I GOT MY HANDS ON SOME 100% PURE BATANA (OJON) OIL!!!!
- Thread starter VinDieselsWifey
- Start date
mariofmagdal
New Member
I read up on it. I was unaware of Batana (ojan) oil before this post.
Here's some info for those like me:
Monday, May 26, 1997 Online Edition 55
Traditional hair care treatment still available today
By WENDY GRIFFIN
Many of Honduras' Indian groups have horrible traditional names. Paya means "brute" while Jicaque and Sumu mean "uncivilized person." The exception to this rule are the Miskito Indians, who are also known as the Tawira, or "the people of beautiful hair."
The secret to the beautiful hair of the Miskitos is batana, an oil extracted from pine nuts. It is believed to prevent baldness and greying and to encourage the growth of thick, shiny hair. Batana in its traditional form is dark brown. A Guatemalan anthropologist once used for several years on his silver hair and ended up with light brown hair. Batana probably prevents greying by a natural coloring process.
The sun on the North Coast is strong, but unlike other ethnic groups like the Garifunas and Ladinos, the Miskitos usually do not wear a hat. The oils in batana may have helped their hair be less brittle and softer, keeping it from breaking. Most traditional remedies which prevent baldness do so by improving scalp health also so that hair is less like likely to fall out.
Batana is available in two forms. The MOPAWI La Mosquitia development agency sells traditionally processed batana oil in each of its three stores in Puerto Lempira, La Ceiba and Tegucigalpa. And now the oil is also available in shampoo form from the Honduran company Helixe, which also makes other natural health and beauty care products. On the North Coast, this shampoo is sold in the Despensa Familiar Supermarket, located on Central Park in Tela and one block over from San Isidro Church in La Ceiba.
ALOE VERA
In Central Honduras, a number of plants are used to prevent hair loss and dandruff. These include achiote (anetto seed), zapote fruit, cola de raton and aloe vera (more commonly known as zabila). Aloe is the best known and is grown all over Honduras, although the plant is native to Africa.
Ethnobotanist Paul House of the National Autonomous University of Honduras says aloe has been proven to improve the health of the skin. This is why it is also used to heal burns, cuts, insect bites and skin and stomach ulcers. The part of the plant that is used is the gel inside the leaves.
Aloe is used in three form in Honduras. First you can use the leaf itself, which can be grown in your garden or a flower pot. Split open a leaf. Rub it into your hair and scalp, using a little water if your hair is thick. Let it soak in for about 20 minutes, during which your scalp will itch like crazy if you have dandruff problems. Then wash or rinse it out.
Salvadoran pharmaceutical companies also make aloe bar soap that is meant to be used on the skin and scalp. Wash your hair with it, let it sit 20 minutes, then rinse.
Aloe is also available in shampoos and conditioners made in Honduras by Helixe. Vett, another local manufacturers, makes aloe shampoo as well algae and ginseng shampoos and conditioners at under a dollar a bottle. Both this and the batana shampoo leave your hair clean, but not stripped like some harsher shampoos.
CASTOR OIL
Looking at Afro-American hair care products in the Bay Islands, you will notice most are made with castor oil. The castor plant, also known as higuero or higuerilla in Spanish, is native to Africa but grown on the North Coast.
The technique of extracting the oil of the castor plant is known by the Garifunas, who also use it to prepare a laxative, and clean out whatever it wrong in the digestive track. No one has yet commercialized the extraction of castor oil in Honduras, even though the plant grows well on the North Coast. All commercial castor oil hair care products here are made in the United States, even though 20 to 30 percent of Hondurans are at least partially descended from Afro-Americans and could thus benefit from this specialized hair care product.
Hondurans also use herbs to prepare healing baths. Rosemary, ruda, cucumber, aloe and oatmeal are all available in soap form under the brand name Dermacare, produced by the Chemical Manufacturing and Exporting Company of Honduras. For those bothered by insect bites that do not heal, or heat rash, Honduran soaps made with sulphur, such as Jabon Sulfa or Dermacare's Jabon Azufre can be quite effective. Dermacare's products are also available at Despensa Familiar.
Other Honduran plants, like surecy, chilca and madriado (madre cocoa) are used for rashes, itching, and healing, but are not yet available in commercial form. Of these plants, chichipins shows the most potential to be made profitably into a soap, as it has been scientifically been shown to have antibacterial and antifungal properties, as well as helping to heal and promoting the scarring of wounds when used as a soap, according to the book Plantas Medicinales Comunes de Honduras, available at Libreria Guaymuras in Tegucigalpa.
Here's some info for those like me:
Monday, May 26, 1997 Online Edition 55
Traditional hair care treatment still available today
By WENDY GRIFFIN
Many of Honduras' Indian groups have horrible traditional names. Paya means "brute" while Jicaque and Sumu mean "uncivilized person." The exception to this rule are the Miskito Indians, who are also known as the Tawira, or "the people of beautiful hair."
The secret to the beautiful hair of the Miskitos is batana, an oil extracted from pine nuts. It is believed to prevent baldness and greying and to encourage the growth of thick, shiny hair. Batana in its traditional form is dark brown. A Guatemalan anthropologist once used for several years on his silver hair and ended up with light brown hair. Batana probably prevents greying by a natural coloring process.
The sun on the North Coast is strong, but unlike other ethnic groups like the Garifunas and Ladinos, the Miskitos usually do not wear a hat. The oils in batana may have helped their hair be less brittle and softer, keeping it from breaking. Most traditional remedies which prevent baldness do so by improving scalp health also so that hair is less like likely to fall out.
Batana is available in two forms. The MOPAWI La Mosquitia development agency sells traditionally processed batana oil in each of its three stores in Puerto Lempira, La Ceiba and Tegucigalpa. And now the oil is also available in shampoo form from the Honduran company Helixe, which also makes other natural health and beauty care products. On the North Coast, this shampoo is sold in the Despensa Familiar Supermarket, located on Central Park in Tela and one block over from San Isidro Church in La Ceiba.
ALOE VERA
In Central Honduras, a number of plants are used to prevent hair loss and dandruff. These include achiote (anetto seed), zapote fruit, cola de raton and aloe vera (more commonly known as zabila). Aloe is the best known and is grown all over Honduras, although the plant is native to Africa.
Ethnobotanist Paul House of the National Autonomous University of Honduras says aloe has been proven to improve the health of the skin. This is why it is also used to heal burns, cuts, insect bites and skin and stomach ulcers. The part of the plant that is used is the gel inside the leaves.
Aloe is used in three form in Honduras. First you can use the leaf itself, which can be grown in your garden or a flower pot. Split open a leaf. Rub it into your hair and scalp, using a little water if your hair is thick. Let it soak in for about 20 minutes, during which your scalp will itch like crazy if you have dandruff problems. Then wash or rinse it out.
Salvadoran pharmaceutical companies also make aloe bar soap that is meant to be used on the skin and scalp. Wash your hair with it, let it sit 20 minutes, then rinse.
Aloe is also available in shampoos and conditioners made in Honduras by Helixe. Vett, another local manufacturers, makes aloe shampoo as well algae and ginseng shampoos and conditioners at under a dollar a bottle. Both this and the batana shampoo leave your hair clean, but not stripped like some harsher shampoos.
CASTOR OIL
Looking at Afro-American hair care products in the Bay Islands, you will notice most are made with castor oil. The castor plant, also known as higuero or higuerilla in Spanish, is native to Africa but grown on the North Coast.
The technique of extracting the oil of the castor plant is known by the Garifunas, who also use it to prepare a laxative, and clean out whatever it wrong in the digestive track. No one has yet commercialized the extraction of castor oil in Honduras, even though the plant grows well on the North Coast. All commercial castor oil hair care products here are made in the United States, even though 20 to 30 percent of Hondurans are at least partially descended from Afro-Americans and could thus benefit from this specialized hair care product.
Hondurans also use herbs to prepare healing baths. Rosemary, ruda, cucumber, aloe and oatmeal are all available in soap form under the brand name Dermacare, produced by the Chemical Manufacturing and Exporting Company of Honduras. For those bothered by insect bites that do not heal, or heat rash, Honduran soaps made with sulphur, such as Jabon Sulfa or Dermacare's Jabon Azufre can be quite effective. Dermacare's products are also available at Despensa Familiar.
Other Honduran plants, like surecy, chilca and madriado (madre cocoa) are used for rashes, itching, and healing, but are not yet available in commercial form. Of these plants, chichipins shows the most potential to be made profitably into a soap, as it has been scientifically been shown to have antibacterial and antifungal properties, as well as helping to heal and promoting the scarring of wounds when used as a soap, according to the book Plantas Medicinales Comunes de Honduras, available at Libreria Guaymuras in Tegucigalpa.
mariofmagdal
New Member
Thanks OP, I have learned quite a bit. I don't mind supporting this effort. The mass production of this oil blessed the locals. Read here:
Ojon oil
by Osvaldo Munguia and Judith Collins.
The Miskito people in Honduras have traditionally always used batana oil – extracted from the nut of the American palm (Elaeis oleifera) – as a skin and hair treatment. It encourages thick, shiny hair and repairs damaged hair. Oils for cooking are also extracted from both the nut and husk, and the husk is used to make a type of porridge. After extracting the oil, the waste products provide a nutritious feed for the local pigs.
The palm grows wild in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. Many palm trees grow in the isolated wetlands of Rio Kruta, a very poor region. Each tree produces from 10 to 20 very large bunches of fruit each year, from which 2 to 4 litres of raw oil can be extracted. The fruit is boiled and then pounded to remove the orange outer shell. The nuts are washed, sun-dried and cracked using a stone to release the kernel. These are cooked over a fire until the oil is extracted. Finally the hot oil is poured into glass bottles where it cools into a thick paste. During the 1980s the national NGO, MOPAWI, began to work with the communities to increase sales of batana oil outside the immediate area. However, despite their efforts, sales never rose above 2,000 litres a year.
Outside investment
In the late 1990s a Canadian businessman visited Kruta after noting the positive effects the oil was having on the hair of his Honduran wife. He had a lot of experience in producing beauty products. Working with MOPAWI, his company began to explore commercial possibilities for the oil, now called ‘Ojon’ (the Miskito name for the palm). After several years of research the company placed their first major order for 4,500 litres. They offered to pay over twice the previous market price for the raw oil. In 2004 production totalled 30,000 litres and in 2005 demand is expected to be as high as 50,000 litres. This will benefit over 1,000 producers and their families.
Previously, producers would paddle their canoes for up to three days each way in order to sell small quantities of oil in the nearest town. Now there are six local pick-up points. From Honduras, the oil is sent to a small village in Italy where it is made into luxury hair products that can now be bought in many parts of the world. (For information, see www.ojonhaircare.com.)
Producers have been given safety equipment to use when handling the hot oil and trials are under way testing different types of stoves that use less firewood. Both MOPAWI and the Ojon Corporation are focusing on the sustainable management of the forests where the palm grows naturally.
Quality of life
The communities in Kruta have seen significant improvements in their lives in terms of food security, housing and health. Ascholarship fund for children from the area has also been established from the corporation’s profits. MOPAWI still co-ordinates all the purchasing arrangements for the oil. However, with training and the strengthening of local organisational capacity, it is hoped that producer associations will take over this role in the future. Other plans for the future include working with producer associations to obtain organic certification for their product and investigating possible fairtrade status. This guarantees a fair and stable price for producers and helps reach markets in the North.
The producers have chosen as their slogan ‘Ojon ba Dawan yamnika kum sa’, which means ‘Ojon is a blessing from God’!
Osvaldo Munguia and Judith Collins work for MOPAWI in Honduras. Osvaldo is Director and Judith is an Environmental Adviser assigned by Tearfund, UK.
Ojon oil
by Osvaldo Munguia and Judith Collins.
The Miskito people in Honduras have traditionally always used batana oil – extracted from the nut of the American palm (Elaeis oleifera) – as a skin and hair treatment. It encourages thick, shiny hair and repairs damaged hair. Oils for cooking are also extracted from both the nut and husk, and the husk is used to make a type of porridge. After extracting the oil, the waste products provide a nutritious feed for the local pigs.
The palm grows wild in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. Many palm trees grow in the isolated wetlands of Rio Kruta, a very poor region. Each tree produces from 10 to 20 very large bunches of fruit each year, from which 2 to 4 litres of raw oil can be extracted. The fruit is boiled and then pounded to remove the orange outer shell. The nuts are washed, sun-dried and cracked using a stone to release the kernel. These are cooked over a fire until the oil is extracted. Finally the hot oil is poured into glass bottles where it cools into a thick paste. During the 1980s the national NGO, MOPAWI, began to work with the communities to increase sales of batana oil outside the immediate area. However, despite their efforts, sales never rose above 2,000 litres a year.
Outside investment
In the late 1990s a Canadian businessman visited Kruta after noting the positive effects the oil was having on the hair of his Honduran wife. He had a lot of experience in producing beauty products. Working with MOPAWI, his company began to explore commercial possibilities for the oil, now called ‘Ojon’ (the Miskito name for the palm). After several years of research the company placed their first major order for 4,500 litres. They offered to pay over twice the previous market price for the raw oil. In 2004 production totalled 30,000 litres and in 2005 demand is expected to be as high as 50,000 litres. This will benefit over 1,000 producers and their families.
Previously, producers would paddle their canoes for up to three days each way in order to sell small quantities of oil in the nearest town. Now there are six local pick-up points. From Honduras, the oil is sent to a small village in Italy where it is made into luxury hair products that can now be bought in many parts of the world. (For information, see www.ojonhaircare.com.)
Producers have been given safety equipment to use when handling the hot oil and trials are under way testing different types of stoves that use less firewood. Both MOPAWI and the Ojon Corporation are focusing on the sustainable management of the forests where the palm grows naturally.
Quality of life
The communities in Kruta have seen significant improvements in their lives in terms of food security, housing and health. Ascholarship fund for children from the area has also been established from the corporation’s profits. MOPAWI still co-ordinates all the purchasing arrangements for the oil. However, with training and the strengthening of local organisational capacity, it is hoped that producer associations will take over this role in the future. Other plans for the future include working with producer associations to obtain organic certification for their product and investigating possible fairtrade status. This guarantees a fair and stable price for producers and helps reach markets in the North.
The producers have chosen as their slogan ‘Ojon ba Dawan yamnika kum sa’, which means ‘Ojon is a blessing from God’!
Osvaldo Munguia and Judith Collins work for MOPAWI in Honduras. Osvaldo is Director and Judith is an Environmental Adviser assigned by Tearfund, UK.
BlkOnyx488
Well-Known Member
Omgoodness
this is not helping me to quelch my budding PJism
Ok I am off to putz around the Ojon site
this is not helping me to quelch my budding PJism
Ok I am off to putz around the Ojon site
moonlightchic18
Well-Known Member
Put my name on the list too!! 
I want to try!
I want to try!
danigurl18
Active Member
I need to go check my local grocery store and see if they have it!! Keep us updated 
Tee
Active Member
Let me know your results VinD.....I would buy up all I could too!!!i'm mainly just a lurker now but every now & then i'll pop up
yes it's very nice down here. i plan to redo my cornrows every month so i can test it on a piece of hair the next time i take them down
I love Ojon.
gymfreak336
New Member
Have you thought about finding a way to become a vendor for this stuff via ebay? I am not sure how complicated it would be but it could be worth your time to find someone down there you could purchase from directly and sell it on ebay. You could make your rent payment from the board alone 
And all of this Ojon talk makes me want to go shopping again
And all of this Ojon talk makes me want to go shopping again
MsLizziA
Well-Known Member
Girl thank you! I will be waiting
Bnster
New Member
I wants it!
I'm DC'ing with Ojon as we speak. I completed a survey I received from Ojon via email and today UPS dropped off a full sized set of Ultra Hydrating Conditioner and Shampoo. I'm going to use it tonight. I'll let you all know how it goes.
Now, I did try Ojon shampoo and conditioner in the past and hated it. I can't recall whether it was the exact same formula but I'm not one to turn my nose up at a free $40+ set of hair products so here we go...
The restorative treatment has always been amazing; although I haven't used it in a while as I'm trying to stick to a budget.
Oooooh! Is there a survey link? I love their stuff!
VinDieselsWifey
Well-Known Member
Have you thought about finding a way to become a vendor for this stuff via ebay? I am not sure how complicated it would be but it could be worth your time to find someone down there you could purchase from directly and sell it on ebay. You could make your rent payment from the board alone
And all of this Ojon talk makes me want to go shopping again
LOL
i would love to be able to get a steady supply of it. but i was talking to one of the locals & he said it's hard to get this stuff because the demand is high. once the sellers get it it's gone just like that
you're welcome
yeah i was very fortunate to be able to get the pure stuff
Girl, I LOVE my OJON restorative!!!
Go on and PLEASE put me on the list if you are wanting to sell some jars. I want this BAD!
i'm working on trying to get a large amount.
Kimdionneca
New Member
BlaqBella
Well-Known Member
VDW i've found that rollersetting (youtube video sessions galore have almost helped me perfect this), blowouts w/ my hot brush (mainly roots), and bantu knot out on my blown out hair is a wonderful hairstyle for me. I've had a problem in the past with abusing heat.But it's not really my hairs enemy from time to time(with good dc's). I also love the thickness of my natural hair compared to relaxed straight.I dont mind detangling much myself.Before i knew much of anything right about haircare i was already a person who experimented w/ styles on my own hair anyway..but this was mostly teens-early twenties. Well i think i may still have it by
spending countless hours (sad i know..you should hear my SO talk about me) here reading/pictures and youtube i begun finding my niche again for coming up w/ things i like/look kinda decent.Sometimes when i update style pics i'll let u know. And i think we maybe kinda close in length(i cannot believe i'm typin this about you)ok "i'm thru:freakin' out" but i'm sure your thickness has me BEAT. So i can understand that some styles for you to do yourself could be overwhelming.
You ARE NOT ALONE w/ the BKT thoughts ( i won't be doing it..but wont judge others either).And i wish you the best on your journey no matter what..i'll probably be the first in line waiting for your updates later this year!HHG!
BTW: Truth be told your texlaxed hair had me stalking your fotki for a while there..til i realized my fine edges/perimeter of my hair were too fragile to not layoff the chems.
Then it' was a whole other thing to deal w/ my naturalness..Later
spending countless hours (sad i know..you should hear my SO talk about me) here reading/pictures and youtube i begun finding my niche again for coming up w/ things i like/look kinda decent.Sometimes when i update style pics i'll let u know. And i think we maybe kinda close in length(i cannot believe i'm typin this about you)ok "i'm thru:freakin' out" but i'm sure your thickness has me BEAT. So i can understand that some styles for you to do yourself could be overwhelming.
You ARE NOT ALONE w/ the BKT thoughts ( i won't be doing it..but wont judge others either).And i wish you the best on your journey no matter what..i'll probably be the first in line waiting for your updates later this year!HHG!
BTW: Truth be told your texlaxed hair had me stalking your fotki for a while there..til i realized my fine edges/perimeter of my hair were too fragile to not layoff the chems.
Then it' was a whole other thing to deal w/ my naturalness..Later
Last edited:
VinDieselsWifey
Well-Known Member
VDW i've found that rollersetting (youtube video sessions galore have almost helped me perfect this), blowouts w/ my hot brush (mainly roots), and bantu knot out on my blown out hair is a wonderful hairstyle for me. I've had a problem in the past with abusing heat.But it's not really my hairs enemy from time to time(with good dc's). I also love the thickness of my natural hair compared to relaxed straight.I dont mind detangling much myself.Before i knew much of anything right about haircare i was already a person who experimented w/ styles on my own hair anyway..but this was mostly teens-early twenties. Well i think i may still have it by
spending countless hours (sad i know..you should hear my SO talk about me) here reading/pictures and youtube i begun finding my niche again for coming up w/ things i like/look kinda decent.Sometimes when i update style pics i'll let u know. And i think we maybe kinda close in length(i cannot believe i'm typin this about you)ok "i'm thru:freakin' out" but i'm sure your thickness has me BEAT. So i can understand that some styles for you to do yourself could be overwhelming.
You ARE NOT ALONE w/ the BKT thoughts ( i won't be doing it..but wont judge others either).And i wish you the best on your journey no matter what..i'll probably be the first in line waiting for your updates later this year!HHG!
BTW: Truth be told your texlaxed hair had me stalking your fotki for a while there..til i realized my fine edges/perimeter of my hair were too fragile to not layoff the chems.
Then it' was a whole other thing to deal w/ my naturalness..Later
thanks for the tips. i'm pretty anxious to play with my hair when i get back to the states. hopefully i can find a style that i like and doesn't take me all day to do it
i'm still working on getting a large supply of this oil. i was hoping to get in touch with this organization called Mopawi that helps the Miskitos sell their product. i was reading up on Ojon & it seems they have some type of monopoly on this oil down here. They have patents on it and have exclusivity contracts with Mopawi and the natives so that they won't sell to anybody else!
i think that's some bs right there. one of the locals at work says she knows a girl who's cousin is either one of those Miskitos or lives really close to them so she thinks she can get me some large amounts of it. i'm waiting to hear back from her.
nakialovesshoes
Well-Known Member
Subscribing. Anxious to know if you'll be selling it. I've used Ojon products & I love them. Do you know if you're close to Dr. Sebi's healing village (where Left Eye was visiting when she died)?
MekyakaKinkerbelle
New Member
VDW,
You have a bona fide business prospect. Are you kidding me right now?!?!?!?!
You have a direct line to the purest batana oil! Not only would you have a great business, but you would be helping a community that directly profit from their work (vs. corporate greed hacking away at the profits).
If you do decide to sell it, I would be a supporter for sure!!! The trickle down support of the people alone is enough to get my money!
You have a bona fide business prospect. Are you kidding me right now?!?!?!?!
You have a direct line to the purest batana oil! Not only would you have a great business, but you would be helping a community that directly profit from their work (vs. corporate greed hacking away at the profits).
If you do decide to sell it, I would be a supporter for sure!!! The trickle down support of the people alone is enough to get my money!
VinDieselsWifey
Well-Known Member
i checked the map & i'm in Comayagua which is like in the southwest part & he is in La Ceiba which is in the northern part by the ocean.
i would love to be able to sell it. but the more i keep asking around, it seems like it is hard to get this stuff. the street vendors that sell the small jars said that it's hard for them to get it & when they do they sell out very fast. i was hoping to get it directly from the Indians through this company called Mopawi but it looks like Ojon has a contract with them where the only "outsider" they will sell it to is the Ojon company.
but i'm not giving up.
MsLizziA
Well-Known Member
Please don't give up. Talk to the locals who sell it and see if you can get them to redirect the business to you. PLEASE!i checked the map & i'm in Comayagua which is like in the southwest part & he is in La Ceiba which is in the northern part by the ocean.
i would love to be able to sell it. but the more i keep asking around, it seems like it is hard to get this stuff. the street vendors that sell the small jars said that it's hard for them to get it & when they do they sell out very fast. i was hoping to get it directly from the Indians through this company called Mopawi but it looks like Ojon has a contract with them where the only "outsider" they will sell it to is the Ojon company.
but i'm not giving up.
VinDieselsWifey
Well-Known Member
i see where someone is selling a 4 oz jar. i don't know if it's the real deal or not. mine came in a baby food jar from a vendor selling natural products. no telling what part of Honduras he got his from. i have seen a company called Helixe that sells products with batana oil in it, but not the pure oil. I don't know what company is on the jar he's selling. i haven't seen any jars that look like that since i've been here.
but it could be the real deal...
moonlightchic18
Well-Known Member
I took the plunge and ordered mine of Ebay yesterday, so that might be what everyone is referring to on Ebay. The seller said he mailed it off right after I paid, so hopefully I should have it by the end of this week.
I'll keep everyone updated on what it looks like and how it turns out in my hair?
I'll keep everyone updated on what it looks like and how it turns out in my hair?
mariofmagdal
New Member
I see the price on that Batana oil is rising on Ebay.......;0)
I can't hang with that ;0(
(I am not a bidder, just watching)
I can't hang with that ;0(
(I am not a bidder, just watching)
MsLizziA
Well-Known Member
Where did yall find the pure one? I looked on ebay and it didn't come up
Similar threads
