COMMUNITY NEWS
Levente Szabó from Moholy-Nagy University of Art & Design, Hungary, has won the Electrolux Design Lab 2007 competition with E-Wash, a compact washing machine that uses soap nuts instead of detergent.
The 2007 Electrolux Design Lab challenged students to come up with environmentally sound, commercially viable products and solutions that would enable consumers to live in greater harmony with the environment.
In India and Nepal, people have used the soap nut (Sapindus mucorossi) for centuries to get their clothes clean. Szabó says that a kilogram of soap nuts would last the typical person a year, and soap nuts are good for people with allergies and gentle on clothes.
"E-wash is a brilliant connection between ancient knowledge and high-tech," comments juror Henrik Otto, Head of Global Design for Electrolux. "It takes someone open-minded to look for solutions from somewhere else and apply them to his own culture."
"The soap nut is a natural plant and can be cultivated. It does not harm nature but is a part of it," said Szabó. "The other problem was the form of conventional washing machine. I reduced the size and made it flat, so it would fit into a small apartment, but also would be able to wash a lot of clothes at the same time."
Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/e-wash-66120601#ixzz0mWM2VltV
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Soap Nuts Anti Hair Loss Shampoo
Soap nuts have been used in India especially by women to wash hair for centuries. Ancient medical system of Ayurveda used soap nuts for various medicinal uses including for hair. It is in the list herbs and mineral in Ayurveda. Soap nuts also find use in Unani and Tibetan medical system.
Soap nuts are sun dried fruits of Sapindus tree. There are five to twelve varieties of this tree throughout the world, but they are most used in India, Nepal, Indonesia and China. The variety in North India, china and Nepal is Sapindus Mukorossi and in South India and Pakistan Sapindus Trifoliatus. The fruit is 1-2 cm in brown or golden color.
Shampoo is used for hair care; it removes oil, skin particles, dirt, environment pollutants and control dandruff from scalp and hair. We need shampoo which can manage without making hair unmanageable. As shampoo is a surfactant it also removes natural oils (sebum) which are important to lubricate the hair. Hence we use conditioner after shampoo or shampoos with conditioners. The first synthetic shampoo was introduced in 1930.
However, people of many countries like India have been using different formulation of shampoos containing herbs like soap nuts, shikakai, neem, heena, fenugreek, aloe, bael and almond adding aromatic substances like rose, turmeric, jasmine and sandalwood. These formulations have not only worked as natural mild surfactant but also as conditioner. They have medicinal properties that help in controlling dandruff, removing lice and keeping hair healthy and aliment free. As per a report from American Academy of Dermatology, some 30 million women in USA suffer from hair loss in early ages and this number is increasing.
Soap nuts are sun dried fruits of Sapindus tree. There are five to twelve varieties of this tree throughout the world, but they are most used in India, Nepal, Indonesia and China. The variety in North India, china and Nepal is Sapindus Mukorossi and in South India and Pakistan Sapindus Trifoliatus. The fruit is 1-2 cm in brown or golden color.
Shampoo is used for hair care; it removes oil, skin particles, dirt, environment pollutants and control dandruff from scalp and hair. We need shampoo which can manage without making hair unmanageable. As shampoo is a surfactant it also removes natural oils (sebum) which are important to lubricate the hair. Hence we use conditioner after shampoo or shampoos with conditioners. The first synthetic shampoo was introduced in 1930.
However, people of many countries like India have been using different formulation of shampoos containing herbs like soap nuts, shikakai, neem, heena, fenugreek, aloe, bael and almond adding aromatic substances like rose, turmeric, jasmine and sandalwood. These formulations have not only worked as natural mild surfactant but also as conditioner. They have medicinal properties that help in controlling dandruff, removing lice and keeping hair healthy and aliment free. As per a report from American Academy of Dermatology, some 30 million women in USA suffer from hair loss in early ages and this number is increasing.
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