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But many skin care experts can authoritatively reveal that Shea Butter has come back again, as many ladies have gone back to the good old Shea Butter. And its not only the elderly people that make use of it. Even youner babes have discovered the beauty of Shea Butter, often described as the skin’s best friend.
According to the American Shea Butter Institute “100 % Pure Natural Shea Butter” is an all-natural Vitamin A cream. Shea Butter has shown to be a superb moisturizer, with exceptional healing properties for the skin. We now have a growing list of skin conditions where 100% Premium Shea Butter has shown to be effective.
Vitamin A in Shea Butter is important for improving a number of skin conditions, including blemishes, wrinkles, eczema, and dermatitis. Additionally, Premium Shea Butter cream has properties to treat skin allergies, insect bites, sunburns, frostbites, and a number of other conditions of the skin. Shea Butter’s unparalleled moisturizing property is due to several natural moisturizers present in the cream. The moisturizers in Shea Butter are the same moisturizers produced by the sebaceous glands in the skin. If you buy the concept that the skin sebaceous glands produce moisturizers for the skin, then it’s no wonder that Shea Butter is such a superior moisturizer. The positive biochemical and physiological effect Shea Butter has on skin injuries makes this cream ideal for wound healing. Many users of Shea Butter have reported that Shea Butter promotes and accelerates wound healing.
The institute warns that only high quality Premium Shea Butter can offer the benefits mentioned above. Once Shea Butter is aged or loses its natural integrity, many of these wonderful benefits are also lost.
However, Shea Butter that has lost its natural integrity, (degraded Shea Butter), retains its moisturizing effectiveness. Researchers now know that poor quality Shea Butter is ineffective in healing many of the skin conditions. This is a new finding and perhaps the single most important finding in the past 10 years in understanding why all Shea Butters were not equally effective.
The institute says the quality of Shea Butter may range from excellent to very poor. Shea Butter of excellent quality may be used to treat a number of skin conditions, and serve as an excellent moisturizer as well. On the other hand, poor quality Shea Butter is good only for moisturizing purposes, and should be compared with products such as cocoa butter and mango butter.
In the US, some alter their Shea Butter in an attempt to give it a better fragrance and texture. Others alter Shea Butter for economic reasons. These alterations may disturb or in some cases destroy the natural integrity of the product. While altered Shea Butter may smell nicely, or when mixed with less expensive ingredients may cost much less, in many of such cases the altered Shea Butter has lost significant properties. Another problem the buyer must watch for says the Shea Butter institute is the age of the product. Shea Butter could be as much as two to three years old or older by the time it reaches the buyers hand. The Institute says as Shea Butter ages the original clinical potency and healing power are also lost. It recommends that Shea Butter is used within 18 months from the date of extraction from the seed.
WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF SHEA BUTTER?
Shea Butter, the multi-purpose all natural Vitamin A skin cream, is derived from the seed of the Shea tree. The cream is extracted and prepared without the use of chemicals. The best Shea Butter for skin use is prepared by cold press methods without use of added chemicals or preservative.
WHO SHOULD USE SHEA BUTTER?
The institute says everyone! Every household should have a jar of Shea Butter, either among the beauty supplies for soft smooth better looking skin, or in the medicine cabinet for minor skin injuries around the house.
Sumbo Adeleke, a successful female entrepreneur, produces and sells Shea Butter in Lagos. It is called Shea Blossom. Adeleke is worried that many people don’t really appreciate the importance of Shea Butter. “We have to really appreciate that God has really blessed us because Shea grows only in Africa, and not just in all parts of Africa, grows only in Sub-Sahara Africa, like Gambia, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote d’ivoire, Togo, Cameroon, Niger, South Sudan, and also our country, Nigeria”.
“According to FAO statistics ever year about 600,000 metric tons of Shea is produced in the West Africa Sub-region. Out of all these, about 371,000 are produced by Nigeria alone. In Nigeria we have about 16 states that produce Shea like Borno, Adamawa, Niger State, Kebbi, Sokoto, and some Northern states and it grows in the rural areas. That is why we work with the women in the rural areas.”
“All the Shea Butters we’ve been using all these while, even though they are all natural, are organic. That is the beauty of it. And that is the reason it is being sought after by the cosmetic companies, because it does not have any adverse effect. It contains natural Vitamin A and Vitamin E. Our Shea in Nigeria is hand crafted. That is why we t end towards the cosmetics companies. In the rural societies, they use it for food because the unique selling point when you use it for food is that it contains no cholesterol at all.”
“So, there are 3 major markets for Shea Butter (1) You have the cosmetic market, (2) The food and confectioneries and (3) The Pharmaceutical Shear Butter can be positioned as a cosmetic product so you can use it for body care, hair care, any how you want it.”
“Then for the food and confectionaries market, we sell the Shea nuts to specialty fam farms which process these Shea nuts to full grade Shea Butter and they use it for making chocolates, ice cream, baby food, that is what is being exported even in the regional market.
The pharmaceutical companies too. They use Shea Butter as a base in their ointment and cough syrup. I use it for my children too when they have cough. When you have cough, you can just melt it. It heals cough.”
“But many people use it as cosmetics. The beauty if it is that it is for all skin types, either you are light or dark. What prompted her to go into the Shea Butter business? “Because I like people with good complexions, “ she says. “If you are dark, let’s know you are dark. If you light skin let’s know you are dark skin. Because Shea Butter has so many qualities in it and does not have hydroquinone I began to use it. I then started the business and I started selling it. And it is really moving. Apart from using it as a body care, because it is for body moisturizing, protects the skin, removes the wrinkles, cures body rash, or anything.”
“You can use it for hair care too. It prevents the hair from thriving out. It makes the hair grow. Using it prevents men from going back. It can be used as after shave. Also it is for babies and children.”
How has the acceptance being? “It has been fine, only that some people have this erroneous feelings that it makes you dark. It is not true. The only challenge is how to improve on the quality. That is why I set up the Shea Network Initiative. This initiative is about going to the rural women and asking them how they process the Shea Butter. And also how they pick the nuts.”
“We would then tell them you just don’t eat all the nuts you see there. You don’t just pick the nuts that have been eaten by rodents or the ones that have decaded. Just pick the good ones. Because no matter how skilled you are if the nuts that you are sing to produce the Shea Butter is not good, there is no way the Shea Butter can be good. Good nuts will give you good Shea Butter?
What made Olasumbo Adeleke go into the Shea Butter business? “Because I like people with good and even skin. I don’t like anybody with patched skin. Also because it is a natural product. It is organic. It doesn’t have an adverse effect. Everybody can use it. Both man and woman. You can use if for your children and your babies. It hit across everywhere.” How does she sell her products? “Presently, I supply supermarket, beauty spas and stores. I get orders. I have clients in banks. They call me and I get it across to them.
About Unknown
Deji Sadiq, a.k.a DEJI OF LAGOS is a LASU trained Economist turned freelance journalist, a Blogger, an information strategist, a public affairs analyst and a committed activist with a passion for equal opportunities.
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