DALM | When Natural is best (shea butter)

Diary Adventures of LagosMums: DALM | When Natural is Best (Shea Butter) 

A mum was talking about her babies skin due to extreme eczema. She lived abroad at the time and her foreign doctor at a point advised her to send for Shea butter from Nigeria! The doctor said this really was the best remedy versus all the over the counter lotions and creams she had tried. She was quite surprised at this recommendation but came to find out that this was the solution they needed. There are several mums more and more who realise that for smooth skin Shea butter is really the best remedy.natural shea butter

There are several other benefits and uses for Shea butter I have found.

1. Skin – it is useful in keeping skin supple and well moisturised. It can be used as lip balm, on those tough areas of the body like the elbows, knees and heels. Using Shea butter daily after your bath is one of the best things you can do for your skin. It is also useful for different conditions like dealing with eczema, skin allergies, insect bites, dermatitis, blemishes. For the older skin use it for wrinkles and to prevent premature ageing.

2. Protection – Use it before and after going to the pool to protect the skin from the water and as protection from the sun.

3. Hair – use it to moisturize your hair, it also protects the hair from heat and styling. It can also be used as a deep conditioner, apply to the roots and edges of hair to stimulate growth and avoid breakage. It is also great for dry scalp and is non- comedogenic (does not block pores or the hair shaft).

4. Colds – apply it around the nose when you have a cold to protect the chapped and irritated skin around the nose, all that blowing and sniffling can irritate the skin.

5. Beauty – use it as a natural base on your eyelids to protect the skin and make the eye shadow last longer before you apply it. It can also be used to tone and condition your skin, use it to take off makeup before going to bed.

6. Massage oil – Use it as a massage oil for sore and fatigued muscles and joints.

7. Nappy Balm – Apply to your babies bum to protect from irritation and protect the sensitive skin.

8. Pregnant – Apply to your growing belly and other parts of your body to avoid stretch marks. Shea butter can also be used to treat cracked nipples from breastfeeding.

9. Healing – Apply to burns and scars, it is reported to have the necessary properties to speed up the healing of wounds.

10. Shaving – it can be used as a shaving balm.

Shea butter looses its healing properties if it has sat a long time after being extracted/not preserved properly or it has been altered from its natural unrefined state. Original unrefined Shea butter has a greyish colour or a buttery colour and has a unique “earthly” smell, however after the application to skin the smell goes away. Shea butter that has an aroma or fragrance has most likely been altered and mixed with something else.

There are several places to get Shea butter in Nigeria, usually from the market or from companies who have already packaged and selling like Vanityoil available from konga.com and R&R shea butter.

photo sources: sheadumall; soliditytrade.com

Scroll to Top