I recently discovered, well I was introduced to by Jyoti, soap nuts. Fab little nuts that you can use to wash your clothes. The shell of soap nuts contains a natural detergent called ‘saponin’ which is released when it comes in contact with water and creates mild suds. The hard inner nuts can neither be eaten or used for washing and soap nuts are sometimes sold as… Continue

I thought I'd tell you about my new shampoo. Shikakai is sourced purely from dried pods of the Acacia Shrub. I mix about a tablespoonful with some water and a few drops of Patchouli or Lavender Essential Oil, apply to my wet hair like a liquid shampoo and rinse. O… Continue

These are some interesting details I have found out about essential oils. Please add to the information so we know more and more about them. An essential oil is a concentrated liquid containing aroma compounds from plants. Oil is "essential" in the sense that it carries a distinctive scent, or essence, of the plant. Essential oils do not as groups need to have any specific chemical properties in common, beyond conveying common characteris… Continue

By nature, I am always curious to find out the origin and composition of things. I thought it might be interesting to share my fact-finding mission with all. Shea butter is a slightly yellowish or ivory-colored natural fat extracted from the fruit of the shea tree by crushing and boiling. The shea or karite tree, formerly Butyrospermum paradoxum, is now called Vitellaria paradoxa. It produces its first fruit (which resemble large plums) w… Continue