The cacao tree is as beautiful and intriguing as it is useful. One of the top economic botanical plants, theombroma cacaos pods yield cocoa butter, cocoa powder and that confection we desire most of all during February—chocolate.
Savoring cacao’s numerous health benefits is a nourishing treat for skin and hair—adding shine, vibrancy, and improving the general health of both. By using chocolate and cocoa butter products on your hair and skin, you get to enjoy the delightful chocolatey aroma and reap the benefits of antioxidants, vitamin, and mineral, while skipping the fear and guilt of overindulging this February 14th.
Theobroma Cacao tree grows in the tropical rainforests of Central America and Africa (particularly Ghana), where it makes a significant impact on the local economy. The tree is a remarkable sight. It has dark brown bark, resembling the color of chocolate. White flowers grow directly from the branches and trunk of the tree. The delicate, light-colored blossoms create a sharp visual contrast against the deeply colored, rough-looking bark. In fact, the cacao tree is one of the more unusual trees that I’ve seen. The scent emitted by the tree is subtle—not the rich chocolate aroma you might expect.
The part of Theobroma Cacao used in most in natural beauty products is also edible, derived from the processed beans. This article examines cocoa butter and its benefits for the hair and skin. Then we’ll focus on the tree’s other gift—chocolate.
Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter is created from hydraulic pressings of the cocoa nib or cocoa mass from cocoa beans, which are further refined through filtering or centrifuge. The scent of cocoa butter is removed using steam or a vacuum. Some herbalists massage therapists and aromatherapists prefer the scentless substance called deodorized cocoa butter. Cocoa beans are 15 percent fat. Cocoa butter has been traditionally used as a skin softener, emollient, belly rub, and soothing substance for burns. The oil is a very attractive as an ingredient in herbal cosmetics. It is useful as a superfatting [1] agent in soap. Oils and fats have different saponification value—“SAP values”—which is the amount that it will take to fully saponify 1 ounce of that oil. Because of this, each fat requires a different amount of lye to convert the fat to soap. Cocoa butter has a SAP value of 0.137.
