African Beauty
Traditional West African body care, made the way it has been made for generations. Black palm kernel oil, shea butter and more, single ingredient where we can, nothing added.
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JEB FOODS Ude Aki Black Palm Kernel Oil 4 oz, The Nigerian Cousin of Batana Oil, Fire Roasted, Single Ingredient Balm for Hair, Scalp and Body
Original price was: $44.99.$32.99Current price is: $32.99. Add to cart -
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What is in this section
These are the things West African households have used on hair and skin for generations, made the same way, and brought here without being reformulated into something else.
- Ude Aki black palm kernel oil. The kernels are cracked out of the palm nut and roasted on a live firewood fire until the heat drives the oil out. No press, no solvents, no bleaching. One ingredient. That fire is why it is dark and why it smells smoky.
- Unrefined shea butter. Shea nuts, crushed and separated, not deodorised or whitened.
The one habit that makes these work
Warm them in your palms first. Scoop a little, rub your hands together for a few seconds, and the solid turns to oil. Applied warm it spreads thin and absorbs. Applied cold it sits on top and feels greasy. That single step is the difference between people who love these and people who give up on them.
Full instructions here: how to use black palm kernel oil on hair, scalp and skin.
If you have been reading about batana oil
You are in the right area, but they are not the same thing. Batana oil comes from a different palm, grown in Honduras, and it is made from the fruit. Black palm kernel oil is West African and made from the kernel. We wrote out the whole comparison, honestly: batana oil and black palm kernel oil, what is the difference.
What to expect
- They melt. Palm kernel oil and shea butter both soften near body temperature, so a jar can arrive soft or liquid in warm weather. It sets again when it cools and nothing is wrong with it.
- They smell of themselves. There is no added fragrance, so the smoky, nutty smell of fire roasted oil is the real thing rather than a fault. If you want it softer, a couple of drops of rosemary or lavender oil in your palm will blend in.
- A little goes a long way. These are thick. Start with less than you think.
What we do not do
No fragrance, no carrier oils, no fillers, and no promises about what any of it will do for you. We will tell you what it is, where it came from and how people use it. The rest is between you and your skin.