Soothing Shea butter

Some skincare products come to our rescue when in need of self-care and the rich shea butter is one of them. Packed with essential nutrients its' a wonderful ingredient for smoothing and soothing skin and hair. But it also has a deeper meaning for the producers and their community.

Shea trees are native to West Africa, which is also where the ancient shea butter mainly comes from. To be precise, it comes from the nuts of the shea tree, also knows as the karité tree, that grow in the Sahel region stretching from West to East Africa, from Guinea and Senegal to Uganda and South Sudan — the so-called Shea Belt. 

Shea butter has been used as a cosmetic and skincare ingredient for centuries, because of its natural healing properties, and it is said that both Cleopatra and the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti used shea butter as a beauty product. It has been called women’s gold because of its rich golden color, and also because it provides employment and income to millions of women across the continent. Making shea butter is a demanding process that takes a lot of time and which also requires great care from the grower for the shea butter to be of high quality.

Shea butter is packed with essential nutrients and is therefore a real go-to product for smoothing and soothing your skin and hair. It is rich in fatty acids and in vitamin A, E, and F – antioxidant vitamins that promote circulation and healthy skin cell growth. It is the perfect base for creams and an moisturizing supplement in your skin products.

Usage

Because shea butter is typically used for its moisturizing effects, it's a go-to ingredient for any natural beauty remedies such as body butter, face mask, and hair mask. The combination of shea butter merged with essential oils will soothe every hair and skin in need of moisture. It is also very low in the proteins that can trigger allergies, which makes it a friendly use for nearly any skin type. Shea butter doesn’t contain chemical irritants known to dry out skin, and it doesn’t clog pores.

Moisturizing hair mask

Homemade moisturizing hair mask for dry hair is made on shea butter, jojoba oil, argan oil, and organic honey, which gives fantastically soft and shiny hair.

• Melt shea butter in a water bath

• Mix with the oils and honey

• Put the mixture in the freezer for about 15 minutes, take it out and whip it fluffy with an electric whisk.

• Add to towel dry hair with a gentle massage and comb through gently before leaving it for 30 minutes. Then wash out with your regular schampoo or hair soap et voilà! Repeat when needed. It’s also a great moisturizing face mask.

Shea butter has been used as a cosmetic and skincare ingredient for centuries, because of its natural healing properties, and it is said that both Cleopatra and the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti used shea butter as a beauty product.