“Shake the Tree of Life itself and bring down fruits unheard of.” - Edwin Arlington Robinson
Shea Butter is a natural skin salve that comes from the ripe fruits of the “Tree of Life”, also known as the Shea tree. The fattiness of Shea Butter is what led to its other nickname, “Mother Nature’s Conditioner.” Many people around the world rely on Shea (pronounced “shay”) Butter for their skin, hair, and overall well-being.
3 Key Benefits of Shea Butter
Shea Butter is used today for many reasons. Listed below are 3 benefits as well as 7 ways you can incorporate it into your daily life.
Help Hydrate: Shea Butter is rich in antioxidants and vitamins. In fact, there are studies indicating that Shea Butter has as many benefits as green tea. Shea Butter is also an excellent moisturizer because it is a solid oil, made of five essential fatty acids, including vitamin E, vitamin D, and vitamin A. Shea Butter is more than 60% fat which essentially creates a barrier over the skin.
Nurture Skin: Several Shea Butter advocates boast about it’s soothing nature on irritated or sensitive skin. Intentionally rubbing Shea Butter on sunburns, diaper rashes, windburns, dry patches, scars, and abrasions may help deal with the annoying side effects that come with them.
Ease Inflammation: Shea Butter works to penetrate skin quickly and many devotees believe that it’s able to calm skin via cinnamic acid (an anti-inflammatory agent). Plus, the fatty acids that make-up Shea Butter are also known to give inflamed skin some relief.
7 Luscious Ways to Enjoy Shea Butter
Shea Butter is used all around the world, including the United States. You can find Shea Butter in hundreds of beauty items, including shampoo and skin creams. Below are a few more popular ways people incorporate rich and creamy Shea Butter into their lives.
- Soothe chapped lips
- After-sun skin care
- Comb through hair to avoid flyaways and frizz
- Fight dandruff and scalp irritations
- Alternative to shaving cream
- Moisturize cracked nails and feet
- Apply to insect bites and stretch marks
Keep in mind, having an allergic reaction to the topical use of Shea Butter is rare. However, we would still encourage you to be cautious if you do have nut allergies. You can simply apply your Shea Butter product to a tiny patch of skin for a test reaction. Once you can be sure Shea Butter is your friend, then it’s time to get to know it’s buttery-like goodness a little bit better.
At Nefertem, we use raw, grade A, virgin, USDA Certified Organic, Fair Trade, unrefined, Shea butter (Butyrospermum Parkii) from Ghana in our creams, soaps and balms.
