Sunday, September 24, 2006

Shea Butter for Smooth Winter Lips


The tips listed below are to help you keep your lips soft and smooth during the upcoming winter months.

1. Always apply a natural lip cream, such as Unrefined Certified Organic Shea, several times a day to protect your lips.

2. Massaging lips with the butter and leave a thin layer of it on your lips overnight for natural protection.

3. Apply a thin coat of the butter on your lips before applying lipsticks.

4. In order to increase the moisture level on lips, dip a black tea bag in warm water and press it on lips for three to four minutes.

5. Do not lick lips repeated. It may feel good temporarily, but it strips the lips of natural oils and only makes matters worse.

Winter is just around the corner and with these tips, everyone will be envious of your soft smackers!

Steph
Purely Shea
www.purelyshea.com

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Shea Butter Massage


A relaxing massage is truly one of life’s healing pleasures. There are dozens of massage techniques as well as a variety of products to use such as:
Oils
Lotions
Butters


OILS
Most massage oils are light oils such as apricot kernel, canola, soy or safflower. They provide low-friction slip and are highly absorbed allowing them to be excellent with a deeper massage technique. These oils serve as nice moisturizers but each have a very low healing fraction.

LOTIONS
Lotions are usually easier to handle than liquids because they will not drip and roll out of your hands. Most lotions and creams are composed of 50-90% water and therefore have a very small healing fraction and serve as just minimum short-term moisturizers.

BUTTERS
There are a HUGE variety of butters available such as Aloe Butter, Avocado Butter, Cupuaco Butter, Muru Muru Butter, Kokum Butter, Hemp Butter and of course our favorite, Unrefined Certified Organic Shea Butter.

We feel that a massage using Butters is superior to Oils and Lotions because they provide great slip, are not messy and drippy, and because they are superior moisturizers with a very high healing fraction.

Enjoy the following tips for giving a great massage:
1. Warm the massage product before starting
2. Dim the lights, turn off the tv and phone
3. Play soft soothing background music
4. Add pure organic essential oils to the product
5. Warm your hands before starting
6. Use Purely Shea Shea Butter!

Steph,
Purely Shea
http://www.purelyshea.com

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

4 Ways to Eat Shea!


We are often asked the following question here at Purely Shea: 'How safe is Shea Butter to put on my skin?' We always respond by saying is safe enough to eat! Everyone is amazed when we tell them how Shea Butter is consumed all over the world. So here are the four ways to eat shea:


1. SHEA FRUIT
During the summer months, the Karite tree produces an abundance of green-orange shea fruit which is about the size of a large apricot. The deliciously sweet Shea Fruit is eaten and is very rich in Vitamin C. After the fruit is eaten, the remaining kernel is used to make Shea Butter.

2. CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY
Shea Butter is used extensively to make fine European Chocolates and is known as a CBE (Cocoa Butter Equivalent). Shea butter is used to replace some or all of the cocoa butter in confectionery applications.

3. BUTTER SUBSTITUTE
Shea Butter is quite popular in Japan as substitute for margarine and butter.

4. COOKING OIL
Shea Butter is used throughout western African Savannahs as a cooking oil during food preparation.

Since Shea Butter is safe enough to eat, it is safe enough to gently moisturize your baby's skin as well as soften your lips during the winter. However, our products here at Purely Shea are for external use only.

Steph,
Purely Shea
http://www.purelyshea.com



Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Tripterpenes and Latex in Shea Butter


Welcome back to the final installment in our "The Healing Fraction of Shea Butter" series! Today we will focus on both triterpenes and latex in Shea Butter.



TRITERPENES
These are substances which contain 6 isoprene units or thirty carbons per molecule hence the prefix 'tri.' They are found in a wide variety of plant and animal sources and often exhibit antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity.

In Shea Butter, they exhibit anti-inflammatory properties as well as the capacity to renew the skin. There is also a noted potential to inhibit protease activity as well.

LATEX
This is a complex emulsion that contains resins, proteins, alkaloids, starches, and oils. Most people are familiar with latex from the tissue beneath the bark of the rubber tree responsible for the multitude of rubber products.

In Shea Butter, latex forms a protective film and barrier over the skin making Shea Butter a super long-lasting moisturizer. Latex also contributes to its ability to protect the skin from sun damage. It should be noted, however, that anyone with a known latex allergy should do a patch test before using. To date, there have been no Shea Butter Latex allergic reactions reported to the FDA.

This concludes our five part series about the "Healing Fraction of Shea Butter." Let us know what you think!

Steph,
Purely Shea
http://www.purelyshea.com

Monday, September 18, 2006


You are probably wondering what does the nonsaponifiable or unsaponifiable matter of Shea Butter have to do with the picture the left. Well, the unsaponifiable matter is the part of a natural fat which does not turn into soap during the saponification process. (We’ll talk more about soap and shea butter next week!) In other words, it is the component of Shea Butter which can not be broken down into an acid, alcohol, or salt.

The unsaponifiable matter is therefore very beneficial to the skin as it restructures, regenerates and protects the epidermis since it remains constant and can not be broken down any further.

This component is small in most natural oils. For example, olive oil has an unsaponifiable fraction of approximately 1.5 % and refined shea butter about 1-2%. The exciting news about Unrefined Certified Organic Shea Butter is that it has the highest unsaponifiable fraction ranging from 6-17% than any other oil used in cosmetics!

Join me tomorrow in our final installment about the 5 important tests that reveal the quality of the Healing Fraction of Unrefined Certified Organic Shea Butter.

Steph,
Purely Shea-The Leader in Organic Shea Butter Skincare
http://www.purelyshea.com

Friday, September 15, 2006

Sterols in Shea Butter


Don’t be frightened by the photo to the left. This is not a chemistry lesson! It is simply a 3-D image of the molecular structure of a plant sterol.

Phytosterols or Plant Sterols are naturally occurring components in many vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, oils, and other plant sources. They are essential structures of plant cell membranes and structurally resemble cholesterol and other animal sterols.

Shea Butter contains several all-natural plant sterols. The majority of sterols in Shea Butter are spinasterol, stigmasterol, and Beta-sitosterol. These compounds provide the following anti-inflammatory benefits for using shea butter:
Relaxes Tired Muscles
Reduces Swelling
Decreases Itching
Soothes Allergic Reactions
Helps Treat Hemorrhoids

Mother Nature’s anti-inflammatory compounds, plant sterols, are found throughout nature. They are especially abundant in Shea Butter and lend to its powerful healing properties.

Steph,

Purely Shea

http://www.purelyshea.com

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Cinnamic Acid in Shea Butter


The picture to the left depicts a polarized light image of cinnamic acid. Isn't it beautiful? Well this gorgeous looking acid is naturally found throughout nature in various plants including cinnamon, balsam, and Shea Butter. Cinnamic acid derivatives are important metabolic building blocks in the production of lignins for higher plants. It also appears to have antibacterial, antifungal, and parasite fighting abilities.

The cinnamic acid value in Shea Butter is the best indications of the product's environmental history and the post-extraction conditions. Shea Butter that is unrefined and stored in proper conditions gives a value in the range of 95 or better.

Cinnamic acid contributes to the following clinical properties of Shea Butter:

  • Absorbs radiation in the ultraviolet spectrum in the range of 290 to 320 nm
  • Inhibits Elastase which is an enzyme that degrades the protein that allows the skin to stay elastic, and maintain its youthful resilience
  • Acts as an anti-inflammatory

Steph,

Purely Shea

http://www.purelyshea.com

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Vitamins A & E in Shea Butter


Unrefined Certified Organic Shea Butter contains an abundant of vital nutrients including Vitamin A and Vitamin E. It is interesting to note that refined shea butter is lacking in both of these nutrients

VITAMIN A
This vitamin is very necessary for healthy skin. A serious lack or excessive intake can cause dry, rough skin, among other problems. Synthetic vitamin A-like compounds called retinoids, such as treatments, applied directly to the skin have been used to treat acne and skin wrinkling and mottled pigmentation caused by chronic sun exposure.

Unrefined Certified Organic Shea Butter is an all-natural Vitamin A cream. Vitamin A is important for improving a number of skins conditions, including dermatitis, blemishes, wrinkles and and eczema. It is also promotes epidermis cell development and fibroblast activity.

VITAMIN E
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which helps to prevent free radical damage. Based on the observation that skin damage caused by the sun and other environmental agents are induced by free radicals, there is the possibility that vitamin E may be effective in preventing skin damage. It is being used in more and more skin preparations as a way to fend off this damage.

According to the American Shea Butter Institute, the vitamin E in Unrefined Shea Butter helps the skin (1) by increasing the micro-circulation to the skin, which results in increased blood supply to and from the skin; (2) serving as an anti-free radical agent, thereby aiding in preventing the deleterious effects of sun and environmental exposure.


Steph,
Purely Shea
http://www.purelyshea.com

Monday, September 11, 2006

Healing Fraction of Shea Butter


Shea butter has been used for thousands of years to heal a variety of skin conditions. There are 5 important tests that reveal the quality of the Healing Fraction also known as the nonsaponifiable fraction:

1. VITAMINS A & E

2. CINNAMIC VALUE

3. STEROLS

4. NONSAPONIFIABLE MATTER

5. OTHERS: TRITERPENES & LATEX

Various amounts of the above ingredients are sometimes not captured during the extraction process of shea butter resulting in the decreased healing of certain skin conditions. Remember: ALL SHEA BUTTER PRODUCTS ARE NOT EQUAL!

This week we will focus in-depth on each of the healing factors listed above.

Steph,

http://www.purelyshea.com

Friday, September 08, 2006

USDA Certified Organic Shea Butter


As we all become more educated about the toxins that surround us, the demand for eco-friendly, all-natural, and organic products has surged. Skincare products are among those products. Here at Purely Shea, we always recommend that everyone read the ingredients of their products to ensure that they are picking things that are safe and healthy.

We also like to tell people to choose products that carry the USDA ORGANIC seal. Purely Shea is one of the few skincare companies to offer 100% Pure Unrefined USDA Certified Organic Shea Butter for maximum healing.

Having USDA ORGANIC approval ensures:

• Independent third-party guarantee of quality and purity of the shea butter
• The shea butter is free from pesticides
• Sustainable agriculture of the shea tree that respects, supports, and
nurtures the complete ecosystem of Earth
• Authenticity of natural and organic shea butter claims
• Prevention of damage to the environment by toxic synthetic chemicals

Steph,
Purely Shea
http://www.purelyshea.com

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Shaving with Shea


Here at Purely Shea we are always hearing about unique ways people are using shea butter. One of these unique ways is by using it as a shaving cream.

According to the American Shea Butter Institute, premium quality shea butter reduces the shearing force between the skin and the blade. This allows for a less traumatic, smoother, and closer shave. Additionally, since the shea butter continues to nourish and moisturize the shaved area, this eliminates the need for after-shave lotions and creams.

Certified Organic Unrefined Shea Butter is a superior shaving cream for the following reasons:

  • Conditions and prepares the skin for the shave
  • Protects the skin during the shave
  • Nourishes the skin after the skin
  • Encourages natural healing of the skin after the shave

Give it a try and let us know what you think. We promise you won't be disappointed!

Steph,

Purely Shea

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Shea Butter for Cold Sores


We have found yet another study about shea butter. This study is being conducted to see how well shea butter treats cold sores.

The study will look at the effectiveness of Shea Butter extract in reducing the duration and severity of cold sores and also whether it is able to reduce the number of cold sores suffered. It will be in two stages – initially treating cold sores using an application of the butter, and in the second phase, using a lip balm preventatively.

This clinical trial is also being conducted at Queensland University in Australia. Visit this link to check it out: http://www.uq.edu.au/news/index.html?article=6743

It will be very exciting to get the final conclusion once the trial is over. We will keep you posted about the results!

Steph,
Purely Shea
http://www.purelyshea.com

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Can Shea Butter Cure Arthritis?

A clinical trial by the Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education and Research (ACCMER) will examine the benefits of Shea Butter extract in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

The trial will investigate the safety, effectiveness and action of Shea Butter capsules taken orally. Laboratory studies have shown that Shea Butter has the types of properties that should make it an effective antiarthritic agent and it is now important to confirm this with clinical trials in patients with the condition.

Here at Purely Shea, we have received countless testimonials from many of our customers who have used Purely Shea shea butter topically to relieve arthritis, carpal tunnel, and sore muscles.
To read more about the trial visit http://www.uq.edu.au/news/?article=9988

Monday, September 04, 2006

Welcome to The Shea Butter Blog!

Hello!

Welcome to the only blog soley dedicated to all things SHEA. We are absolutely in love with shea butter here at Purely Shea and we thought this would be good place to share our adoration with other fans.

This product is Mother Nature's best healing skin treatment and moisturizer. Used for thousands of years, dating back to Cleopatra, it is an absolute must-have for women, men and children everywhere.

Visit http://www.purelyshea.com to read more about this powerful treatment.

Thanks for visiting our blog. Be sure to leave a comment or ask a question before you go.