It is rich in natural vitamins that promote healthy skin and cell repair. You can even use it in your hair before washing as a nourishing conditioner. And because a little goes a long way, one pot will probably last you all summer.
Derived from the nuts of the African karite tree, shea butter has been used as an African skincare and healing ingredient for centuries. Now a widely used cosmetic ingredient, it is an important resource and source of income for local communities.
Historically the women who gather shea nuts have received very little pay for their labor, particularly when the nuts are exported and processed abroad.
Increasingly however, shea butter is available to buy as a certified Fairtrade or as a 'fairly traded' ingredient. One way of ensuring you're getting the good stuff is to buy it raw from suppliers who are involved in the entire processing chain.
In its most pure, untreated state, virgin shea butter looks like lumps of hard caramel ice cream. Just warm it up in your hands until it melts and softens and massage it gently into the skin. Two recommended online sources are at Akoma or Akamuti, which sell wildcrafted Virgin Shea Butter in a big tub (1kg for £22).
When buying branded body butters or creams containing shea beware: not all shea is the same quality. Most shea butter on the market has been extracted with a chemical solvent and 'refined' which not only removes the natural scent and color of natural shea butter but also many of its beneficial properties. The best shea is obtained using a traditional method of extraction, cold pressed without the use of solvents.
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