You’ve probably heard of Shea Butter, but also probably don’t know much about it other than seeing it as an ingredient in body and hair products. It IS super moisturizing, which is why you are seeing it in so many places. Moisturizing in a similar way to cocoa butter, but without having to smell like chocolate!
Last winter I made the mistake of leaving it too late to switch up my skin care routine – for body and face – to a richer, more moisturizing version for winter, and oh did I regret that. I had itchy, scaly patches on my legs and my face looked terrible! Never again. So, this year I am ready. I spent all last Saturday in the kitchen “cooking up a storm”, but not of food, of skincare products and ALL of them have Shea butter in them. I made lip balms, shower creams, face cleansing balm, whipped shea body butter and hair pomade – my husband’s favorite. I was literally in there all day long. I am adding them to my site one at a time, so bear with me, but you can always email me too – loghousearomatics@gmail.com
Why shea? Well, as stated it is super moisturizing it also has many other benefits, including a level of natural sun protection – in fact, my husband noticed that when using the hair pomade he did not get sunburn while out playing golf, so I looked it up and shea butter dos in fact have a natural SPF of around 7 (NOT the 28-30 you sometimes see online!), so a low level, but sufficient as a hair product to protect your scalp. It is the presence of cinnamic acid that gives shea butter this property.
It also contains Vitamins A and E, which are both proven to help reduce scar tissue, so you can apply shea directly to existing scars and it should, over time, help reduce their appearance. These things do not happen overnight though, you must use it consistently for at leas a few weeks, if not months. Patience and persistence is key.
Those same anti-oxidants help fight cell-damaging free radicals, which helps support your skin’s elasticity and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It’s the same process as helping to reduce scar tissue, it’s helping your skin to repair itself. Thus the same applies to any other types of skin damage – for example, burns, grazes, etc.
Its deep moisturizing level comes from its rich oleic, linoleic and stearic acid content. As well as deeply moisturizing the skin below the surface it also provides a protective layer on the surface that prevents skin from getting dehydrated – which of course is a key factor in skin getting that dried out look.
Research has also shown that the oleic acid in shea, which is between 40-50% of its composition, can soothe the pain and inflammation associated with chronic skin issues such as eczema and rosacea. This could be a game changer for a lot of people.
So where does shea butter come from? Well, just like so many wonderful natural products, it is only sourced in one area of the world, in this case, Africa. The butter comes from the nut of the Karite tree. The nuts are picked, cracked, grilled then pounded. After all that, they are boiled in water to extract the shea butter, which is scooped out and left to cool. It is then ready to use. At room temperature it is a solid; to use it you melt it between your hands into an oil.
You will rarely get pure shea butter here. It is usually combined with other oils to make it easier to use, and of course less expensive. If you ever do get a chance to try pure shea butter though, do try it. A small amount goes a super long way! A friend of mine brought some back from Ghana once and it was amazing – just a little 1oz pot lasted me all summer! I can’t promise you that, but I can promise you that you will love the benefits that shea can bring to your skin, particularly in the oncoming winter season.