The industry surrounding health and beauty is overwhelming. In a world obsessed with the youthful glow, many women my age are willing to use any means necessary to look their best, meaning they overlook the fact that many skincare products include harsh chemicals and questionable ingredients.
I wanted to have a simple, sustainable, and clean routine that would take care of my body and not weigh on my mind. Recently, I’ve been seeing shea butter in many ads for healthy skin, from whipped beauty treatments to homemade sugar scrub recipes. That got me thinking: What is shea butter, and why is it so popular?
Shea butter is made from shea tree nuts and is mainly used as a skin moisturizer. Some of its key ingredients are cinnamic acid and vitamin A; cinnamic acid is found in the spice cinnamon and acts as an anti-inflammatory, while vitamin A increases skin moisture and elasticity. According to Dr. Axe’s website, it can be used to reduce wrinkles, fight dandruff, soothe sunburn, and help heal stretch marks. Not only can you use shea butter on your skin, you can eat it too! Pure shea butter can be ingested and used as a substitute for oil in recipes. I’m amazed that there are beauty products you can wear and eat!
In the spirit of trying new things, I was excited to hydrate my skin with Lovelier Shea Eb Premium Whipped Shea Butter (HB2316)! This type of shea butter is specifically for skincare use and comes as a thrice-whipped cream for easy application. Unlike many skincare products, this shea butter brand only has three ingredients: natural shea butter, jojoba oil, and vegetable glycerin. Jojoba oil is also a common skin moisturizer and can be used as an anti-acne, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial treatment, while vegetable glycerin helps soften skin.
And shea butter works wonders — I only used shea butter once and my skin was already visibly more moisturized!
Let me explain. Most days, I apply a rosewater moisturizing face wash, rinse it off, and call it good — but despite the face wash’s label, my skin will often end up clean but dry. I decided to apply some shea butter afterwards to see if it would have any effect.
The shea butter has the consistency of frozen whipped cream, which made it a little tricky to handle when I carved the butter out of the jar with my fingers. When I raised my hands to my face to apply the shea butter, I smelled something, and sniffed my fingers to find that shea butter has a pleasant nutty, cinnamon-like smell that reminds me of Christmas-themed candles. The butter melted quickly when applied to my warm skin, which made it easy to spread across my face. I used about two teaspoons total for my whole face, which ended up being more than enough — my face was buttery for the rest of the afternoon, night, and even a little the next morning!
After the butter had been completely absorbed, my sister commented that my face looked soft. Sure enough, my skin felt smooth and hydrated—and that was only after applying it once!
I’m thoroughly convinced that shea butter is “butter” for your skin and for your peace of mind. Why buy a ton of chemical-laden and expensive skincare products when you could have one or two that actually work? Lovelier Shea’s shea butter both provides amazing results and is made of ingredients you can trust. I’m excited to keep using my jar of butter!
Do you have a natural skincare routine, or are you looking to start a new one? Let us know in the comments below!
SOURCES
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8197201/#sec7-polymers-13-01711
https://www.sheainstitute.com/asbi-library/what-is-shea-butter/