Demand for responsibly-sourced natural beauty products has never been greater.
And London-based Ghana’s Fresh works alongside small to medium-sized agricultural producers in, that’s right, Ghana, to provide the highest-quality natural beauty products that give their suppliers a fair deal.
From baobab oil to hibiscus tea and much more, Ghana’s Fresh sources natural ingredients straight from Ghanaian co-operatives and suppliers, and no third parties are involved.
pan-African’s senior writer Vicki got her hands on their natural shea soap and cold-pressed cocoa butter, so if fair trade and natural beauty products are your bag, read on!
Natural Shea Soap – £8
As someone who loves experimenting with natural beauty products, I was fascinated by Ghana’s Fresh shea soap – especially as it initially looks nothing like your typical bar of soap.
Visually, it bears a strong resemblance to African black soap, and is reportedly helpful if you suffer from conditions such as dry skin, psoriasis, and dandruff.
And the raw shea is produced by women’s co-operative Tungteiya, based in Ghana’s Northern Region employing 640 local women since 1994, who also supply the likes of The Body Shop.
What’s not to like?
The ingredients are as follows:
- Pure shea butter
- Cocoa potash extract
- Moringa oil
- Palm kernel oil
- Neem oil
- Coconut oil
Sounds like a heady mix, but it’s not overpowering at all.
The rubber ‘block’ of shea soap didn’t come out of the pot too easily at first, but with a little elbow grease and some water, it lathered up a storm.
The scent was a sweet-neutral kind of aroma, leaving my hands squeaky clean after a good rinse.
And it’s not only a great alternative to supermarket handwash – it cleansed my (very!) oily facial skin as well as all over my body, so it’s super versatile.
Note: the shea lather creates a light brown pigment which shows up more obviously on lighter skin. But don’t be alarmed, it washes off straight away.
At £8 for a hefty block that will probably last you several weeks minimum, it’s great value.
All in all, it’s the natural beauty product discovery of the year for me (just be sure to wash it off thoroughly).
Cold-Pressed Cocoa Butter – £12.99
Already a cacao convert (raw cacao pulp is edible, despite its ‘interesting’-looking form), I was looking forward to trying this cold-pressed cocoa butter the most.
Good for applying to scars, stretch marks and wrinkles to lessen their appearance, it’s made from 100% pure cocoa butter.
It reminded me of a more natural version of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter – a sure-fire staple in many women’s beauty routine at some point or other.
You can rub a piece straight onto your skin, but that will take a little while to soften with your natural body heat.
So, if you like, you can make your own home-made cocoa body moisturiser by:
- Step 1: placing a piece or two in a small glass container
- Step 2: putting it in warm water to heat it up, melting the cocoa butter to a creamy paste
- Step 3: adding a base oil like almond or coconut oil so it prevents the cocoa butter from hardening again
And voilà, you have your own home-made natural cocoa moisturiser!
Fabulous for a post-shower moisturising session, and worth that little bit of extra effort to smell almost good enough to eat.
The pieces had a lovely buttery tumble out of the tub into my hands, and the natural cacao scent is intoxicating – though be warned, it does not smell much like Cadburys!
The pot fits in the palm of an average hand, but used wisely, it should last you a couple of months at least depending on your moisturising needs.
Ultimately, Ghana’s Fresh cocoa butter is, well, as smooth as butter.
The downside: both products come in plastic packaging, but we’re sure once cost-effective alternatives become more available that Ghana’s Fresh will consider using them across their range.
If you’d like to give the natural beauty products from Ghana’s Fresh a try, visit the pan-African business directory to find out more.
