Shea butter contains many ingredients that make it a terrific skin emollient and moisturizer - as proven by its popularity in Egypt going back to 2,300 BC. 

Some of the most prominent and powerful fat-soluble antioxidants in shea butter are Vitamin E, Vitamin A, and Vitamin K.

Fresh from the Banks of the Ancient Nile River

Both Cleopatra and the Queen of Sheba reportedly treasured shea butter to preserve their beauty from the stress of their dry climate.

The old Egyptians lived on the Nile River.

But, just beyond the Nile's watery banks, lay the largest desert in the world, the Sahara.

Over the millennia, its borders have spread and retreated with climate change, but the Sahara itself remains as always. The hot sun beats down and the dry wind sucks water from your skin.

Therefore, to maintain their beauty, the elite, wealthy women of old Egypt needed something to shield their skin, preserving its moisture from the burning furnace. The desert also dried out their hair, turning it dull, drab, and crinkly. The UV radiation in the sunlight, plus the low humidity, damaged their skin, making them look prematurely old.

They found shea butter. It doesn't grow in Egypt, so they imported it from farther south. Archeologists have found wagons full of clay jars of shea butter in Egyptian ruins - entire caravans of it. The trade-in shea butter goes at least as far back as to the reign of King Merenre, about 4300 years ago.

Shea Butter's Vitamin E Protects Your Skin from Photodamage

The vitamins in shea butter act as antioxidants protecting your skin from the stress of the hot air and dry winds. 

Because they're fat-soluble, E, A, and K also form a lipid layer between your skin and the harsh environment.

Vitamin E scavenges free radicals, as well. By helping to improve the microcirculation of your veins and arteries, it increases blood flow to your skin. That means more nutrition and more oxygen delivered to all your skin cells. 

You may not live in the worst desert on the planet, but your skin gets exposed to sunlight, dry air (especially now, in the winter), pollution, smoke, and other toxins the ancient Egyptians didn't have to worry about.

The Vitamin K in shea butter reduces facial bags - the circles and dark, puffy rings under your eyes.

Vitamin K also regenerates damaged skin. It's good for relieving scars, spider veins, bruises, burns, stretch marks and rosacea. 

It's so good at facilitating skin healing, some hospitals and doctors apply shea butter to skin after surgery. It also reduces bruising and swelling.

Shea Butter is Rich in Fatty Acids Too

They include: stearic acid (20-50%), arachidic acid (<1%), linoleic acid (3-11%), palmitic acid (2-9%), linolenic acid (<1%) and oleic acid (40-60%).

These essential fatty acids soothe itchiness, rashes, irritated skin, and inflamed redness.

They're absorbed quickly into the skin, and act as refatting agents, making your flesh appear juicy - plumper and younger. This is also because they have water-binding properties.

Together, the fatty acids protect and revitalize your skin. Because they're anti-inflammatory, they soothe rough, dry and chapped skin. 

You can use shea butter on your hair too. It helps soften and revitalize dry and damaged hair. 

Shea butter also contains ten different phenolic compounds, eight of them catechins. The phytonutrient profile is similar to green tea.

One other component is cinnamic acid, closely related to cinnamon. Cinnamic acid makes shea butter a great anti-inflammatory.

The Many Beauty Benefits of Shea Butter

Skin conditions this butter can help you with include: 

* Stretch mark prevention

* Blemishes

* Dermatitis

* Wrinkles

* Insect bites

* Sunburn

* Frostbite

* Cracked skin

* Rough skin

* Eczema

* Skin allergies

* Poison ivy

* Itching rashes

* Small wounds

* Cracked heels and elbows

* Suntan peeling

The 2 Kinds of Shea Butter

Most shea butter you see in the United States is from West Africa (Butyrospermum Parkii) - unless the label says it's Nioltica (Vitellaria paradoxa).

East African shea butter is rarer because it's produced only in Uganda and Sudan. They produce and export less butter because of civil unrest.

East African shea comes from cold pressing the nut of the Karite (shea) tree.

According to the United Nations, processing shea butter employs millions of African women, most of them organized into cooperatives.

East African shea butter is smoother, creamier, with a higher oleic content than West African shea butter. 

Many commercial cosmetic and skincare products use shea butter as an emollient. You can also find it in soaps and sunblock lotions.

How to Use Shea Butter

Shea butter melts at body temperature, so keep it stored in a cool place. Your refrigerator is ideal.

Shelf life is from one to two years.

It's solid at most room temperatures and comes in a hard block. Just take some off and rub between your fingers.

As with most skincare products, the best time to apply shea butter is right after you shower or bathe, before going to bed at night.

Since it's also good for your hair, rub shea butter into your hair and scalp to moisturize them overnight.

Rub it into your nails and cuticles to moisturize dry and cracked fingers and toenails.

Don't neglect to moisturize your lips with shea butter any time during the day when they feel dry.

NOTE: If you have a tree nut allergy, be careful. Shea butter is made from a tree nut. Check with your doctor. First apply it to just a small patch of skin, to see if it gives you a bad reaction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shea_butter

https://naturallivingsupplies.co.uk/shea-butter-history-and-benefits/

https://www.naturessheabutter.com/category-s/152.htm

https://euroafrilink.com/nilotica-shea-butter-the-3-most-important-things-buyers-need-to-know/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU5OIb3IJFM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIe43aF878o