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Alaffia Bodycare - Whole Trade Guarantee
My name is Jessica and I am the Whole Trade Guarantee Specialist. In my role I have the opportunity to promote social responsibility through the ethical sale and trade of commodity products. We donate 1% of all Whole Trade Guarantee sales to the Whole Planet Foundation, which funds micro-credit loans to women all over the world to help end world poverty.
One of my favorite companies to work with is Alaffia Bodycare. The owner and founder Olowo-n’djo Tchala was born and grew up in Togo, Africa located on the West African coast. Times were extremely difficult growing up due to political unrest. Olowo-n’djo made a promise to himself he would do all he could to improve the lives of the women from the community he grew up in. Indigenous to the country of Togo, shea nuts are the main ingredient used in Alaffia’s Bodycare products, which provides ethical wages to the women in the community.
Olowo-n’djo explains:
Because I grew up in poverty in Togo, I feel morally responsible to dedicate my life to empowering our communities in Africa. I have chosen to promote indigenous African natural resources that are culturally, spiritually, economically and ecologically sustainable. Traditionally handcrafted shea butter fits these criteria. It is a renewable resource of African origin; shea trees are wild, requiring no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Furthermore, it is an integral part of many savanna communities and, consequently, there is a wealth of local and traditional knowledge of making shea butter. The fair trade of our handcrafted shea butter and shea butter skin care products is bringing income to and empowering our communities in Togo, while making indigenous, sustainable and effective skin care available to the global community.
Fairly traded, handcrafted Shea Butter benefits the communities that produce it as well as the communities that purchase it. Members of our Agbanga Karite/Alaffia Shea Butter cooperative gain pride as they are able to use their traditional knowledge and skills to support their families. Our customers benefit because they are receiving an authentic product directly from the source. As part of our Fair Trade philosophy, we use 10% of our sales for community enhancement projects in Togo, West Africa and locally in Washington State.
We also believe that Fair Trade applies to more than African communities and resources. The same care and philosophies are applied when crafting our creams, lotions, and soaps in Olympia, WA. We bring our handcrafted oils to Olympia, where we make our final products by hand in small batches. We combine our handcrafted oils with other high quality ingredients, including pure essential oils and food grade preservatives. We believe customers should have access to body care products made with unrefined, natural ingredients free of harmful chemicals, such as parabens and petroleum derivatives.
Check out more about Alaffia on their website.
7 Responses to “Alaffia Bodycare - Whole Trade Guarantee”
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Today I tried the Alaffia African Liquid Black Soap on my hands and face. However, it really dried out my face where it looked powdery. So I returned it. It says the ingredients are saponified shea butter and palm oil. Perhaps, whatever ingredient that is used to turn the shea butter into a liquid soap form (an ingredient that isn’t listed on the bottle) is the culprit. Great product concept, but it didn’t work for me.
June 19th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Firstly, I would like to thank you for trying our African Black Soap. I was surprised to hear your experience, as we usually hear the opposite from our customers. However, we do acknowledge that every person is an individual, and will react differently to the same product. Our Liquid African Black Soap has two ingredients – Distilled Water and African Black Soap. Since soap is a complete reaction of oils and a base, it is considered one ingredient as these two individual components are no longer present. We include the ingredients of the African Black Soap on the label (Saponified Shea Butter and Palm Kernel Oil)to indicate the base oils used to make the soap. The term saponified means the oils have been turned to soap.
Our Black Soap is handmade in Togo using a traditional recipe in which unrefined shea butter and unrefined palm kernel oil are reacted with indigenous potash made from the ashes of plantain leaves and bark (shea and baobab). The soap is fully reacted over a minimum of 5 hours to ensure all potash is reacted with the oils. It is then cured in the sun for four weeks to mellow the soap. Because of the unique potash used to make the black soap, the soap contains a large amount of glycerin and will absorb water to become liquid soap without the addition of any chemical surfactants. Therefore, we are able to make a liquid soap simply be adding distilled, purified water to the indigenous soap.
As you can see, this is a very simple and traditional soap – without any chemical surfactants or hidden ingredients. Thank you again for your support in purchasing our African Black Soap, and we encourage you to try other Alaffia products to find one that works best for your skin.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
hey that’s interesting that you experienced dryness as a result of using the african black soap. I have lived in an area in which the treated water dried out my hair to the point i just kept it short. Since my friend turned me on to Allaffia products, my hair feels good for the first time in years and I’m happy to be growing it out again!
July 10th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Hi- I have coarse, curly hair that totally frizzzes out. The Alaffia black soap does not dry my hair like regular shampoo does…it seems to clean with out stripping. The result is strong shiny curls, with no frizz.
I use the Alaffia hair lotion for extra shine and definition. It does not have the greasy weight of other leave in conditioners.
I also use the soap to wash my baby girl and have since she was first born…It has proven to be gentle and pure.
Thanks for what you do.
All best,
Michelle
July 18th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I have tried many alaffia products and find that they are a better alternative for daily skin care compared to other big brands in skin care. I used Estee Lauder for years and years but switched to alaffia and find that it is a better quality product with better results for my skin. I use the antioxidant skin care line, and I can’t tell you how great it really is. The facial creams leave my skin clear, even, renewed, and soft. Alaffia also give back to the world by providing jobs for people in Africa. I will always patronize their company as long as they are around.
July 20th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I first found out about Alaffia’s shampoo after a friend suggested I look for haircare products that didn’t contain methylisothiazoline, formaldehyde, or other dangerous chemicals. After reading about their fair trade work, I decided to give Alaffia’s shampoo and conditioner a try, and I’m so glad I did. Not only do I feel good about supporting sustainable and ethical businesses, my hair looks and smells wonderful (always a plus). Their Shea and Red Palm lip balm is also delightful, and smells like tangerines and cloves!
August 4th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I live a block from a Whole Foods in Washington, DC and frequently haunt the beauty aisle. Over the past two years, I have probably tried every single hand and body lotion in the store, and I have to say that the Alaffia products are the only ones I would spend $10 a bottle on. They rub in completely, without residue, which is really important for your hands. I have purchased the Cocoa Butter Intensive Lotion, and the scent is absolutely delicious.
November 4th, 2008 at 12:59 pm