Shea Butter Basics

Shea Butter is used in a variety of Brown Barn products and products made using Shea butter are often requested by our customers. But what is Shea Butter and why is it so popular?

What is it?

Shea Butter is made from the fat of the nut of the African Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa).  Shea Butter is noted in ingredient lists by its botanical name: Butyrospermum Parkii. This is a great example of not following the adage of “only use body products whose names you can pronounce”. This is definitely one product you want to use!

Why is it good to use?

The traditional use of the butter is to reduce the appearance of fine lines, scars and stretch marks, and to ease a variety of skin irritations, such as psoriasis, eczema and sunburn. Shea butter possesses several fatty acids and plant sterols, namely oleic, stearic, palmitic and linolenic acids that allow it to produce these amazing results.

Antioxidant Content

Shea butter contains vitamins A and E, as well as catechins, plant antioxidants also found in green tea. While it is unclear how well vitamins A and E in raw Shea butter are absorbed, there is evidence to suggest that cinnamic acid esters in Shea fat help to prevent skin damage from ultraviolet radiation.

Other Uses

Shea butter softens and conditions leather and wood, so musicians use it to improve the flexibility of leather tuning straps, and the pitch and timbre of animal skin drums and other percussion instruments. Africans use Shea butter in cooking. In other parts of the world, manufacturers add Shea butter to margarine.

Precautions

If you have a known allergy to other tree nuts, you may experience a reaction to Shea butter. Consult your physician or allergist before using this product, if this is the case.

Brown Barn Products using Shea Butter:

· Shea and Aloe body crème

· Super Shea bar soap

· Selected other bar soap

· Lip Balms

· Sugar Scrub

· Massage Bars

· Selected Facial Items

For a complete list go to our web-site at www.brownbarnbath.com and “search” the word Shea. 

What's coming using Shea Butter? For Spring: Whipped Shea Butter body butters with added botanical extracts.

Have a great weekend!  

Christine Untiedt

Founder

The Brown Barn Company llc