Steam Cream – Simple Quality Skincare

Origins

Theobroma cacao - The Cacao tree is native to tropical America and grows to about 30 feet tall. It starts bearing fruit in its fourth year, which are dark reddish brown pods. The ripe pods yield 20-50 seeds.
To start the process of making cocoa butter these seeds are fermented which removes their bitterness. They are then cleaned, sorted, roasted, and cracked to remove their hard shells. These 'cocoa nibs' are ground to a thick, oily paste called chocolate liquor. The liquor goes through high pressure to separate the Cocoa Butter and Cocoa Powder. The butter, or fat is more than 50 % of the cocoa bean. It is rendered into pale yellow Cocoa Butter. Unlike most fats, Cocoa Butter is not greasy. It has a hard consistency and smells soft and sweet like chocolate.

What it can do for you

Cocoa butter creams are soothing and comfortable to use, especially for those suffering from dry, itchy skin. People from all backgrounds and whatever their skin types ? be it white, black, Asian, Japanese or anything else - find these blends effective. Cocoa butter is an effective natural emulsifier, which means our creams and lotions break down easily when they are applied to the skin and that the beneficial ingredients are easily available to moisturise and soften the surface. It is one of the loveliest and most effective ingredients we have.

The Facts

* It is to the Aztecs that we owe our knowledge of the marvellous cacao tree. They roasted the cocoa beans in pots, crushed them between stones and formed a paste.
* This paste was diluted with water and spiced with annatto, anise seeds, red peppers and cinnamon. The mixture was beaten and stirred slowly over a fire until it became a bubbling liquid.
* Cocoa butter is a hard, very stable, dry butter. It is used for chocolate making and in pharmaceuticals. It melts at body temperature, which is ideal for chocolate - it is solid at room temperature, but melts in the warmth of the mouth.