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Mali and Burkina Faso. Commonly used because of it’s healing, moisturizing and restorative properties. Found in our soaps, creams and lotion

Cocoa butter ; INCI name – theobroma cacao , found mainly in Africa and south America, exist as the white or dark variety. Used mainly in the food industry to make chocolate and cocoa drink. Excellent skin care properties, help to keep the skin soft, smooth and nourished.

Coconut oil; INCI name – cocos nucifera, obtained from the nuts of the coconut tree found in many countries in the tropics, excellent soap making qualities, used in many sunscreen lotion and regular moisturizers

Shea Butter  –  So what is it?

Shea Butter comes from the Karite tree which is also known as women’s gold. It  grows in the Savannah regions of  West Africa, from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east, and onto the foothills of the Ethiopian highlands. Shea Butter’s emollient properties have been proven through centuries of use in Africa. It is traditionally used to nourish the skin, to keep it supple and young.

Shea Butter is traditionally used to treat a variety of skin conditions such as eczema, irritations, extreme dryness, stretch mark, burns, cuts and small skin wounds, after sun care, insect bite, anti-ageing, fungal infections, scars and many more

Raw Organic Shea Butter contains an abundance of healing ingredients, including vitamins, minerals, proteins and a unique fatty acid profile. It is a highly sought after moisturizer. Shea Butter actually restores the skin’s natural elasticity.

Raw Organic Shea Butter is actually unusual in that it enables your skin to absorb moisture from the air, and so it becomes softer and stays moisturized for longer.

Regular users of Raw Organic Shea Butter notice softer, smoother, healthier skin.

After the news yesterday that a  chemical found in the spice turmeric has been found to destroy oesophageal cancer cells, I decided it was about time I put a Akoma Virgin coconut oil curry recipe on here.

 

Fish curry

4 small Sea bass

1 tsp Salt

1 1/2 tsp Turmeric

2 tbsp Akoma virgin coconut oil

2 Onions, finely sliced

6 green chillies, slit lengthways

3 cloves Garlic, sliced into fine strips

20 curry leaves

400ml coconut milk

sprigs Coriander, to garnish

 

1. Remove any small bones from the fish fillets.

2. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of the salt with 1 teaspoon of the turmeric and gently rub into the fish fillets.

3. Heat the coconut oil in a wide pan. Add the onions, chillies and garlic and fry gently for a few minutes. Stir in the curry leaves and cook until the onions become translucent. Take out half the curry leaves and set aside for the garnish.

4. Stir the rest of the turmeric and salt into the pan, pour in the coconut milk and heat through, then add the fish fillets and simmer very gently for 3-4 minutes, until just cooked.

5. Serve the curry with steamed rice, and garnish with the reserved curry leaves and coriander sprigs.

[cited 29/10/09 http://uktv.co.uk]

  

 

Having already discussed coconut oil very briefly, I thought it might be an idea today to bring you a lovely smoothie recipe that you could try some in.

Give it a go…

  

Ingredients

• 1 small FairTrade bananas
• other fruit (preferably fresh if available): 2-3 strawberries, peach slices, blueberries, etc.
• 6 to 8 ounces of fruit juice (orange, pineapple, grape, it’s up to you)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of  Akoma virgin coconut oil
• 1 scoop whey protein

Blend ingredients together in blender.

Ingredients:

• 8oz organic grated carrots
• 8oz organic soft brown sugar
• 6oz organic virgin coconut oil
• 4oz organic plain wholemeal flour
• 2oz organic chopped walnuts
• 2 organic free range eggs
• Grated zest of 1 organic orange
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat all the above ingredients together and place in a baking tin greased with virgin coconut oil.Cook in preheated oven at 180^oC / 350^oF for 45 – 60minutes. Check with a metal skewer – the cake is ready when it doesn’t stick

posted by Nina (Saw this online -if you have your own recipe please send it to us)

 

Jennifer Aniston was spotted with a shopping trolley full of coconut oil last year.  Why was Jennifer Aniston buying  coconut oil? because this often misunderstood oil is great for cooking and has plenty of  health benefits.

The Benefits of Coconut Oil:

Immune Support

• Coconut oil is rich in fatty acids and monoglycerides which have immune-boosting and antioxidant activity and are antimicrobial.
• Coconut oil is also rich in Lauric acid (making up about 50% of the oil), and its derivative monolaurin, support the immune system and may prevent toxic/allergic reactions.

 

Metabolism and Thyroid

 

• Coconut oil is said to boost the metabolism and improve thyroid health (unlike soy or canola, which can suppress the thyroid). Farmers in the 1940’s fed animals on coconut oil for fattening but found they became more active and were leaner, as opposed to animals fed on corn and soybeans.

  

Blood Sugar

• Coconut oil appears to stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent symptoms of hypoglycemia

 

Cholesterol

• Coconut oil, unlike most fats has no negative impact on cholesterol or the health of the arteries.
• Eating coconut oil results in lower serum cholesterol than eating olive oil.

Just seen this recipe, let me know if you try it…looks wonderful.

Chocolate Lover’s Exfoliating Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

2 lb Melt & Pour Soap Base

1/2 cup Goat’s Milk Powder

1 tsp powdered Kola Nut (or other brown herb)

1 tsp Macadamia Nut Oil

1/2 tsp Cocoa Butter

1/2 tsp Mango Butter

1/2 tsp Silk Amino Acids

Chocolate Fragrance Oil

Instructions:

Melt the butters and glycerine soap gently over a double boiler. When liquid, blend in macadamia oil and silk. Let it cool slightly. Pour about 1 cup of soap into a separate dish and blend very well with Goat’s Milk powder, making sure to eliminate all lumps. Combine with rest of melted soap, mix in fragrance oil and Kola Nut Powder to achieve desired chocolately color and scent. Pour into molds.

posted by Nina

I am concerned over the price war in supermarkets on bananas. The world’s most popular fruit is now part of dangerous price war which could see the real victims being the farmers and the communities that support them. Bananas pay for schools, buses and crucial infrastructure.

I ask that you pledge your support to FairTrade bananas and

Herbal Stick Deodorant
Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbspn beeswax
1/2 tbspn cocoa butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil
15 drops white thyme essential oil
15 drops rosemary essential oil
25 drops lavender essential oil
3 drops castor oil

Directions:
Melt beeswax in a glass jar standing in hot water, add the cocoa butter, and when it has melted, add the oils. Stir to mix thoroughly, then pour into a clean, discarded deodorant stick case and leave to cool and set

posted by Nina