Shea Butter: Raw vs Refined
Not all shea butter is the same. Here's the difference between raw and refined, and why we use unrefined.
Transcript
Raw or refined shea butter? There's a difference. It's the fat pressed from shea tree nuts in Africa. It softens dry skin and helps slow water loss from the surface. Unrefined keeps more natural compounds and a nutty scent. Refined is whiter and milder. Our Body Balm uses unrefined shea with beeswax. Tree nut allergy? Talk to an allergist first.
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Shea Butter: Benefits for Skin, Lips and Hair
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Key points from the full guide
- Shea butter is the fat pressed from the nuts of the shea tree, which grows across the savanna belt of West and Central Africa.
- It is an emollient and a light occlusive, so it softens dry skin and helps slow water loss from the surface.
- Unrefined shea keeps more of its natural compounds and its nutty scent; refined shea is whiter and milder smelling.
- Because pure shea butter contains no water, a shea balm can be made without the preservatives that water based lotions need.
- Reactions are uncommon, but anyone with a tree nut allergy should talk with an allergist before using it.
Read the full guide: Shea Butter: Benefits for Skin, Lips and Hair