Thursday, October 27, 2011

100% Raw Shea Butter - Review

Shea butter comes from the nut of the Karite Shea tree that is indigenous to Africa. Raw, unrefined shea butter contains vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A and E, as well as essential fatty acids. It has a creamy color and a very distinct smell. It has been used for centuries for its moisturizing, ant-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. 


I've heard nothing but good things about 100% raw and unrefined shea butter. I was going to purchase it off of Amazon.com, but I decided to purchase it at the French Market in the city instead cause it was cheaper and I wanted it right away. The natural one without fragrance added is kind of nutty and woodsy smelling, I didn't like that at all so I purchased the scented one which smells like the stuff you would buy in the store but much better. 



In it's natural form, shea butter is hard and has a bit of a grainy feel to it. It can be a little hard to work with, but you can heat it up a bit in the microwave for a few seconds. The way I use it is I apply a little to my hands and rum them together untill it melts and then I quickly apply it to my body. You only need a little bit of this so a tub this size lasts a long time. 




Here are a few beneficial uses for raw African shea butter:

• Daily skin moisturizer (face and body)
• Dry skin relief
• Skin rashes, including diaper rash
• Skin peeling, after tanning
• Blemishes and wrinkles
• Itching skin due to dryness
• Sunburn
• Skin cracks
• Soften tough skin on feet (especially heels)
• Stretch mark prevention during pregnancy
• Minor burns
• Eczema
• Sun and wind protection
• Even skin tone
• Reduce blemishes and scarring
• Eliminate scalp irritation from dryness or chemical processing
• Prevent bumps after shaving
• Reduce acne (especially in combination with African Black Soap)
• Absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy residue
• Helps restore elasticity to skin
• Restores luster to hair
• Helps heal scars, burns, and stretch marks
• Prevents ashy skin, chapping, and skin rashes
• Protects scalp from sores and rashes and prevents dandruff
• Helps prevent weak hair from breaking, fading, or thinning out
• Fortifies cuticles and nails.
• Helps bruises to heal
• Helps drain toxins from sore muscles: perfect for sports participants
• Helps prevent skin irritation for babies: used for generations to help babies sleep better
• Ideal for dry skin, dermatitis, eczema, sunburn and athlete's foot
• Rejuvenates skin pores and adds elasticity to skin
• Firms up aging skin and helps clear wrinkles
• Helps relieve arthritis, joint pains, or other muscular aches: massage shea butter into affected areas





Left to right: just applied, slightly blended, blended in.






My thoughts: I really enjoy using this stuff, it may not be ideal when you in a hurry though because you have to work with it a bit to get it to melt before applying it. If you have dry skin I would definitely recommend it, just make sure you use a little at a time. If it feels greasy then you've used too much. I've even used this on my face a few times and didn't break out. It's hard to use on the face b/c your going to be tugging on your skin to try and blend it in. What I do is melt it in my hands and just press it in and it works fine. I tested this by just applying it to one hand and the next day that hand looked more even toned than the other. I asked my mom which hand she thought looked better to make sure it just wasn't in my head and she also picked the hand I had used the shea butter on. 



Have any of you tried this product before?



2 comments:

Unknown said...

This is an awesome review girl and me too heard so much about this product and have yet to try it. I'll be testing it myself now for sure :)


<3 Marina
Fashion.MakeUp.LifeStyle

Chi said...

I use unrefined African Shea butter a lot and it's been working wonders on my skin. I came across your blog via another, love it already.

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