I love shea butter!

I fell in love with raw shea butter, or karite as its known in Africa, about a year ago while attending the Harlem Book Fair last year. I picked up a plastic container of the raw, yellow substance with the fear that once I put this on, I was going to feel embarassed wearing this smelly stuff on my skin. The vendor told me that the odor absorbs into the skin, and then went on to tell me the historical use of it in West Africa, where it is grown, as well as its benefits. I bought it still being a little skeptical about the smell. However, I changed my mind almost instantly, as I noticed to immediate changes in my skin.

The benefits I have noticed in the last year:

1. treating dry skin
2. muscle relaxation
3. hair conditioning
4. sunscreen
5. protect skin from cold air and wind
6. and most importantly, slows down the aging process

I just love it because not only is it good for you, but it is pretty inexpensive, as compared to other cosmetics. Raw shea butter for the most part can be found in "afrocentric" retail establishments. For the last few months I have been doing research on how raw shea butter starts out in Africa and finally makes its way to shelves in the cosmetic section in American pharmacies, and its quite interesting. I think its funny how Western cosmetic companies are going out of their way to put shea butter in their high-priced products, when anyone could easily go to 125th Street in Harlem or any other street in an urban area and get it 100% raw, natural and cheap.

Burkina Mom, an American blogger living in Burkina Faso, talked recently about this and the hard work African women do to cultivate the product.

I also found this interesting video on why someone else loves shea butter.