Can Black Volcanic Ash Revolutionize the Hair Dressing World?

Allegedly there’s legal action being taken against Kate Hudson and David Babaii, her hair stylist-guru-to-the-stars, in the Superior Court of Los Angelos, over a verbal agreement with 220 Laboratories. The Laboratories allege that Hudson and Babaii have committed fraud, misappropriated trade secrets, are in breach of confidence and contract, plus up to 13 other misdemeanors.

The secret ingredient to the products, which are said to revolutionize the hairdressing world, is black volcanic ash, from the remote tropical island of Tanna, in Vanuatu, in the South Pacific.

Researchers have just discovered that the average woman, unknowingly, puts 176 different chemicals on her body, in her daily beauty routine. The use of volcanic ash is part of the world wide drive to find more natural products.

This is not the first time the volcanic ash has been used in caring for the body. Volcanic Earth, based in Vanuatu, sells an exclusive exfoliating 'Ash Power' body scrub, made from volcanic ash and fine crystals of sugar (sucrose). The scrub is the color of rich black soil. The texture feels like fine granulated sugar being rubbed on the skin. Working the grains back and forth produces the exfoliating action, scrubbing away dead skin cells. After a minute of rubbing and scrubbing, the grains dissolve away into a lightly scented (slightly sweet), moisturizing foam.

A user of the volcanic ash product described it as, "A bit like dying your own hair. The stuff is as black as squid ink and gets everywhere you don't really want it to be. The face cloth I used to remove it in the shower will never recover. I’m glad we have a handheld shower so I could quickly hose the splatters from the grout. My husband would have killed me."

The mineral rich, oil absorbing volcanic ash contains sulphur, which has been used for centuries as a treatment for a wide variety of skin conditions. The volcanic products are said to detoxify and restore life energy through the ancient minerals.

According to Kate Hudson and her partner, you can now manage fly away hair, as well as buy a mask for the face, procured a scrub for the body and an exfoliate and conditioner for the lips.

It is amazing what pulverized rock and cooled molten glass, created by violent volcanic explosions, can do. The locals in Tanna may be burning away a fortune, when instead of gathering wood they use the ash on their fires, to cook their food, particularly since the area has been defoliated by the action of the volcanic ash. I am sure when it comes to the bottom line however it will be a case of who has ownership over the precious ash that liberally litters the plain around the foot of Mt Yassur, turning the landscape into a scene from a science-fiction movie?

There is an additional valuable use for the ash, which only nature can manipulate. When high intensity of volcanic ash is erupted into the air, as was experienced in 1991 after the Mt Pinatubo eruption, there was a universal cooling effect. The ash can remain suspended for days and sometimes even up to years, cooling the earth by screening the sun. I wonder if anyone has thought that a string of volcanic eruptions could be the answer to the world’s crisis of global warming. Will nature come to our rescue?