Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Shea Butter…

This is a great picture of natural shea butter that I found on flickr.   The photographer writes:  “African Shea Butter … provides all the essential vitamins needed to make skin look and feel smoother, softer and most importantly, healthier.  Its therapeutic properties protect skin from wind, cold, sun and it helps heal wounds faster.  Shea Butter stimulates cellular activity, fights the effects of aging and repairs rough, damaged skin.”

Unrefined virgin shea butter is extracted naturally from the fruit of the Karite tree. Traditional extraction is done in small villages throughout Western Africa. The Karite tree blooms for two months in the summer and the nut of the fruit is cracked open, crushed and boiled, thereby releasing the shea butter.

Shea butter is readily incorporated into body butters and lotions. The difference between the two is that lotions use water as a filler in the whipping process. By adding water, a manufacturer must prevent the possibility of bacteria from growing in the solution and as a result, it is common to rely on additional chemical preservatives to maintain the lotion. In contrast, shea butter can be mixed with essential oils and other nut butters to create a whipped or creamy consistency. The result is a better quality product containing a much higher organic content. Before purchasing a product, read the ingredients list to see exactly what is in the mix.

There are various grades of butter depending on its purity. The cheaper and lesser grade variety is mixed with chemicals and bleaches. In its unrefined state, shea butter has a creamy color and a unique nutty scent. It is this distinctive odor that certain manufacturers attempt to wash away or masque with chemical deodorizers. Unfortunately this also reduces its natural, healing properties. For this reason, it is important to buy products that are made from completely raw, unprocessed and unrefined shea butter. If unsure, the scent itself can be a good indication of its quality.

Whether applied as a thick cream or whipped into a fluffy consistency, a little can go a long way. It easily melts onto the skin where it is readily absorbed. For this reason, it is best used to treat dry skin. As long as the butter is processed naturally and incorporated in its unrefined state, the end product can deliver many essential vitamins to the skin. Vitamins A, E, and F in particular can assist in the skin’s healing process and help relieve the signs of aging and wrinkles. Because it is so soothing, whipped or creamy shea butter is used to alleviate itchy skin and to lessen the affects of sun exposure.

If you have a passion for skin care and how naturally derived, plant based ingredients can nourish, protect and rejuvenate your body, please visit the Silk Sheets Collection of essential body moisturizers. They are a unique blend of pure, natural and organic ingredients carefully chosen for their ability to hydrate and retain moisture in the skin. They contain absolutely NO WATER OR PETROLEUM.