What is shea butter?
Shea butter is a thick, luxuriously fatty substance that’s extracted from the nuts of the shea tree (vitellaria paradoxa). This tree is native to West Africa, and the majority of the world’s shea butter is still produced in this region, and traditionally by women. Shea butter has been prized for centuries for its beautifying effects, and where it was once used raw, it’s now often refined and whipped into lip balms, hair conditioners and body lotions. The butter is originally ivory in colour, is firm at room temperature and melts beautifully upon contact with the skin.
Why do we use shea butter in our soaps and hand creams?
When it comes to body parts, our hands work extra hard. They’re how we physically interact with the world, for starters. And whether we’re tapping away on a laptop, or working outdoors in the sun, every day our hands are subject to rough textures, chemicals, changes in temperature, and general dirt and grime, not to mention mainstream anti-bac gels and sprays.
All these factors can contribute to skin that becomes over-sensitive, irritated and at times, itchy or even broken. The benefits of shea butter make it the perfect addition to soap and hand cream. Because not only is it softening and conditioning, it also has soothing, anti-inflammatory and protective properties.
Our top five benefits of shea butter
- High concentrations of fatty acids which nourish and protect the skin’s barrier
- Contains natural emulsifiers like stearic acid. Emulsifiers bind oil and water, which help prevent our products from separating, allowing them to stay in tip-top condition for longer
We use shea butter in all our soap bars and hand creams, so you can indulge your hands in a double dose of this beautifying butter when you wash and moisturise with The English Soap company.
Explore our soap bars and hand creams.
