Okay I have read this thread and its like a thriller I tell you !
It also confirms what I have also thought about hair growth for black women. That is like Indian women we are going to have to find out what the herbs are like in our own natural locality and habitat which will be most beneficial to our hair growth. Fuse that with other ancient traditions such as Ayurveda and you are onto a winner.........
Anyway's I agree with another poster who said that its something we already use and likely based on NATURAL ingredients if its a family secret. It is also probably a widely sold product in East Africa that has probably been doctored and tweaked a bit by the family.
Someone mentioned CASTOR OIL AND NEEM OIL.... I totally agree. I think its also based on ingredients local to East Africa. East Africa has a huge Indian Diaspora and then you have the Berber infuences so you are looking at an oil which is thick and stinky and made with Natural Herbs.
Anyway ladies, here is some information I have found online....
[FONT="]African Oils: Health and Beauty from the Motherland [/FONT]
African Oils: Health and Beauty from the Motherland
By Stephanie Rose Bird
[FONT="]For a time in my life, my morning was not off to a proper start unless I watched my favorite programs. Like many women and men for that matter, Oprah was an important element of my morning ritual. When you watch talk shows day after day, at a certain point it is difficult to recall the idiosyncrasies of each show—we are awash in an experience. It is telling then, that I can recall the particular morning when Oprah announced that hair grease (pomades, balms, salves) was bad for black hair—this delivered poignantly, as usual, tossing her well-coifed hair, to and fro, to punctuate the statement. I had to scratch my own itchy cornrows in dismay wondering what to do, as oils traditionally eased the tough transitional days of this hairstyle.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Fragrant baths, floor washes, powders, bath crystals, incense, anointing and blessing oils, as well as fresh aromatic flowers have been employed in our folk medicines since the earliest records of our existence.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Pomades[/FONT]
[FONT="]Unguents, which we now call pomades, were used approximately 5,000 years ago according to cave walls on the Tassili plateau in the Sahara and Algiers. Women, with what appears to be cornrowed hair, are having a substance (assumed to be unguent) applied to their braids and scalp. Women had their hair and bodies anointed with fragrant pomades and botanical oils, assured of the oils medicinal powers. Women perfumed themselves by sitting over or near burning pots of sandalwood or aromatic substances [similar to smudging or smoke bath]. Fragrant flowers, among other natural objects worn on the body, served as protection amulets (Yarbrough, C. 2002).[/FONT]
[FONT="]In Ancient Egypt, women are depicted wearing cone-shaped unguents on their heads. These cones were either representative of all of the pomade previously applied or actual cones that melted from body heat, perfuming and conditioning the hair (illustrated in stele, papyri and cave art from various civilizations) (Jeffries, R. 1988). Moreover, ancient Egyptian papyri list hundreds of curative properties of oils, so oils are not simply glop for the hair but are useful medicines (For medicinal benefits use pure botanical oils. Petroleum and other fossil fuel by-products should be strictly avoided). [/FONT]
[FONT="]Madame C. J. Walker became the first Black millionaire in the United States in the early twentieth century from sales of her miraculous, herbal hair growth pomades and other botanical products. Afro Sheen™, Dixie Peach™, Dax™, Bergamot ™ as well as the herbal blends of tallow and lanolin have been used for decades by African Americans to treat scalp disorders and encourage hair growth. Over the years, synthetic and petroleum products dominated the formulae and their use dwindled. Today, there is a virtual pomade renaissance. African Pride ™ and African Root Stimulator ™, prominently feature aromatic herbs like sage, rosemary, lemon verbena, neroli, patchouli, lemongrass and even kola nuts in a shea butter or olive oil base. Pomade has regained popularity, unrestricted by ethnicity or race.[/FONT]
[FONT="]As we return to our roots, many of us no longer wear our hair blow-dried or relaxed. We have gone back to the way of our ancestors to embrace braids, twists, knots and locks. Those who wear straight hairstyles realize that they too benefit from hot oil treatments, as hot oils are currently enjoying an overall surge in popularity at salons. [/FONT]
[FONT="]I would like to share the benefits of a few African oils and will follow up with suggestions for using them. As you read on you will notice that I have included other factors that make natural oils appealing; their sale helps generate income for rural African women, they are good for multiple health functions and they are good for the environment. Further, wildcrafted, organic, cold processed oils are commonly obtained from Africa, very different from the expensive proposition that occurs when buying wildcrafted oils elsewhere. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Shea butter and neem are currently enjoying the limelight so let’s begin with them. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Shea Tree Distribution and Uses[/FONT]
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[FONT="]The shea tree is a member of the
Sapotaceae family
Vitellaria parasoxa (C.F. Gaertin; Boffa, J.M; Yameogo, G; Nikiema. P; Knudson, D.M, 2003) formerly called
Butryrosperum paradoxum (Henry et al. 1983). The shea tree is native to Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Togo and Uganda. Shea trees grow for 150-200 years. The nut is almost 50% fat (International Centre for Research in Agroforestry). Shea butter is called Karite in the Dioula language. Shea has been traded since the 14th century (International Centre for Research in Agroforestry). Today shea butter is the third highest export product in Burkina Faso (World Bank, 1989). It is one of the few economic commodities under women’s control in Sahelian Africa. Women farmers have tenderly cared for the trees for hundreds of years.[/FONT]
[FONT="]In Africa and around the world, shea butter is utilized for its ability to soothe children’s skin and soften mature skin; protect against sunburn; prevent chapping and irritation; and to treat ulcers and rheumatism (International Centre for Research in Agroforestry). Shea butter is a superior fatting agent in herbal soaps. The emollient, softening quality of shea butter makes it useful for hand or foot treatments and hair and body care, as it is easily absorbed when applied topically.[/FONT]
Read more: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/...nce/HSELayout&cid=1157365875515#ixzz0cgNjBqRq
[FONT="]A Tree of 40 Cures: Neem Tree[/FONT]
[FONT="]Neem has a distinguished history in India. In the Sanskrit language it is known as Nimba, a derivative of the term
Nimbati Swastyamdadati (to give good health) (Neem Foundation, 1997). Neem has been naturalized over the past hundred years in coastal East and West Africa. Known as the “tree of 40 cures” neem is called
Mwarubaini in the Kiswahili language (Kimathi, H. 2003). Neem is an eco-friendly tree since its leaves quickly decompose, forming nourishing mulch for plants that surround it.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The leaves, seed kernel and bark of neem trees are all useful. The tree has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and infertility qualities. The neem kernels contain about 45% oil making it an effective emollient. Useful in the treatment of ringworm and other fungal infections, neem is also highly regarded for maintenance of scalp, hair, skin and nails.[/FONT]
Read more: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/...nce/HSELayout&cid=1157365875515#ixzz0cgNzKxvX
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