Shea butter is wonderfully versatile oil. It moisturizes, heals and beautifies all at once. To get the full benefits make sure you are getting real Shea Butter.
I remember burning my hand once – it was a really bad burn – I had grabbed a skillet that had been in the oven for an hour with my bare hands while talking on the telephone. I generously applied pure Shea on the burned sections of my hand. I repeated this every hour for several hours, and then I applied it once daily for the next few days. Unbelievably, I had no blistering or scarring! No evidence at all of any damage whatsoever was present, and from that day forward I was a faithful believer in the ability of Shea butter to heal and restore the skin.
The fact that my Shea butter was pure, though, was extremely important, in retrospect.
I found out that pure Shea butter, made from the nuts of the African Karite tree, contains vitamins A, E, and F. It also contains large amounts of a natural sunscreen called cinnamic acid, and it also has a good amount of unsaponifiables, a fat that works exceptionally well with regard to skin conditions and hair care.
But be careful! All Shea butters are not the same. For instance, Shea butters that are bright white in color tend to be highly refined and therefore do not have the same amount of nutrients that unrefined pure Shea butter has. There may be no additives have been combined with the Shea butter, but the beneficial nutrients will have been removed with the highly refined white Shea butter.
What should you look for when shopping for Shea Butter?
– It should be an off white ivory (if it is bright white it is likely to be processed) or yellowish color. The colors range due to the country of origin.
– The texture should not be hard or greasy, as the vitamin E content of pure, unrefined Shea butter provides a firm yet supple quality for this amazing moisturizer.
– Pure Shea butter emulsifies quickly and easily in the hands when they are rubbed together and readily absorbs into the surface of the skin, whereas highly refined Shea butter tends to be harder to emulsify and ends up feeling more greasy.
In 2009, YouTuber Duchess Gabrielle did a very informative series on picking out quality Shea. Turns out at this time period there were vendors dying Shea yellow because the color was more popular or some people who were selling African butter and presenting it as Shea Butter. You still may encounter this. While there are some dead ringer tell tell signs that what you are getting is the real deal in some cases you simply cannot tell by just looking, so it is best that you get your Shea from a trusted source.
Do Shea butter suppose to stink. My son brought some yellow Shea butter at the rite aid store and it smelled the whole house up. It was so strong and smelly that I had to lit incenses (3) and spray some air freshener. That’s how bad it smelled. However, I like what it’s doing to his skin but it’s just stank. Do Shea butter suppose to smell like that. I want to purchase some so bad but I don’t want to get the wrong kind. So do Shea butter have a strong smell to it or a light smell to it. I really want my Shea Butter from the MotherLand but that may not happen. lol
Whaaaaat??? Lol
True pure Shea Butter with no additives or chemicals used is hard to find. The Alaffia brand in the small 2 oz. jar $8.00 was all natural and wonderful, it had a light smokey almost burnt smellI which disappeared quickly after applying to the skin, it was a light almost translucent ivory color where it wasn’t a true solid color like most being sold now that are processed and not pure. I purchased it for years and loved it until it recently got discontinued. The large jar they sell now I tried but was allergic, it is heavier, thicker and greasier and I was allergic to it. I’ve tried a few other brands but I had allergic reactions to them too, headaches, itchy skin or scalp, burning and even digestion problems. Many of them made my skin feel like it was being suffocated with a heavy greasy silicone coating. I contacted the Shea Institute to get a 100% Grade A no bleaching, additives or chemicals True Shea Butter and hope to hear back with some authentic brands.
My statement is, give me a name of a excellent Butter to purchase.
Expecting your reply.
lololol i know right!…like the grammar was so atrocious i think i lost a few hundred brain cells just tryin to decipher that shit lolol
Wow, what a pig. This lady gave insightful and useful info. I really look forward to hearing you speaking in other languages though?
There was nothing wrong with her grammar you probably had an issue with her accent.The information was very informative.
Tiftif, the review was informative. Quit being a bully just because you dont comprehend her review. Your bad!!
How long dose African Shea is used for removing Dark Spots on Skin Approximately.
I have eczema on the back of my hands. It looks ugly!!! I went to a dermatologist and used an expensive ointment that did very little. A trusted friend told me to use the yellow African Shea Butter and it would help. After 2 to 3 days of using it; I could see a small patch of my skin (on the left hand)!! I will continue using this because I am making progress. There is also a tiny patch of skin that I see on my right hand now!! ( My skin has what appears to be black reddish scaly
patches that are larger than a quarter and some smaller. One big on the left and 4 of different sizes on the right. And between 2 fingers on the palm side). I use it 2-3 times a day. Its hard to keep water off my hards. I will have to order extra large cotton and cleaning gloves because its hard to find them in-store. I brought the shay butter from the health food store. Now I will ask her about the inflamation (redness). I’m sure there’s a natural way to help with that too!!! There are natural ways to help with our skin.