BY NUBIAN ROC PUBLISHED: 14 Dec 22
Shea Butter is a skin and hair superfood that comes from the seeds of the fruit of the Shea (Karite) tree and that is naturally rich in vitamins A, E and F. It offers UV protection (it is SPF ~6) and provides the skin and hair with essential fatty acids and the nutrients necessary for collagen production. Shea Butter has been used in Africa and many other locations for years to improve skin and hair. In West Africa there is a tree that has been used for centuries to make teas and topical preparations that will help detox and heal inflammations. The tree is called Borututu Tree, and is what gives Yellow Shea Butter the yellow color. The yellow/orange core you see above is shredded and added to the boiling step of Shea Butter production, and the result is a Shea Butter that has a pretty bright yellow color, and infused with incredible antioxidants and healing elements in addition to those of our Ivory Shea Butter.
The benefits of shea butter come from its chemical makeup. Shea butter contains:
- linoleic, palmitic, stearic, and oleic fatty acids, ingredients that balance oils on your skin and hair
- vitamins A, E, and F, antioxidant vitamins that promote circulation and healthy skin and hair cell growth
- triglycerides, the fatty part of the shea nut that nourishes and conditions your skin and hair
- cetyl esters, the waxy part of the shea nut butter that conditions skin or hair and locks in moisture
Benefits
- Moisturizing: The concentration of natural vitamins and fatty acids in Shea Butter makes it incredibly nourishing and moisturizing for skin and hair. It is often used to remedy dry skin or hair and to help protect the hair or skin’s natural oils.
- Reduces Inflammation: A 2010 study found that due to its cinnamic acid and other natural properties, Shea Butter was anti-inflammatory. One compound in particular, lupeol cinnamate, was found to reduce skin inflammation and even potentially help avoid skin mutations. This also makes it beneficial for some people with acne.
- Skin Smoothing: Shea Butter aids in the skin’s natural collagen production and contains oleic, stearic, palmitic, and linolenic acids that protect and nourish the skin and hair to prevent drying. With long-term use, many people report skin or hair softening and strengthening as well as wrinkle reduction.
- The good news is, it’s great to use on kids and babies too!
How to Store Shea Butter
- The typical shelf life of unrefined shea butter is about 24 months (2 years) from the date of manufacture and packaging. This is an approximate shelf life affected by storage and temperature. The last two are very important to keep in mind!
- Unrefined shea butter is 100% natural, with no chemicals, parabens or preservatives added, so it can happen that one batch or harvest will give a slightly different color and nutty flavor than another
How To Tell If Your Shea Butter Has Expired
- First and foremost- if it smells rancid, your shea butter is not good anymore. However, if you are new to Unrefined, Raw Shea Butter, you may mistake its characteristic nutty and smokey smell for rancidness. We’ll try to expand on this and go over in more detail the difference between rancid smell and smokey smell:
- Rancid smell: Makes you gag, reminds you of olive oil gone bad or food gone bad. If your shea butter smells rancid, toss it. It would be putrid, you’d know!
- Smoky Smell: The nutty fresh smell of shea butter almost smells like the shea butter has been smoked for flavor, which disappears when its rancid.
Some favorite uses for Shea Butter
- By itself for face, hair and body as a natural moisturizer
- After sun or beach exposure to replenish skin
- During pregnancy to ward off stretch marks
- As a natural cuticle cream
- As the best under-eye wrinkle remover and bag-reducer
- As a massage butter
- In my homemade velvety soft whipped body butter
- On sore nose during a cold or flu
- Added to basic homemade lotion
- By itself on scars to naturally help collagen production
- As a base for homemade deodorant
- By itself for low-grade sun protection
- Whipped into magnesium body butter
- As a natural baby-care product (alone) or ingredient in baby care recipes
- By itself on the lips or in homemade lip balms
- On the eyelids before applying makeup to make it last longer
- To improve skin elasticity (some even say it helps with cellulite)
- On the hair or scalp (in mixture with other natural ingredients)
- In homemade liquid creme foundation and makeup
