No, don't eat my shea! Really, what idea is that?
Eat my shea butter! It is true that shea butter can be consumed (if you wish to ingest it, be careful though that it is food grade) but sincerely, for my part, I prefer it in my cosmetics!

Where does that butter come from?

shea?

Shea is a tree of the sapotaceae family that grows exclusively in the Sudano-Sahelian region, called Vitellaria paradoxa in Latin.
There are generally two subspecies:
- Paradox in West Africa, especially in Mali and Burkina Faso
- Nilotica in East Africa, especially Sudan and Uganda.
It is a tree that cannot be cultivated.

Each year, a tree will produce about twenty kg of fresh fruit, i.e. 3 to 6 kg of dry almonds per fruit and therefore 0.7 to 2.5 kg of butter.
To make this butter, the process is as follows:the fruit is consumed, while the shea nuts are preserved, boiled and dried before being stored for several months.
They are shelled by hand, crushed to release the shea kernels which are then roasted and crushed with a pestle. They are then ground.
We add water, which will create a thick paste that we will then churn to bring out a greyish foam. This foam is washed several times, until bleached.
It is then boiled, and the top layer of oil is removed.
Cooled, it gives shea butter.

The international trade in shea butter dates from the colonial period.
At that time, it was the women who were responsible for it and suffered from this extra work. In 1950, the price fell and with it the export of shea butter.
After that date, exports will grow, only to fall…until they are stimulated by the cosmetic use of butter. Today, more and more initiatives are being put in place to promote the work of these women, while in parallel, fair trade is gaining momentum.
Fair trade shea has become a means of increasing the remuneration of these producers, thus helping them to produce quality butter.
It is a job that remains very restrictive, and fair trade is also the guarantee of good working conditions.

Shea and cosmetics

In cosmetics, shea is particularly appreciated, because its composition is just amazing!
It is rich in Vitamin A2, (moisturizing, provides elasticity, stimulates collagen synthesis.) Vitamin D (healing) Vitamin E (anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, sun protection, decreases depth of wrinkles) Vitamin F (preservation, defense, repair) in Latex as well as essential fatty acids and unsaponifiables.
It is an ideal ingredient for both skin and hair!

You will say to me:but why does she tell us about shea butter?
But simply because the cosmetics in the January box contain almost all of them!
There is a scented shea butter from the Karité Institute, Paris, that you can use for... Everything!
We discover the Exeko face day cream which also contains it.
And obviously many cosmetics available on the shop are rich in it, which proves the importance of this butter for organic cosmetics.
Examples include the Folies Royales Lip Balm, the MBMO Nourishing Hand Cream, the Solid Balm &Solid Shampoo Soap Stories, the Abellie Cream, and even in make-up with, for example, the Color Caramel Flash Kits!

Essential to make a point on the subject, then, right?


Ah, and of course, I wish you a very happy new year 2019… Full of organic cosmetics!


Charlie
Beauty blogger