The number 6 best selling beauty product on Amazon.com this week is 100% Pure Unrefined Organic Raw SHEA BUTTER. (The one pound size for $7.00!) How pure is this stuff? Let’s look at the label.
Shea butter ingredients
Here’s the ingredient list for Pure Unrefined Shea Butter:
Shea (Butyrospermum parkii) butter
That’s it. (Apparently the Shea tree is now officially called Vitellaria paradoxa but the cosmetic ingredient name is still Butyrospermum parkii as far as we know.)
Not much of a label to look at, is there? That’s because this is a pure natural material (or as close as you’re going to get) and therefore it doesn’t have any of the standard extra ingredients you might find like solvents, preservatives, etc. Since there aren’t any other ingredients to review, let’s take a quick look at the components of shea butter.
It’s primarily made up of fatty acids including palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and arachidic. The stearic and oleic acids make up about 85–90% of the total fatty acids and their relative proportion controls the butter’s consistency. Higher stearic acid means it will be more solid than liquid and the higher the oleic acid, the harder that solid is. Both of these vary depending on the growing season and location.
Uses for shea butter
You can use shea butter on your skin and hair as it is and it will make a fine moisturizer. However, it won’t necessarily replace all your lotions and conditioners because it’s not as spreadable and it doesn’t contain other ingredients you would want in a skin lotion (like humectants) or in a conditioner (like anti-stat agents.) Still, if you want a natural product that will soften hair and skin, shea is a good way to go. And you can’t beat the price. Plus, it has a whole stadium named after it!
You can support the Beauty Brains by using our link to buy Raw SHEA BUTTER
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Is shea butter suitable for oily skin?
Shea butter is rated a “0″ on the comedogenicity scale which means it will not clog pores and contribute to acne. So it should be find for oily skin.
Shea butter is honestly one of the best products ever. I buy a version through an independent, fair trade company in BC (Canada) and lasts forever (barely need any in hand once it melts down). I have used it as a body lotion and periodically on my face to help heal dry spots. It will always be a staple for me.
Thanks for your reply
Is it unsafe because it has no preservatives? Then again I hear its naturally antimicrobial so maybe it is safe.
It’s fine (at least until you start digging your dirty fingers into it.)
I work with horses and use shea on my hands. Great stuff! Thanks for the link to a great price, too!
Oily skin is not topical. The sebum comes from UNDER. Shea is fine to put on any skin type.
Shea Stadium no longer exists!!! LOL…
@Lynnette: Congrats – you were the only one who caught that joke!
Can Shea Butter be used to relieve eczema?
Any moisturizer/emollient may help relieve some of the symptoms of eczema but shea butter is not medicated and will not take the place of over the counter or prescription drugs.
I love shea butter for my body but have noticed that when I put it on my face, i tend to get a bit of a rash. It disappears within an hour or so, but it confuses me: why would the ultimate natural product give my skin problems? I also have this problem when I put CeraVe cream on my face.
I am not sure if it is true, but I’ve heard that oleic acid contributes to acne. Shea butter is not comedogenic, but it has a high amount of oleic acid.
{ 1 trackback }