Jar Deconstructed: Shea Butter

Shea butter is no stranger to the spa and professional skin care community. We love it and use it all the time, but how much do we actually know about this rich emollient? In this article, we will talk about the history of shea butter in skin care, its benefits to the skin and discuss how it is currently being used in finished product and in the treatment room.

History in Skin Care

Shea butter comes from the nut of Vitellaria paradoxa, a tree common in Africa, growing in the savannah from western Senegal to eastern Sudan. It is said to grow in 21 African countries, where it is has a variety of names in different languages. One example you may have heard of it karité, its name in the Wolof language of Senegal. 

Like so many beauty products, shea butter's use in beauty dates back to Cleopatra. She was said to have a jar of shea butter at the ready for cosmetic application. Not only did she use it on her skin, but she also used it in her hair.  It has been used for so many centuries in Africa for cosmetic and therapeutic use. It also has uses in food prep for cooking or frying.

Shea Butter Composition and Production

Shea butter is a fat from this nut, comprised mostly of stearic acid and oleic acid, though it also contains palmitic, linoleic and arachidic acid. Though oleic and stearic acid make up the majority of shea butter, their percentage varies based on the variety of shea butter tree and where it is grown. This can influence the shea butter's consistency.

We would be remiss if we didn't mention how important shea butter production is to the women in Africa. Women in shea-producing countries are mostly involved in producing and selling shea butter, so purchasing products with fair trade shea butter helps to support them. Its production involves harvesting the shea nuts, drying them in the sun, roasting them, crushing them into a paste, adding water, churning to separate and collecting the fat. As you can see, this process is quite detailed, but it has been mastered by the women in this region for centuries. Unrefined shea butter is ivory in color, but it is often dyed gold in production. It is referred to as "woman's gold" in the area not only for its color, but also for the revenue it bring in for women in the shea belt.

Skin Care Benefits

Apart from its fatty acid content, shea butter also contains high amount of vitamin E and vitamin A. This composition makes it very beneficial to skin and hair care.

In hair care, its moisturizing properties allow it to not only moisturize the scalp but also smooth cuticles and reduce breakage. It can also add shine to the hair. In skin care, it is primarly used as a moisturizer, helping to add moisture to dry, damaged skin. Though shea butter is moisturizing, it can clog pores for those struggling with acne. Its vitamin A content helps it to aid in cell turnover and skin regeneration.

So, let's take a look at who is using shea butter in professional skin care and spa treatments.

In the Spa

So, let's take a look at who is using shea butter in professional skin care. In Dr. Dennis Gross' recent launch, DermInfusions Blur + Repair Cream, shea butter is used to moisturize the skin and strengthen the skin barrier. The formulation also contains four different hyaluronic acid weights for optimal hydration.

Farmhouse Fresh is well-known for its shea butters, offering them in its iconic scents such as Coconut Cream, Fluffy Bunny, Whoopie, Rainbow Road and Sweet Team, among others. These moisturizing shea butters also contain soybean oil, cocoa butter and jojoba oil to moisturize the skin. They also have cucumber and aloe to calm and help reduce inflammation.

Eminence includes shea butter in a number of its formulations, include its Shea Butter & Mint Moisture Balm. In the balm, shea helps to moisturize and calm skin along with avocado and sunflower oil. It also contains rosehip and peppermint for their antioxidant benefits.

At the Right Touch Day Spa in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, shea butter is applied to the skin in a few of its body wraps. For example, in its Lavender-Shea Honey Wrap, skin is dry-brushed before being slathered in a custom blended lavender and shea honey mask. A face and scalp massage follows while the treatment does its thing. After a rinse in the Swiss shower, a lavender body butter cream is applied.

Shea butter is used at Viana Hotel & Spa in Westbury, New York, in its Viana Shea Butter Body Scrub. Designed for rough, dry skin, the scrub contains shea butter to leave skin smooth and glowing. A shea buttercream is then applied to moisturize the skin.

At Salamander in Washington, D.C. she is used in the Cherry Blossom Body Ritual as part of the massage. The treatment was inspired by the traditions of Japan. It begins with exfoliation, followed by a shea butter massage and finishes with a reflexology-inspired foot massage.

A Timeless Ingredient

As you can see, shea butter has stood the test of time, offering dry skin a moisturizing treatment for centuries. Though perhaps not at novel as new, cutting edge ingredient, it has remained and will continue to remain a staple in skin care for centuries to come.