Saturday, August 4, 2012

Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care

A few weeks ago I discovered a wonderful Lotion called EveryDay Shea Moisturizing Body Lotion. EveryDay Shea has a complete body care line which includes, Hand Soap, Bubble Bath, Shampoo & Conditioner, Baby Lotion & Body Bath.  This line of body care is....
  •  Certified Fair Trade
  •  Made w/ a base of Unrefined Shea Butter
  •  Made w/ nutrient-rich Water rather than plain H20
  •  Paraban free
  •  Contains NO synthetic Fragance
  •  Cruelty fee with NO Animal Testing
  •  Petroleum Free
Their website is www.everydayshea.com

 
After doing some research, I found that EveryDay Shea is an extension of Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care. Alaffia was founded by Olowo-n’djo Tchala, a Togolese native, as a way to generate funds to conduct community enhancement projects in his home country and other West African nations in order to reduce poverty and gender inequality. Olowo-n’djo believes that Africans can mobilize their natural resources in a sustainable manner to empower their own communities, and that this is a more sustainable avenue towards reducing poverty than waiting for outside aid or for corrupt governments to fall. Alaffia and the Alaffia Shea Butter Cooperative were founded in order to trade the indigenous resource – Shea Butter – in the West to raise proceeds which are then returned to Togo in the form of community projects. 

Here is a Short Video About Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care:


Like all other Alaffia Products, 10% of sales are allocated to support Alaffia's community empowerment projects in West Africa. These projects are aimed at reducing poverty and empowering women in poor communities in Togo, and include:

Bicycles for Education: Donations of used bicycles from our US communities give disadvantaged students in Togo the incentive to stay in school. They have sent more than 3500 bicycles to Togo and distributed them to girls and boys in more than 70 villages.

Maternal Health: 1 in every 16 women faces death from pregnancy and birth related complications in West Africa. Alaffia funds prenatal care for 700 mothers each year to help reduce maternal deaths, since saving mothers is critical for reducing poverty in their communities.

School Supplies & Repairs: Spending on education in Togo has dropped by half over the past ten years, meaning families and communities must make up the difference. Every year, they donate school supplies to hundreds of families. Alaffia also donates metal roofs, bench seats, and school supplies to rural schools in central Togo to help these communities maintain their schools. In 2011, they built our first high school in Kouloumi, Togo.  (Video Below)

Reforestation To help mitigate the effects of climate change, combat deforestation, and prevent soil erosion in Togolese communities, they plant 8,000 trees each year.

During the past few months, Alaffia has been working on a few short videos, with the hope of providing you with a deeper knowledge of Alaffia and their products.  The following are links to YouTube videos, including an overview of their Shea Butter Cooperative, the celebration and inauguration of the first high school they constructed, an introduction to their new Authentic African Black Soap (which has the most positive reception of any product Alaffia has introduced!) and an overview of our Beautiful Curls line. ENJOY!

I would love for you to take a brief moment to watch these short films – no more than 4 minutes each. This is a way for you to realize your contribution when you purchase Alaffia and the positive impact that it has on the lives of disadvantaged individuals in Togo.


 Alaffia Fair Trade Shea Butter Cooperative


Alaffia's Kouloumi School Construction Poject


Alaffia's Authentic African Black Soap

Alaffia's Discover Beautiful Curls

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Not Only are you making a positive impact when you purchase Alaffia Skin Care Products, you are using a product with amazing health benefits. Here are some of the ingredients:
  • Wild Harvested Baobab
  • West African Neem
  • Virgin Coconut Oil
  • Red Palm Oil
  • Extra Vigin Cocoa Butter
  • African Wild Honey
  • BASE OF SHEA BUTTER

The Benefitz of Shea Butter

This comes direct from Alaffia's web-site (www.alaffia.com) about SHEA BUTTER and itz healing powers:

Shea Butter
Shea Butter is the oil from the nuts of wild Shea trees (Vitellaria paradoxa) scattered throughout the wooded savanna of West and Central Africa. Shea Butter has been used for centuries in Africa and is completely enmeshed within the history and culture of the West African savanna. Shea Butter is mentioned in almost all African historical documents, including a reference as early as Cleopatra’s Egypt, which mentions caravans bearing clay jars of Shea Butter for cosmetic use. Funeral beds of kings were carved in the wood of old Shea Trees, and Shea Butter has always been a staple of African pharmacology

Indigenous Knowledge for Skin Care
Shea Butter has been used for centuries in Africa as a decongestant, an anti-inflammatory for sprains and arthritis, healing salve, lotion for hair and skin care, and cooking oil. However, the protective and emollient properties of Shea Butter are most valued for skin care. In recent clinical trials, Shea Butter was found to help to protect skin against climate and UV aggressions, prevent wrinkle formation, soothe irritated and chapped skin, and moisturize the epidermis. Shea Butter also enhances cell regeneration and capillary circulation, which helps prevent and minimize stretch marks, inflammations, and scarring.

Unrefined Shea Butter
Only pure, unrefined Shea Butter contains its full healing and moisturizing properties. Most Shea Butter available to the general public outside West Africa is white and odorless: in other words, it has been “refined” to remove the natural scent and color of natural Shea Butter. In the process, the majority of the effective agents are also removed.

In addition, refined Shea Butter has usually been extracted from the shea kernels with hexane or other petroleum solvents. The extracted oil is boiled to drive off the toxic solvents, and then refined, bleached, and deodorized, which involves heating it to over 400 deg F and the use of harsh chemicals like sodium hydroxide.

Shea Butter extracted in this manner still contains some undesirable solvent residues, and its healing values are significantly reduced. Antioxidants or preservatives such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) or BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) may be added as well. The end result is an odorless, white butter that may be aesthetically appealing, but lacks the true moisturizing, healing, and nutritive properties of true traditional Shea Butter

    Try Shea Butter on these conditions:
  • Wrinkles
  • Dry Skin
  • Psoriasis
  • Massage
  • Hair care
  • Stretch marks
  • Burns
  • Arthritis
  • Chapped lips
  • Sun damage
  • Cracked and dry heels or elbows
  • Small wounds and scrapes
  • Diaper rash (prevention and relief)
  • Insect bites & stings
  • Muscle fatigue, aches & tension
  • Pets (skin infections, dry skin & coats)


 In summary, I highly recommend Alaffia Skin Care Products. It will not only make your skin look and feel better, it will give you peace of mind knowing you are making a positive impact on the people in Togo, West Africa and supporting a sustainable product that is good for our planet.

Namaste,  Beci