A Must for the Whole Family

Health News ~ Shea Secrets

SHEA BUTTER: A MUST FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

Shea butter, whose scientific name is Butyrospermum parkii, has been used by humans for millennia. Originating in western Africa, it is difficult to grow and is found mainly in the bush. There are no shea butter plantations—trees grow wild without the aid of fertilizers or pesticides. That's better than organic!

"This 'giving tree' yields fruit and butter to eat, and bark and leaves for better health. Women gain 'eternal youth' from its many properties. They harvest, crush, cook, knead and shape shea balls to sell in the market."

Shea butter consists of triglycerides, palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic fatty acids, wax esters, unsaponifiables and protein. Unsaponifiables give shea butter its emollient and anti-inflammatory properties and promote penetration of the active ingredients into the skin.

Especially rich in:

Vitamin A (retinol): helps to tone, improve appearance, protect against dryness and rejuvenate aging skin by stimulating collagen synthesis

Vitamin E (tocopherol): slows skin aging, reduces wrinkle depth, has an anti-inflammatory effect, protects against UV rays, improves skin microcirculation

Vitamin F (linoleic acid, a fatty acid): moisturizes upper skin layers by preventing water evaporation

Some uses

In stores you will find products whose main ingredient is shea butter. These products include day and night creams, body lotions, exfoliating gels, lip balms, facial masks, soap, baby products, and more. You will also find pure shea butter.

Shea butter has many benefits:

• Nourishes and regenerates skin
• Provides deep and lasting moisturization
• Helps reduce wrinkle depth and prevents new wrinkles
• Promotes better skin tone (lifting effect)
• Possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and healing effects
• Protects the skin against the damaging effects of wind, sun and cold

For athletes, shea butter when applied to muscles and joints is particularly helpful during recovery by allowing faster and better drainage, and helping eliminate toxins from the muscles.

Shea butter works wonders for hair damaged by wind, pool or sea water, or chemical treatments (colouring). Apply pure shea butter to hair ends, leave for twenty minutes and rinse. For even better protection, coat your hair before diving into the pool or ocean.

Lightly work pure shea butter in your hands to make it softer and more malleable. Used in small amounts, it becomes even softer from body heat and goes on easily.

All the driest body parts (elbows, knees and heels) greatly benefit from daily treatment. Shea butter is wonderfully effective in summertime for cracked heels, making them soft and satiny. Apply to minor burns or injuries to accelerate healing—the curative and anti-inflammatory effects of shea butter are legendary.

During pregnancy shea butter helps prevent stretch marks. It also improves breast firmness, among its other benefits.

All in all, there are many good reasons to include shea butter in your daily care routine. To its great credit, shea butter is a fair trade product, a completely healthy ingredient with many and varied benefits, highly affordable and not tested on animals. You'll see: try it—it's a keeper!

~ Your Skin's Best Friend ~