How Shea Butter’s Benefits Changed My Life!

Shea Butter’s benefits changed my life, not just my skin!

Many people are becoming more and more interested and educated about natural (care) remedies. First, coconut oil broke the internet back in 2015 when many women “discovered” all the perks and benefits of the product, despite it being around for centuries. Now, more women are finally turning to water as the “cure” for everything! Again, water and its benefits have been around for centuries. Another product that is also slowly becoming a known household name is Shea Butter. 

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Many natural remedies have been well known for years, and if some of us would have listened to our moms and grandmas, we would have been living our best lives long before now! But shea butter is something that made even my own grandmother’s head lean to the side when I asked her if she had heard of it before.

Many may ask what is Shea Butter? What is it for? Is it actually a butter?

Shea Butter is fat from a nut of the African Shea Tree, ground into a yellow or white cream – “butter”. The texture of Shea butter is similar to a soft clay.

Imported to the United States, you can pretty much purchase this life changing gem in many beauty stores (even on Amazon, see link above! You can get it either refined with other West African spices (which gives it the yellow color) or unrefined). The health and beauty benefits are endless! Here are some of my personal testimonies of what Shea Butter can be used for.

Reducing dark spots and stretch marks 

Shea butter works wonders for evening out skin tones but you HAVE to be consistent. With the stress of wrapping up finals my sophomore year in college, the surface of my face looked like the Himalayas.  But thanks to Shea butter and a healthy consistent face routine, I cleared my dark spots and took care of the acne within a month and a half of using it twice a day. With my skin being so sensitive, I was afraid that applying the Shea butter all over my face would clog my pores and worsen the acne; but no! Shea butter worked wonders for my skin by not only clearing it up but making it super soft.

Moisturizing/Skin smoothing

Shea butter can be used as a lotion or moisturizer. It works really well in winter months when the skin is very dry and brittle because it’s so thick. After a week of using shea butter you will notice an improvement in your skin’s hydration. Applying shea butter before bed can assure you will wake up with skin so soft and smooth. Shea butter also has a rich yellow hue and adds this wonderful glow to your skin.

I used to spend so much money on finding the right type of moisturizer, especially for the winter months in Chicago. Bottles and jars of great smelling lotions and creams crowded up my bathroom cabinet and my night stand. But I was struggling everyday to keep my skin moisturized for longer than half an hour. All the glamorous packaging and delicious scents were pointless if the product couldn’t do it’s number one job: moisturize! 

After discovering shea butter, I have not bought a single lotion or cream in hopes of finding a solution for my dry skin. I already found the best solution. 

Check out how shea butter is made traditionally in Ghana 

Reducing Inflammation

Shea Butter can be used for inflammation, arthritis, aches and pains. My mother SWEARS Shea butter helps her ankle pain at night. I personally haven’t tried Shea butter to relieve pain but according to my mother, it’s one of the best natural remedies. 

There are plenty of articles all over the internet about the tons of benefits from using Shea Butter, but those are just three personal ones I have experienced and can attest to. Shea butter is safe for all skin types. I have the MOST sensitive skin in the world and am known to break out due to anything, but Shea butter is like my holy grail.

I don’t worry about buying a face moisturizer that breaks my face out, or any scented lotions that may cause me to have rashes all over because Shea Butter literally solves everything in my opinion. Like any product, you will not see results overnight. I say within two weeks you will notice a difference, but you MUST be consistent with applications.  

The only downfall of Shea butter is that since it’s such a distinct color and melts into your skin, it also melts into your clothes.  I have had to throw away a couple white shirts because they were stained yellow and the washing machine couldn’t help rescue them. But in my opinion the “side-effects” of Shea butter is worth the results it gives you.