Shea is your hero ingredient to help skin and hair through the ravages of winter weather extremes! Ingredients found in mainstream 'moisturisers' can actually be drying and irritating (more on that below), while 100% natural shea butter extracted from the African shea nut is packed full of vitamins, nutrients and essential fatty acids to heal, soothe and protect. Shea is especially beneficial for sensitive and dry skin, hands, cuticles, hair, elbows, lips, and to treat dry patches, cracked, sun damaged skin, psoriasis, eczema, scars, and stretch marks. Apply pure shea, or mix with other oils such as jojoba, or whip into your home made DIY skin care recipes. Shea butter is also used in over 60 of the natural skin care lotions and balms available at Biome! Read on for more on this simple skin superfood and how to avoid the drying synthetic alternatives.
What is shea butter?
Shea butter is an ivory coloured fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree and we think it is a skin superfood! It is naturally rich in vitamins A, E and F, and provides the skin with essential fatty acids and nutrients necessary for collagen production.
Shea butter works to heal, soothe and protect the skin from damaging conditions. For just $13.95, this little pot of wonder in a reusable glass jar will help your skin through winter! Dispensed from our bulk beauty bar, our certified organic, fair trade shea is just the same as you'll find packaged under some expensive brand names!
Apply a small amount of shea butter directly to your skin, or mix with an oil such as jojoba, hemp or rosehip for greater coverage.
Buy our pure shea butter here >
Why natural shea-based products are different to mainstream alternatives?
Due to our strict standards, when shea is used in our natural skin, body and hair care products, it is used in conjunction with ingredients that serve a purpose, and are kind to our skin and the environment. Mainstream moisturisers are often made using irritating synthetic ingredients and cheap fillers that serve no purpose. These ingredients can also pose harm to our bodies and our environment.
Take Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion for example, a popular mainstream moisturiser in Australia. The ingredients are:
Water: While it hydrates the skin (only if there is an emollient in the formulation, in this case there isn't one), formulas that contain water also require preservatives which can be harmful to health and often derived from petroleum. Water is also often incorporated as a cheap filler that may not serve a purpose.
Glycerin: Likely derived from palm oil, an industry that is contributing to deforestation, animal deaths, global warming, and human rights abuses around the world.
Distearyldimonium Chloride: Known to be irritating to sensitive skin.
Petrolatum: A byproduct of petroleum refining. Often not fully refined, which means it may be contaminated with toxic, cancer causing chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Isopropyl Palmitate: Derived from palm oil. Known to cause acne, blackheads, whiteheads and clogged pores, and some may experience irritation.
Cetyl Alcohol: Derived from palm oil.
Dimethicone: A synthetic silicone, that when washed off enters our waterways, impacting aquatic life.
Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract: Soothes irritated skin, but in this case it is so far down the ingredients list and trumped by ingredients that are known to be drying and irritating, so it can't be of much benefit.
Benzyl Alcohol: A preservative. It can be extremely drying and irritating to skin, and also may even cause inflammation because it strips the skin off of its natural protection.
Sodium Chloride: Salt. We all know how drying salt is on the skin.
Shea enriches your skin care routine
Shea is a popular ingredient in many natural skin, body and hair care products.
Biome Organic Shea Butter Enriched with Jojoba and Vitamin E
Get ready for incredibly soft skin! Biome's enriched raw Shea butter is a skin superfood that combines the intense hydration and nutrients of Shea. The addition of jojoba oil softens the naturally sticky shea butter which makes it really smooth and easy to apply straight out of the tin. Buy it here.
Urthly Organics Hand & Body Cream
This light and nourishing hand and body cream made with cocoa butter, shea butter, lavender and patchouli for nourishing skin back to health. Beautifully scented and non greasy, apply this cream all over morning and night or on hands after washing.
The Physic Garden Skin Rescue Balm
A highly moisturising, all natural and vegan-friendly skin rescue balm to soothe and hydrate dry skin. Made on a creamy base of Shea Butter and Calendula, Chickweed & Gotu kola infused Olive Oil to deeply moisturise, soothe and revitalise dry and irritated skin. Essential oil free. Buy it here.
Olieve Vanilla Lip Balm
Olieve lip balm nourishes, soothes and protects winter lips with organic oils, beeswax, natural cocoa and shea butters. Sensational natural vanilla taste. Contains honey, pure vanilla oil and mandarin essential oil. Delicious! Glass jar with screw lid. Buy it here.
DIY Recipes with Shea
Shea butter is also a main ingredient in some of our favourite DIY skin care recipes:- DIY Lip Balm - Melt 2 Tbs shea butter, 2 Tbs beeswax and 2 Tbs coconut oil together. Pour into 15ml jars. Recipe >
- DIY Body Butter Whip - Melt 1/4 cup coconut oil and 1/4 cup shea butter together, cool slightly. Whip with electric beaters into a fluffy body butter. Recipe >
- DIY Vapour Rub - Melt 1/4 cup shea butter, 1/2 cup coconut oil and 2 Tbs beeswax, add eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary and clove essential oils and pour into a glass jar to set. Recipe >
