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Orí (Shea Butter)
West African
Unrefined shea butter, made by hand across West Africa, is a rich moisturiser and sealant for skin and hair.
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Jamaican Black Castor Oil
Caribbean
Castor beans roasted before pressing give the oil its dark colour. A thick sealing oil for ends and edges; popular for growth, though that isn't proven.
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Argan Oil
Moroccan / Arab
Pressed from argan kernels in south-west Morocco, often by Amazigh women's cooperatives. Argan know-how is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
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Rice Water (Sake Kasu)
East Asian
Rinsing hair with the water left from washing rice is a long-standing East Asian tradition, still used today as a softening rinse.
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Frankincense (Boswellia)
East African
Resin from Boswellia trees of the Horn of Africa and Arabia, burned as incense in homes and churches and used in fragrant oils.
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Rooibos
South African
Grown mainly in South Africa's Cederberg region and long used by Khoi and San people; brewed as tea and used in rinses and toners.
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Marula Oil
South African
A light, fast-absorbing oil from the kernels of the marula fruit, used across southern Africa on skin and hair.
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Ubtan (Turmeric Paste)
South Asian
Turmeric, gram flour and milk or rosewater, applied as a paste before weddings in the haldi ceremony. Patch-test first: turmeric stains.
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Avocado Oil
Latina
Avocado, from the Nahuatl ahuacatl, is native to Mexico and Central America; its rich oil is used as a skin and hair moisturiser.
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Black Seed Oil (Habbatus Sauda)
Arab
Nigella sativa seed oil, valued in Arab and Islamic traditional medicine and used on skin and scalp. Patch-test first: it can irritate.
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Castor Oil (Black)
Black American
Ricinoleic acid makes up most of castor oil. A heavy oil often used as the sealing "O" step of the LOC method.
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Coffee Scrub
East African
Used coffee grounds mixed with oil or sugar make a simple body scrub, a nod to Ethiopia, widely seen as coffee's birthplace.