Organic quinoa - the new superfood for beautiful hair
There's only one superfood which has everyone talking right now - the "gold of the Andes", quinoa. lavera Naturkosmetik takes the amazing abilities of this powerful plant and uses them in lavera haircare products. Thanks to valuable nutrients such as vitamins, amino acids and proteins, organic quinoa contributes to naturally beautiful, silky hair which is more easily combed - all without the use of silicon and certified as COSMOS-standard (certification for organic cosmetics). The natural beauty of these small seeds combined with their abundance of powerful active ingredients make them one of the most exciting plants used by lavera Naturkosmetik.
The gold of the Andes
The quinoa plant originally comes from South America, where it has been known as a nutrient- and energy-rich staple food of the Incas for around 6,000 years. That's why it's also known by the names "Inca rice" and "Inca wheat". Since then, quinoa has been cultivated in Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. The interesting thing is that quinoa is actually not a grain at all, but rather belongs to the goosefoot family just like beetroot and spinach. However, since the seeds can be processed in the same way as other cereals, quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat are often nicknamed "pseudo-cereals".
The seeds, which are cooked similarly to rice, are only about 3 millimetres in size. The robust quinoa plant grows at an altitude of about 4,000 metres and can grow up to 3 metres high. It's certainly not picky: extreme weather conditions and poor soil prove no problem.
In terms of weather, nothing can upset this hardy power-plant: it can patiently and easily tolerate temperatures ranging from minus 8 to plus 38 degrees - even frost and extreme drought aren't an issue. It can easily adapt to changing climatic conditions and has therefore been considered one of the most important plants of the Andean region for thousands of years.
A miniature powerhouse
It's incredible how many powerful nutrients fit into these tiny little seeds! Each quinoa seed is a real powerhouse: it contains lots of important minerals like magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium and manganese. Golden, red and black quinoa seeds also contain numerous essential vitamins and vegetable protein.
Quinoa is THE superfood for people with a gluten intolerance and impresses with a single glance at its nutritional information: the iron content of the precious quinoa seeds is actually 100% higher than that of wheat or rye. That puts quinoa at the top of the leaderboard when it comes to the healthiest seeds. High-quality proteins and essential fatty acids, such as the important lysine, can also be found in the South American power-plant.
