Chocolate is a girl’s best friend. What, you thought it was diamonds? Well, you would be wrong since not every woman even wants one. Diamonds sparkle, they are pretty and (of course) are worth a lot but not everyone has access to one, and diamonds cannot do magical things like change our mood.
We can; however, get our hands on some sweet tasting, calming your nerves instantly, and turning a bad evening into a good one piece of chocolate. Yes, chocolate can put a smile on your face like no other.
The Origin
Chocolate actually comes from trees or a small tropical tree called the Theobrama cacao or more commonly “cacao” which is native to Central and South America. However, it is grown commercially throughout the tropics and about 70% of the world’s cacao is grown in Africa.
The beans or pods are harvested from the trees and then fermentation begins. After up to a week of fermentation (it depends on the type of bean) the beans are laid out to dry in the sun for a week. Once the beans are dry, they are then shipped off to factories to be turned into chocolate.
Benefits of Dark Chocolate
Now chocolate or cocoa powder has more benefits than just putting a smile on your face or calming a sweet tooth craving. The Cacao bean is referred to as cocoas once the beans have been cleaned and roasted. Once it has been turned into cocoa powder, it is a great resource to our heart and brain health.
Eating cacao foods several times a day has been shown to decrease the likelihood of having a heart attack or even a stroke according to clinical studies published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and the Journal of Internal Medicine.
Now when consuming chocolate for its benefits, remember dark chocolate has health benefits not seen in other varieties. Make sure your dark chocolate has at least 70 percent cocoa content and is preferably unsweetened.
Dark Chocolate and our hair
Cocoa can reduce blood pressure and improve our cholesterol levels but did you know it can actually help address our hair loss issues? Cocoa is rich in magnesium*; a mineral that helps to combat hair loss.
It increases blood circulation to the scalp, which leads to better hair growth and gorgeous tresses. It is known to give the hair sheen and with all the anti-inflammatory properties, it can minimize the chances of scalp infections. Dark chocolate is full of minerals that aid in cell renewal like iron*, copper* and zinc*.
I used it in my henna.. Coco powder.
Did you like it?
i would end up eating it before it gets close to my hair
haha! And who says there is anything wrong with that? LOL
That’s just taking it way to far. I’m not doing nothing with my chocolate but eating it
I hear you but why not do both? LOL
This is perfect for me as I am one of those rare people who does NOT eat chocolate! I have been natural for about 15 years now but still recovering from damage from not paying attention to chemicals in products for natural hair, like petrolatum! UGH!
Good for you Clara. I’m not a huge fan but a fan indeed and will have to keep my wits about me when I try this. Don’t be too hard on yourself about bad products you have used in the past. We have all been there. Thanks for sharing.
I considered it.
Are you going to try it now?
No but chocolate mask for my face and it was the best ever!! With avocado, gave a brand new fresh air!!
Oh wow that does sound nice.
I’ve used Carol’s Daughter chocolate products, and they are fabulous!
I might need to give them a try. Thanks.
Ác
Ummmmm! A real chocoholic. . .must have it!
Will eat a truck load. . .its so good. If its going into my body, why would I need to place it on my hair? Double dose of chocolative goodness! Okay, I’ll buy into that.
LOL. Good thinking.
Heard about it, never use it! Seems crazy!
Well, everything sounds crazy or weird until you hear it for a few more times. I say give it a try.
Yes a bit over the top now.
Oh well. Maybe the next trend.
I tried some chocholate Sunday! Here on the island we can get the little ball of dark chocolate that we usually grate to get the powder for beverages or baking. The smell after was divine. My hair loves it.
Oh great. It’s good to know others have tried and had great results. Thanks for sharing.
If the point of applying the cocoa is simply it’s nourishing magnesium content why not just take a nice daily multi-vitamin that contains magnesium, folic acid (the stuff that makes your hair grow super fast when your pregnant), and all the other good stuff. A great pre-natal includes everything you need for great hair and nails.
Then you can just eat your chocolate instead of putting on your hair. 😉
There are some real mixtresses out here who like doing this instead of taking a pill.
Not tryibg to intrude, but are you saying pre-natal vitamins help hair growth? And how can you get them if only prescribef by doctor?
Actually my sister takes pre-natal vitamins for her multi-vitamin and it helps with hair growth.
you can get prenatal vitamins at any pharmacy…yes they help hair growth …
Sarah, it can be dangerous to one’s health to just buy a magnesium pill and take it just to grow your hair. Your body gets more nutrients from the foods and liquids that go into it. Pills are not the answer! The answer is nutrition and healthy hair practices. The use of cocoa powder has many benefits for the body. So in turn, added with healthy hair practices then you have healthier hair. The recipes are worth trying for those who have an interest. If not interested then don’t try it. It was nice and is nice to have different ideas to try for your hair rather it be natural or not.
Yep, hair felt awesome.
Great!
Wouldn’t it have the same effect if I eat it? Afterall the nutrients my hair gets depends on what I eat.
Maybe not as well as applying it straight to your hair.
Nope i won’t do it, i rather eat my chocolate
Ain’t nothing wrong with that!
smh, are we growing hair or baking cookies these days?
Maybe both.
would anyone recommend using African Black soap to wash the hair? I’ve been wondering but can’t find enough info on the ‘interweb’ 🙂
Hi Rebecca,
There really should be no problems with it since it is said to be gentler on the strands while providing a wholesome cleanse. Plus it has hydrating properties that help to moisturize the hair. It’s on my list of things to do.
I use African Black Soap to wash my hair and I love it! I use the one from RA Cosmetics, which I found at the beauty supply store. It has a very soft consistency and is full of good products, like honey and palm oil. I use a knife and slice off about 1/2 inch across the width of the bar. Then I cut that sliced portion in pieces and put them in an applicator bottle with very warm water. Shake it around until the pieces dissolve and then shampoo away! It is not stripping to the hair, and leaves my hair feeling soft. Right now, I’m in protective styles (two strand twists) with extensions, so I find that this really works for me. Good luck 🙂
i use 100% real Jamaican chocolate for mine 😀
Same here Chanika.
Well, the way I see it is that honey is edible and we can consume milk and tea but they go in many hair treatments. As long as it won’t kill me I’m trying it and I went ahead and liked it very much. For me, I think it’s the thrill of the process of discovery on this hair journey that intrigues me. At the end of all the experimentation I will come away knowing more about what works for my hair and what doesn’t.
well i eat it every chance i get so that must account for something
Well, dark chocolate helps with our heart so yea, it helps.
Joshlyn Johnson you can get them at places like walmart, Freds, Dollar General etc….
Yea, you can get them anywhere. My sister gets hers from Target and it’s an off-brand.
Joshlyn Johnson- Pamela Willis is correct. You can buy them anywhere. When I was pregnant I bought mine at my local health food store. I figured they would be better than say, the Wal-Mart brand.
BUT- I looked into it after reading the article and multi-vitamins have very little/to NO impact on hair growth or strength. :/
Eat a good diet and…treat your hair well. Which may mean- putting a cocoa rich conditioning treatment on it from time to time. I stand corrected. 🙂
The hair salon I go to started a line of products which contained chocolate and was called chocolate. It was great!
Carols daughter has chocolate products
I’ve seen the Sexy Healthy Sexy Hair Chocolate Soymilk products
What? I never heard of this
There is so much out there now that I wonder how I allowed some things to slip past me and I’m a blogger! We learn something new everyday love.
I did try it and it really work . Make my hair shiny and with a smooth movement .
That’s what we want to hear.
Thanks for that info Annisha! I purchased Carol’s transitioning 1-2-3 kit but I’m looking forward to trying the Chocolate products.
I have used the Shia Naturals hair products and you can have chocolate added to just about any product. I love her chocolate Creamy Leave In conditioner! This month I purchased the Mango Creamy Leave in; I still like the chocolate smell better. In any case, I am definitely going to try the two recipes above! Thank you for this article!
I know its great as a mask for your face, but hair i didnt know.
I’m gonna eat it.:-)
Wow thts smethng I didnt hear about yt
Carols daughter uses it in some of their products.
Noooo
I use chocolate cherry greek yogurt, olive oil, and avacodo oil for a protein treatment. Smells awesome.
Kewl
What?!
Yes
Teresa angie check out the link^^
Tried it, that is similar recipe, works great! Leaves hair soft and the eggs I added don’t rly smell because of chocolate 🙂 Thanks for the great idea 🙂
Never heard of this before.
I wit you on that one :0) Probably No One else has ever heard of this either, BUT it’s A Way to get “desperate” people who want their hair to grow, look this way or that special way” HYPED UP & make Quick money for the Holidays
Every week it’s. Something new. This is where i draw the line chocolate is too good to waste
AMEN & Chocolate, is too darn expensive to be putting in OUR [email protected] time of The Year with the Xmas Holidays fast approaching. That I all I,’m say-ING!
Dang people, must we believe everything when it comes to our hair??
Now, everyone’s hair is going to to SMELL like Hot Chocolate “mess” this Judah Season trust me on this one.
Our People need to ((((( stick to WHAT BEEN WORKING FOR YOU ALL THIS TIME,!))) and forget the PRODUCT HYPE!!
Chocolate & Coco to ME belongs in a Cupw SOME Milk (hot, or cold) NOT in my darn Hair! I have been on this planet (70+) years & I have seen and Tried lots of STUFF ON MY HAIR OVER THOSE 70+ YEARS, but never THIS!!
I’m NOT EVEN GOING THERE. . . . .LOL
No! Why would I waste good chocolate on my hair??
Worth trying.
Who think of this Ssh??
Child please! Coconut oil is going to suffice!
Think about it, chocolate comes in a powered form, what better way to color your hair naturally, no chemicals to damage the hair.