Reasons I’m Hooked On “The Shea”

Until a few summers ago, I had not been introduced to the phenomenon known as shea butter. While I had been relaxer free for many years, I was an uninformed natural up until that point. Uninformed about product ingredients, uninformed about proper care, uninformed about the lifestyle in general. Once I stumbled upon the world of blogs and vlogs, I began to take a new interest in my fragile tresses which led me to shea butter. I kept reading about it but wasn’t quite sure what it was or how it would benefit my new journey of getting to know my natural hair all over again. Fast forward to today and I swear by its use and it has become a major staple in my product arsenal. I use it nearly every night and my hair thanks me for it.

What is it?
Shea butter is a unique blend of the emollients/fat extracted from the nut of African Shea trees
(Vitellaria Paradoxa, Shea Karite, Mangifolia). The only shea butter I have ever used and will continue to use is 100% African Shea Butter. It is raw and unrefined which is the purest form. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it right?

How I use it
Although I use it primarily to seal my ends after twisting or braiding, sometimes alone, sometimes in conjunction with coconut or olive oil, it can be used along the entire strand of hair. Since shea butter melts at body temperature and absorbs rapidly into the skin, I get a nice size on my fingers and then rub it between my thumb and index finger. I then apply it to the ends of my hair gently but thoroughly, ensuring supreme coverage. Applying it without introducing some sort of product friction will make for difficult disbursement and the product visibility.

Reasons I’m Hooked
1. Adds maximum shine and luster which is normally achieved through using a serum.
2. Provides moisture – its moisturizing properties are unmatched.
3. Inexpensive – definitely a bang for your buck product. You can purchase 32 oz for $13. Less than that depending on where you purchase.
4. Natural – generally speaking, it is hard to go wrong with something that is all natural.
5. No greasy residue.
6. Produces soft and fluffy results.
7. Does not weigh the hair down.
8. Healing properties - helps reduce dandruff and other scalp disorders, skin irritations.
9. Can mix with other ingredients (oils) and it will maintain its effectiveness.
10. Multi functional – it can be used as a lotion, face moisturizer, etc.
*If you have a known allergy to other tree nuts, you may experience a reaction to Shea butter.