Shea Butter Obsession: Shealife 100% Pure Whipped Shea Butter

Shea Life Shea Butter

I love shea butter!!! I am slightly obsessive about it in body products. I have really really dry skin so I need a product that  nourishes as well as moisturises.  I also have dry hair so I use lots of shea in my hair treatments too.  I buy shea butter products in a wide variety of formulations but unrefined is one of my favourite ways to buy and use shea butter as I can mix it to my own specifications according to my needs.

I was drawn to Shea Life’s 100% whipped formulation as I thought it would be  a lighter/looser in consistency and therefore  easier to rub into the skin.  That is not the case and it is more or less the same consistency as my unrefined, unwhipped shea butter.  This does not impact on the efficacy of the product or my enjoyment of it, it is just something to note.

Prior to my recent long haul flight, I covered my body in the product and despite the drying air in the cabin, my skin was still moisturised at the other end.  I love to use this product after long bath … warming it slightly on the radiator, or in a sink or warm water,  so it has melted slightly. Unrefined shea butter is constant staple in my beauty wardrobe.

One thing that I don’t enjoy is the price of shea products.  This is not an expensive product to produce, but somewhere between West Africa and Europe the price increases exponentially. I do understand that shipping, packaging, product development, and processing etc all add cost to a product… but even so.  I  had the pleasure of spending some time in the Gambia a few years back – a land which is not renowned for its natural resources and shea butter was easily accessible and very very reasonably cheaply priced.  Friends from other West African countries have a similar experience.   I am convinced, even the Fair Trade products are not providing the growers with a significant percentage of the overall profit margin.  I am not suggesting that the Fair Trade products are not worth purchasing or that the intentions are not honourable or that a fair price for a product is not better than being exploited…definitely not… but when I see the advertising campaigns, and new product launches, it does make me thing.

I have very very dry skin and finding products to deal with that is a challenge.  I  often buy higher end and even luxe products just because they have shea butter in them.  Am I paying for the name of the brand?  Undoubtedly.  Am I going to stop buying Shea Butter in all it’s formulations?  Definitely not.  My shea obsession is fuelled by the fact that my reptile like skin responds immediately and favourably to this ingredient. I could buy unrefined shea butter and nothing else… but I am a skincare junkie so realistically,  that is not going to happen.  I love trying new products and formulation and I love buying skincare products.

Are you obsessive about an ingredient?  Is is shea butter?

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