Spotlight on Shea Butter

by Caroline Kraus

Here at Truth we love Shea Butter! So much so that it is one of the ingredients in our Cream, Lotion and Scrub.

So what is Shea Butter? Shea Butter comes from the Karite tree which is a common wild growing tree found predominantly in the dry Savannah belt of West Africa. As well as being great for your skin it is eco-friendly making a great substitute for palm oil in soap making and cosmetics.

Shea Butter is sometimes called “women’s gold” because it provides employment and income to women in 19 African nations. These nations are home to the Karite (or Shea) tree. It's a tree that produces the nuts that are used to make Shea butter. This tree can take up to fifty years to reach maturity and is considered a precious commodity due to the nuts it provides. The shea butter is extracted through a pretty labour intensive process.

Shea Butter helps to protect the skin from harsh weather conditions, both the heat and scorching sun of summer and the drying cold winter winds. Shea is particularly useful for dry and aging skin types. Because of it's anti-inflammatory properties, it is also very beneficial for acne skins. If you suffer from oily or acne skin, I would recommend you start with our Grapefruit and Cedarwood Face and body lotion.
Shea butter is sometimes used as a base for medicinal ointments because of it's anti-inflammatory effect, emollient, and protect your skin from losing moisture. In Ghana, Shea Butter is applied as a lotion to protect the skin during the dry Harmattan season.

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