Silky Soft Skin Care
What is Shea Butter and How is it Made?
Shea Butter continues to be a hot additive for the cosmetics industry. So many people ask me, “What is Shea Butter?”
It isn't made from some formula, but is an organic product produced from a tree that grows in Africa. The fruit is picked , and the nut/seed is removed then "cooked" into a butter.
It is transdermal and soaks down into the layers of your skin. It does not just sit on the skin and feel “oily”--it actually soaks in and conditions your skin. It is also known as a healing oil for these reasons and is thought to help with these skin conditions:
Itchy or dry skin
Skin rash
Sunburn or peeling skin after a burn
Blemishes and wrinkles
Small skin wounds or cracks
Shave cream for a silky smooth shave
Tough, rough calloused skin (like on feet)
Cold weather and frost bite
Stretch mark prevention during pregnancy
Insect bites and skin allergies like poison ivy
Healthy skin
Muscle fatigue, aches and pains
Before and after strenuous exercise
Eczema
Psoriasis
Dermatitis
I now use Filtered Natural Unrefined Shea Butter! This is the shea butter with more of the goodies in it and I am thrilled to have found a supplier that offers the quality I insist on for my friends. It has been naturally processed giving you the best results and retaining all the benefits of the natural product.
Why UN-refined? No, it isn't dirty or unsanitary. Refining often removes or alters what starts out to be a perfectly wonderful natural product, but, in the process of deodorizing and cleaning it up, you lose many of those naturally occurring benefits. At the same time chemicals are used to "clean" it up, it is also leaching out all the wonderful vitamins, fatty acids, etc.
This Shea Butter is light yellow/green (muddy) in color, has a slightly nutty, smoky odor that disappears quickly after you apply it to your skin. It is creamier than refined sheas which tend to be hard. We add Vitamin E to our shea, which besides being good for your skin, acts as a natural preservative. Other than that, it is all natural and is not a mixture of oils and preservatives.
If you ever feel any "graininess" it is actually one of the seven fatty acids in the shea butter. This one "bumpy" fatty acid is commonly removed when shea butter is refined, but, in this product all the good stuff is left in tact. So, if your creams feel any different…don't worry…it's more good stuff soaking into your skin.
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