Cocoa

This is an automatic translation

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is a very common sapling in South America and other tropical regions, belonging to the Malvaceae family.

The fruit of this plant called carbosse is very characteristic and well known: inside this oval capsule we find flattened seeds the size of a bean (cocoa beans). The almond contained in its seeds has a high lipid content, which is around 50%. It is from these seeds (more correctly, from the beans) that a mixture of fatty substances known as cocoa butter is obtained. In particular, this butter takes on a solid consistency at room temperature, to melt as soon as it exceeds 32-35 degrees. It appears as a yellowish white mass, crumbly, not very greasy to the touch and with the characteristic aroma of cocoa.

To make the seeds usable they must previously be subjected to fermentation for 8-10 days, followed by drying and pressing, during which the fat component is separated from the seeds. The "fat", after refining, will constitute the cocoa butter.

Cocoa is mainly linked to the food world, in fact to obtain chocolate, the process continues with roasting at 120-140 ° C and grinding, thus obtaining cocoa powder.

Thanks to its composition rich in fatty acids, cocoa butter has remarkable emollient, nourishing and protective properties for the skin and, for this reason, it is widely used in the cosmetic field: it is a traditional ingredient of lip sticks (often simply called "lip balm"), but also creams, body butters, soaps and lipsticks.

In addition, cocoa butter also exerts a beneficial action on hair and, in particular, on dry or damaged hair. Applied as a mask before normal shampoo, it is able to exert a protective action on them, making them softer and brighter at the same time.