Akoma Natural Skincare

Clay Masks

Clay masks  are very effective for most skin types and conditions as the various ingredients can be blended to suit each individual person. Some of the benefits of using a clay mask are listed below:

• Soothing    
• Stimulating
• Desquamating
• Refining
• Cleansing 

The clay masks can stimulate and soothe skin also absorbing any sebum (oil) and debris from the skin surface leaving it cleansed and soft, depending on the ingredients chosen for your mask. There are a variety of clay powders available the following list may give you an idea of which may be right for you.

 

• Kaolin – a cream coloured powder which has a very stimulating effect on the skin’s surface capillaries, helping the skin to remove impurities and waste products. Skin condition – for congested, greasy skin
• Fullers Earth – a green, heavy clay powder. This powder has a very stimulating effect, such that the skin will show slight reddening and also produces a brightening effect. Skin condition – for greasy skin with a sluggish circulation

 

• Calamine – a light pink powder which soothes surface blood capillaries. Skin condition – for sensitive or delicate skin 

 

• Flowers of Sulphur – a light yellow clay powder which has a drying effect on papules and pustules. Skin condition – apply only to specific blemishes (pustules)

 

• Magnesium Carbonate – a very light white powder which creates a temporary astringent and toning effect. Skin condition – for open pores on dry and normal skin

 

To activate these clay powders it is necessary to add a liquid – an active lotion – which turns the powder to a liquid paste. Active lotions are selected according to your skin type and clay powder used they reinforce the action of the mask.

 

• Rose water – This is very popular it has a very mild stimulating and toning effect.

• Distilled water – This is used on highly sensitive skin
• Witch-hazel water – This has a soothing effect on blemished skin; it is also an astringent and is suitable for use on greasy skin.
• Glycerol – A humectant, which prevents the mask drying and is suitable for dry mature skin.

Face masks can be used on all skin types and some ingredients used in making facemasks can be found around the home.

People with dry skin can also benefit from the use of face masks especially when ingredients such as glycerin, honey or oils are used in making the mask.

Oily or acne prone skin types can benefit from the regular use of mud or clay mask which can help balance the skin. If you suffer with sensitive skin using a green tea mask or ginseng are great soothers.

Face masks come in two forms non setting and setting:

 
Non Setting Masks

Non-setting masks may stay soft on application others become firm but do not tighten the skin, some examples are below.

• Natural masks – fruits, plants
• Cream
• Warm oil

 

Setting masks

Setting masks are applied in a thin layer over the skin and then allowed to dry. Setting masks come in the following three varieties:

• Thermal mask
• Clay mask
• Peel off masks which come in a form of gel, latex, or wax

 

Akoma setting face mask

 

Thanks
Muriel

From my own personal experience I had to ensure the irritation I was experiencing was eczema. This meant a trip to the doctor for diagnosis. Due to my eczema being quite uncomfortable and was not clearing up on its own. Yes you have guessed it; I was prescribed a steroid cream. This was wonderful now I can get my eczema treated and away I go. The cream did work as it reduced the inflammation and my skin began to heal.

 However, little did I know the prolong use of steroid cream also came with a health warning. This was something I did not know much about. All I wanted was my skin to be normal again and have a sense of relief. Through my own individual research I found that if steroid cream is not used correctly it can thin the skin, cause red rashes and thin blood vessels under the skin. Despite this, it has been reported that using a low graded steroid cream for the short term under the doctor’s instruction could help, depending on the severity of the eczema. Once the eczema has calmed down a substitute cream should be used. Looking at both sides of the story I guess there are always pros and cons for using such a cream.

 I decided to try more natural remedies and also take a look at my lifestyle. Such as:

-  Food allergies or intolerances

- Exposure to furry animals (cats and dogs)

- Dust mites

- Clothing

- Exposure to chemicals (household cleaning liquids, sprays etc)

- Stress levels

 All the above and many more have had links to eczema. For me exposure to chemicals, jewellery and wool do aggravate my skin. I also found out I do have certain food intolerances such as peanuts.

 The quest continues.

Take care

Joanne

Unsightly razor bumps are an unfortunate result of hair removal and can appear anywhere on the body after shaving. There are many causes including the improper use of a razor, blades that are dull and worn and shaving dry and damaged skin that is not properly prepared. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you exfoliate the skin before shaving.

Your skin does a pretty good job of exfoliation on its own but needs help in those areas that are shaved often. If you are looking for an all natural way to prepare the skin, there are number of products that can help you avoid those irritating razor bumps.

Soaps and scrubs that contain natural ingredients such as oatmeal or ground almond shells, do a great job at washing away dead and dry skin, leaving the surface smooth, moisturized and protected. They also even out the skin causing the razor to shave the area with little or no resistance.

Once the skin is prepared for shaving, the use of virgin organic coconut oil shaving cream will keep razor bumps to an absolute minimum and you’ll get a very close and smooth shave at the same time.

If razor bumps still appear, there are a number of things you can do to treat and heal them quickly and completely. First, gently clean the area with a very mild soap such as African black soap or Shea butter or coconut oil to complete the process.

By first properly exfoliating and preparing the skin—then using an mild, all natural shaving cream—will make those unsightly razor bumps a thing of the past.

Keep well
Angus

Fair Trade is has been defined as “…an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability.”  The movement has allowed humans in developing nations to receive a higher price for their goods and handicrafts, as well as, afford higher social and environmental standards than would come with mass production and lower prices.  Buying cosmetics or other products from companies like Akoma (http://www.akomacooperative.com/Shea_Butter.html ) puts the money into the hands of villagers who can use it to supply their children with an education, or to provide medical care to their people.

 The villagers of Pusu-Namogo in Ghana have formed a cooperative and became Fair Trade certified in order to provide organic raw Shea Butter and luscious Ghanaian Black Soap to the world.  These two products are both fantastic representatives of what Fair Trade is famous for, high quality and natural.

 Shea Butter has always been considered an essential in Africa.  It is used for cooking, as a lubricant, on the hair, on the skin, as a medicinal remedy, etc.  As African nations interacted more with outside nations, Shea Butter began to be incorporated into cosmetics, and medicinal products used by top dollar consumers.  Is it any wonder?  Shea Butter is high in vitamins A and E, two vitamins known to have a restorative ability when it comes to healing problems of the skin. 

 Raw Shea Butter is now being traded and used throughout the world on: stretch marks, burns, eczema, cracked skin, and even hair!  Purchasing raw Shea Butter is an investment in epidermal health as it actually works with the skin to draw moisture from the air and aids in the skins own healing capabilities.  Using raw Shea Butter is important when using it as a moisturizer as processing has a tendency to strip the vital nutrients from the product, rendering it less effective.  If you’re one of the growing number of consumers who care about where your money goes you would much rather purchase a Shea Butter product raw Shea Butter from the Puso-Namogo village than a Shea Butter product from some high end store like L’Occitane.

 Another way to treat yourself and help out a working African community is to buy the Ghanaian Black Soap.  This Soap is made using an old formula.  A lye is made using discarded cocoa pods from the chocolate farms, and then is added to virgin coconut oil and Shea Butter to make the most luxurious Soap you have ever put on your body.  The Soap is both a moisturizer and an exfoliant.  It contains no unnatural additives and has a clean, fresh, scent.  People who have bought the Soap rave about its foamy freshness.

Do yourself, your skin, and your heart a favor by purchasing Fair Trade organic raw Shea Butter from the Akoma Cooperative.  You will not only receive a top quality product, but you will help to keep a small village on its feet and working to provide a better life for their children.  Visit them at: http://www.akomacooperative.com/about_akoma.html

Or to purchase online visit www.akomaskincare.co.uk

Keep well

Angus

 Dry Skin
 

• Lacks sebum (oil) or moisture or both
• Pores are small and tight
• Skin texture is coarse and thin
• Visible patches of flaking skin
• Tendency towards sensitivity
• Uneven skin pigmentation (colour)
• Milia (small hard pearly white cysts) found around cheek and eye area

 Oily Skin

oily Skin

• Sebaceous glands (small oil-producing gland) are overactive producing excess sebum (oil)
• Pores are enlarged
• Moisture content is high
• Skin is coarse and thick
• Skin is sallow
• Skin tone is good
• Skin is prone to shininess
• Uneven pigmentation (colour)
• Comedones, pustules, papules, milia or sebaceous cysts may be present

Combination Skin

• Partly oily and partly dry
• The pores in the T zone are enlarged
• The pores in the cheek area are small to medium
• The moisture content is high in the oily areas
• The moisture content is low in the dry areas
• Skin texture is coarse and thick in the oily areas
• Skin texture is thin in the dry areas
• Skin tone is good in the oily areas
• Skin tone is poor in the dry areas
• Uneven pigmentation (colour)

 

Combination skin is partly dry and partly oily so this would be a mix of the following photos.

 Young Skin

Young Skin

• Normal, balanced and blemish free
• Good elasticity
• Good muscle tone
• Firm facial contours
• Good moisture content
• Even skin texture
• Pore size small/medium

 Mature Skin

Mature Skin

• Skin becomes dry
• Sebaceous glands(small oil-producing gland) becomes less active
• Sudoriferous glands (sweat glands) become less active
• Loss of elasticity
• Epidermis (outer layer of the skin) grows more slowly
• Broken capillaries (tiny blood vessels) appear
• Facial contours become slack due to loss of muscle tone
• Dark circles and puffiness may appear around the eyes
• Skin may appear sallow
• Blood circulation becomes poor

Thanks

Muriel

If you haven’t tried Black Soap you haven’t lived.  If you are one of those women or men who prefers products like Origins, Body Shop, and Garden Botanika to Revlon then you will absolutely appreciate the Black Soap made by the Akoma Cooperative.  Made from cocoa pods, virgin coconut oil, and Shea Butter, this Soap packs vitamin A, C, and D power.  Loaded with anti-aging anti-oxidants, Black Soap is an essential for stressed out skin of all skin types.  The Soap is made in the traditional way by Pusu-Namogo villagers in Ghana who have worked to form a community cooperative that benefits all within their community.

 

Black Soap’s original recipe came from the neighboring country of Nigeria who had for a long time used coconut, palm, and Shea Butter in their Soaps.  Workers from Ghana took this receipt back to their country and began to play with the formula.  The villagers found that the pods discarded from cocoa production could be used in the lye process and altered the recipe to create “Black” Soap, allowing them to further utilize the waste in a productive manner.  The Soap is now made from raw Shea Butter, virgin coconut oil and cocoa pods.  That’s it.  Plain, simple, and deliciously good for your skin.

 

Renowned across Africa for its various health and wellness benefits, organic Black Soap is one of the healthiest Soaps you can buy for the skin.  The purity of the ingredients themselves can be traced to their organic cultivation methods.  The undiluted nutrients in this simple Soap are loaded with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  The Soap both cleanses and moisturizes the skin with its nourishing balance of ingredients. Black Soap has a mild, fresh, natural scent and a wonderful creamy lather of fine bubbles, leaving the skin beautifully clean and refreshed.

 Black Soap is also multifunctional.  The preparation and ingredients contained within the Soap creates a natural exfoliate that can be used to remove the dry skin cells which build up over time.  Unlike the Soap you buy in most stores, Black Soap cleanses without drying the skin out. Black Soap will foam into a rich lather with tiny bubbles that penetrate the skin, removing any dirt and oil to clog your pores. The lather cleanses while enriching the skin with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  Black Soap can also be used as a shampoo, as the ingredients contained with in have natural moisturizers.

 

The Black Soap made by the Pusu-Namogo villagers in the traditional method and is free from dyes, charcoal, artificial perfumes, and animal products.  It is a Fair Trade product and organic.  Buying this product from the Pusu-Namogo villagers enables the entire village to share in the task of producing a better life for their community.  Profits from the sales goes to: education for the children, healthcare, and training for both men and women.  For more information about Black Soap and the cooperative that creates this wonderful you can check out their web page at:http://www.akomacooperative.com/about_akoma.html

Keep well
Angus

Why are you staring at my hands?

There is a wealth of information available, to us who are suffering with Eczema. Where do we start reading and who and what do we believe.

 After suffering from dry, hot, itchy and sometimes weeping patches over my hands, I decided enough is enough! For many years I have relied on creams from the doctors and chemist to control my eczema. Also I have done so much reading about Eczema it is difficult to know what the truth is, where the information has originally come from and what is the research based on.

 

So I made the decision to stop using all the creams so readily available over the counter and decided to take things into my own hands. During my quest to educate myself I found out there is so many different types of eczema. So I decided to look into this area a bit more. My eczema was predominately on the hands. This was set off from an allergic reaction possibly from fragrances, nickel, chemicals, rubber and plants. This made sense to me because I stopped using certain type’s soaps, hand creams and wore protective gloves when washing up and cleaning.

 

I currently use natural soap that is not made up with artificial fragrances and chemicals. In addition I read the label. This is a must, because I found a lot of companies are very good at marketing their brands but when it comes to reading the label I ask myself am I going to have a reaction to any one of these ingredients. So I decided to use soaps and creams that do not have a long list of ingredients that I can not pronounce or I have never heard of.

 

My own personal beauty regime is, less is more. Since taking things into my own hands I have noticed that my hands have started healing. Now I know why you are staring at my hands they are soft and gentle not like crocodile skin.

 

Joanne