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Certified organic
Fair-trade certified:
Traditionally, the African women were paid ridiculously low amounts for the shea butter that they harvested and processed. The women’s co-op that prepares this shea butter (the Union des Productrices de Karité de la Sissili et du Ziro) is paid two to three times what the conventional market would pay, and the money goes directly to them and their village.
A little goes a long way—1.2 oz. is a lot!
99% organic, fair-trade shea butter, with the addition of lavender essential oil
What is shea butter?
Shea butter is a slightly yellowish or ivory-colored natural fat extracted from fruit of the shea tree by crushing and boiling.
The shea or karite tree produces its first fruit (which resemble large plums) when it is about 20 years old and reaches its full production when the tree is about 45 years old. It produces nuts for up to 200 years after reaching maturity. It usually grows to an average height of almost 50 feet with profuse branches and a thick waxy and deeply fissured bark that makes it fire resistant. It is considered bad luck to cut down a shea tree.
From June to September, women pick the fruits fallen from the trees, remove their pulp, and clean the nuts. These nuts are then boiled and shelled and the seeds extracted. Once dried by the sun, the seeds are crushed to obtain a brown paste. This paste is then manually churned with water to extract the fat, which will be filtered and thickened to obtain shea butter.
Natural shea butter is recognizable by its beige color, its smooth texture, and its unique scent.
The shea tree grows in a 3,000 mile stretch of dry savannah from Senegal to Uganda across the African continent and onto the foothills of the Ethiopian highlands.
The shea butter in this product comes from Burkina Faso, a land-locked nation in West Africa. It was formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta. The country gained independence from France in 1960 and is now a semi-presidential republic (a system in which a president and a prime minister are both active participants in the day-to-day administration of the state). “Burkina” is translated as “men of integrity”; and “Faso” means “father’s house.”
Uses of shea butter?
Shea butter nourishes and moisturizes the skin. It can help to relieve minor wounds (for example, minor burns) and some skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis.
It nourishes dry and broken hair, protects lips and skin from cold, and provides relief after sun exposure.
It helps to relax and soothe aching muscles before and after physical activities.
It can help lessen the effect of skin aging because it stimulates cell regeneration. It also helps to maintain natural skin tone, elasticity, and smoothness.
It can be used as a breastfeeding ointment. It is edible and natural, and it helps to prevent cracked nipples. It can also be used as massage oil for the prevention of stretch marks on the stomach for expectant mothers.
Shea butter absorbs rapidly into the skin without leaving a greasy feeling.
Shea butter is used in some indigenous ceremonies. Followers of the Holy Spirit Movement rebel group of Uganda smeared their bodies with shea butter in the belief that it would stop bullets. Handcrafted shea butter is used in Togo, West Africa, for ceremonies among the Fulani ethnic group.
Many carvers of djembe shells and other African drum shells use shea butter to condition the wood. Shea butter is also used to condition the goat or cow skin heads of these drums.
(These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.)
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