Shea Butter

Shea butter (carite) comes from Africa, where it has been used in medicine since ancient times. It is extracted from walnut tree nuts, which grows in the tropical regions of West Africa. The fruit of the tree is very similar to a small avocado or horse chestnut, but has a fragrant flesh. In the extract of shea tree contains unique fatty acids, which are used in various branches of cosmetology. Karite nuts are first collected, then finely crushed, roasted and finally pounded. Then they need a lot of hours to boil in the water to get the shea butter, which is carefully scraped and cooled. At room temperature, the oil becomes thick and ready for use. Pure white oil, has no unpleasant odor. After two years, Shea butter loses its healing properties. In Africa, this oil is used even when cooking.

It is necessary to spend a lot of time and effort to get the shea butter, because the growth of the fruit of the tree of the highest quality takes as much as 15 years.

The presence of fatty acids and a large amount of vitamins in the oil promotes accelerated healing of the skin and protection from harmful sun rays. It contains cinnamic acid, which perfectly protects the skin from ultraviolet light. It is known that shea butter is a great way to deal with stretch marks. It also helps those who suffer from dermatitis and excessively dry skin. Those who want to look young and beautiful can also use shea butter. The properties of this oil can be used to combat facial wrinkles. In its composition there are vitamins A, E, F, which soothe the rough and cracked skin and have a rejuvenating effect. Karite oil is easily absorbed and does not clog pores at all. In addition, it perfectly protects from the wind, restores the elasticity of the skin, smooths the skin tone, softens the rough skin on the legs, makes the hair shiny and healthy in appearance.

It should be noted that karite oil has a fairly rare contraindication - increased sensitivity to latex. The problem is that the product contains a small amount of latex. But, fortunately, an allergy to latex is an unhappy phenomenon.

Pure shea butter is extracted using water. The oil produced by this method has the appearance similar to that of whipped cream. Such oil is pure, without preservatives and various mineral oils. In the extraction of refined shea butter , hexane is used. It has a white color. Some people like the nut smell, which exudes pure shea butter, others like the highly purified variant, which is filtered with clay, and then deodorized. If the oil is odorless, you should check if its expiration date has expired. Karite oil should not be stored in the refrigerator.

It is very useful to use soap with shea butter. It is non-toxic, so the soap containing this product is perfectly suitable for skin diseases such as dermatitis and eczema. Soap and other products with shea butter help to eliminate waste products of metabolism and feed tissues with oxygen. Soap with shea butter in combination with coconut oil has a strong soothing effect.

Lotions with shea butter moisturize the skin and make it more elastic. Most lotions are used for such areas as knees, elbows, hands. Sometimes lotions with shea butter contain also extracts of chamomile, cucumber, aloe vera juice.

Products with karite oil have firmly occupied a niche in the market of cosmetology preparations, since its rejuvenating and soothing properties have been proven and tested by many people. Shea butter produces shampoos, lip balms, creams for massage and sunscreens. But you should beware of products with a lot of different ingredients and just a hint of the content of shea butter.