Shea butter is derived from the nut of the shea tree (vitellaria paradoxa) which is native to Africa. It grows in the Sahel region, a large area of Africa spanning thousands of miles between Senegal and the Sudan. The Shea tree produces its first fruit when it is about 20 years old and reaches full production at the age of 40-50 years. Shea nuts are often harvested by women’s co-operatives in countries such as Burkina Faso and Ghana where our supplier sources the shea butter we use in our soaps, giving women a reliable and fair source of income.
The refining process does not use any chemical compounds which would destroy some of the important properties of the butter.
Shea is not such a widely known butter in the UK and it tends to be used more in beauty products than in the kitchen, although in Africa it is also used to cook with.
Benefits of Shea Butter in Skincare
Shea butter is widely used in beauty products for good reason. Shea butter is moisturising, healing and rich in vitamin A which helps improve skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and skin sensitivity. It’s also great for dry skin. The oleic acid in shea butter is highly compatible with the sebum produced by our skin helping with absorption without clogging pores. It’s not a huge ingredient in our soaps, but well worth including in our base recipe.
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