Shea butter has been enjoying a type of beauty renaissance and has lately become a trendy buzzword for the global beauty industry. Although the main product directed towards the consumer is not 100% pure, it is still gaining a lot of visibility in beauty products.
Natural, unredefined Shea butter is generally an off yellow or ivory in colour and is extracted from the seed of the African Shea tree. The fat from the tree - which makes the butter - is crushed and boiled at high temperatures. Shea butter is edible and in Africa it is often used in cooking products, such as cooking oil and it also can be used for making chocolate. It also can be used in candle making.
I grew up and was introduced to the miracle of shea butter at an early age by my mum. I also used copious amounts for my two children whilst they were young babies - it was especially good for nappy rash and the mild childhood eczema that my youngest child faced.
Shea butter has many uses. I use it for a moisturiser for my skin. The best way to apply it is to warm it ever so slightly (about 10 seconds) in a microwave and rub it on damp skin. It's also excellent for a hair butter and really benefits afro hair. I also mix essential oils in some of my shea butter jars - rosemary being the main one for my hair usage.
Also, if you've had a rough workout in the gym or your generally feeling run down and your muscles hurt, or your joints feel stiff, shea butter is an excellent antidote to sooth away the aches and pains.
I always carry one of my homemade shea butter products in my bag, as I never know what and when I may need it for.
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Monday 16 August 2010
Talking Double Dutch: Attempting to conquer a hard language
Speaking Dutch (or trying to learn it) has been my main obstacle since living here.
I find that I am too long in the tooth - and unknowledgeable in the truth - to be learning another language and trying to use it in my everyday usage and context. This has left me feeling momentarily frustrated, dejected and an overall failure! I'm a person who loves to communicate and when I am not understood or there is no clarity, I can sometimes lose my sense of balance and act a bit strange!
I mean, I have had some Dutch folk nod sympathetically with me and even emphasise with me about the difficulties of learning Dutch. They've even admitted it that speaking the language is very hard and takes a while. How's that for a vote of confidence for my fragile ego?
Because I do not speak Dutch fluently or even hardly, it is impossible to get a job in my field as a counsellor. And before a thought bubble is formed, my husband is not from Holland - he is also a transplant from another country - Dominica in the Caribbean; his Dutch is not very fluent. He has tried to speak to me in Dutch, but he's given up!
When I first got to Holland, I took the proverbial bull by the horns eager to immerse myself in the language, the culture and surroundings. However, I don't think that the Dutch population have been too exuberant towards me, I guess due to my twisting up of Dutch syntaxes and the mangling of Dutch pronounciations. But I tried, I really, really tried!
I searched and researched free online language resources - there are so many out there; I just used my new best friend 'Google' to utilise my Dutch searching abilities and the world of free websites and resources opened up like Aladdin's treasure trove. I discounted paying for any language course as my husband's budget was tight. I mean, I'm trying not to look at all of this as a failure - as I see this as a victim's option - but I feel that I am constantly swimming upstream and being passed on the way by the bigger fish out there in Dutch Land.
So, I guess it is back to the drawing board and back to my online language learning resources. Oh, and a large dosage of optimism to keep my Dutch tongue alive and kicking.
Tot Ziens!
I find that I am too long in the tooth - and unknowledgeable in the truth - to be learning another language and trying to use it in my everyday usage and context. This has left me feeling momentarily frustrated, dejected and an overall failure! I'm a person who loves to communicate and when I am not understood or there is no clarity, I can sometimes lose my sense of balance and act a bit strange!
I mean, I have had some Dutch folk nod sympathetically with me and even emphasise with me about the difficulties of learning Dutch. They've even admitted it that speaking the language is very hard and takes a while. How's that for a vote of confidence for my fragile ego?
Because I do not speak Dutch fluently or even hardly, it is impossible to get a job in my field as a counsellor. And before a thought bubble is formed, my husband is not from Holland - he is also a transplant from another country - Dominica in the Caribbean; his Dutch is not very fluent. He has tried to speak to me in Dutch, but he's given up!
When I first got to Holland, I took the proverbial bull by the horns eager to immerse myself in the language, the culture and surroundings. However, I don't think that the Dutch population have been too exuberant towards me, I guess due to my twisting up of Dutch syntaxes and the mangling of Dutch pronounciations. But I tried, I really, really tried!
I searched and researched free online language resources - there are so many out there; I just used my new best friend 'Google' to utilise my Dutch searching abilities and the world of free websites and resources opened up like Aladdin's treasure trove. I discounted paying for any language course as my husband's budget was tight. I mean, I'm trying not to look at all of this as a failure - as I see this as a victim's option - but I feel that I am constantly swimming upstream and being passed on the way by the bigger fish out there in Dutch Land.
So, I guess it is back to the drawing board and back to my online language learning resources. Oh, and a large dosage of optimism to keep my Dutch tongue alive and kicking.
Tot Ziens!
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