COSMETICS AND CANCER

Here at the Shea Butter Blog, we are proud to produce effectice skin care solutions that are also SAFE and FREE of toxic cancer causing chemicals. We ran across an interesting article that we thought anyone who wears cosmetics should read.

The article is titled Cancer and Cosmetics and it states that "Yet some of the 10,000 ingredients in beauty products are suspected or confirmed carcinogens, hormone-mimicking chemicals or substances linked to birth defects."

Users of Purely Shea shea butter and other natural products know how important safe cosmetics are. Click below to read the full report:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070414.wcosmetics0414/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

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

Shea Butter Tree is truly the "Tree of Life"!

Almost all parts of the Shea Butter tree have some practical use.

BARK

The bark of the Shea Butter tree is an ingredient in traditional medicines against certain childhood illnesses and minor scrapes and cuts.

SHELL

The shell of the nuts can repel mosquitoes.

FRUIT

Above all, because it is completely non-toxic and gentle, the fruity part of the Shea Butter kernel, when crushed, yields a vegetable oil that can be used in soap-making, cooking, and skin and hair care.

We can clearly see now why this tree is called the "Tree of Life"!

Steph,

Purely Shea - The Leader in Organic Shea Butter Skincare

www.purelyshea.com

Varieties of Shea Butter Trees

There are two kinds of Shea Butter Trees:

1.)The nilotic shea-butter tree, Vitellaria paradoxa ssp. nilotica, a is slow-growing hardwood fruit tree indigenous to northern Uganda and Southern Sudan.

2.) The Mangifolia tree, found in the semi-arid savannahs of West and Central Africa is also known as the Karite Tree which means “Tree of Life.”

The Shea Butter from the first tree is more oily and is naturally pure white. It has a very distinctive aroma which is quite different from the Shea Butter from the Karite Tree. It is considered to be a good moisturizer but not as good at healing skin conditions compared to the second kind of Shea Butter.

Tomorrow we will touch on the different uses for the various parts of the Shea Butter Tree.

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

VItamins in Shea Butter

Did you know that Shea Butter naturally contains vitamins and minerals for healthy skin?

For example, Unrefined Certified Organic Shea Butter is loaded with A which is needed for healthy skin. In fact, it is an all-natural Vitamin A cream. This vitamin 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.


A powerful antioxidant which helps to prevent free radical damage is Vitamin E. 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 also increases circulation to the skin.

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

Earth Day and Shea Butter Blog

Here at Purely Shea- The Leader in Organic Shea Butter Skincare, we wanted to take a little time out to talk about EARTH DAY.

The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970. Twenty million people across America celebrated this event. It was a time when cities were buried under their own smog and polluted rivers caught fire. Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe. Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grassroots organizations, and citizens like you, what started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a world-wide campaign to protect our global environment.

We hope that you will do something special for Earth Day 2007. We will be sure to do something special right here at the Shea Butter Blog-so stay tuned!

Steph,
Purely Shea – The Leader in Organic Shea Butter
www.purelyshea.com

April Shea Butter Retailer Highlight

The Shea Butter retailer spotlight for the month of April is Utopia Valley! This retailer is located in the UK and is the first retailer of Purely Shea Shea Butter in the UK. Check out their website at www.utopiavalley.com.

This is an awesome natural products retailer founded by a qualified medical herbalist and member of the NIMH out of a combination of frustration at the number of companies jumping on the 'herbal bandwagon' and denigrating the genuine products on the market and a desire to provide her patients with easy access to the products she recommends.

Utopia Valley offers FREE delivery on all UK orders and offers Purely Shea Shea Butter for 16.95 pounds. Click here to see Purely Shea on their site.

We are truly honored to partner with this wonderful retailer of natural and organic products!

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

Shea Butter History Lesson

Just thought it would be good time to go over a brief history of Shea Butter. Enjoy!

There are mentions of Shea Butter dating as far back as Cleopatra in historical documents that mention caravans bearing clay jars of valuable Shea Butter being used for cosmetic use. Shea trees were also used to make the funeral beds of royalty.

A 14th century historian and ambassador by the name of Ibn Batouta was entrusted by the Morocco sultan with a diplomatic mission at the court of Mali traveled throughout west Africa and in 1348 reported the about many uses of Shea Butter.

Scot Mungo Park introduced Shea Butter to Europe and was the first to describe the botanical characteristics of the Shea tree, and the various applications of the “butter” derived from it.

Steph,

Purely Shea - The Leader in Organic Shea Butter Skincare

www.purelyshea.com

Shea Butter vs Shea Butter Oil

Shea Butter itself is a solid oil but when it is lightly heated, it separates into its fractionated and unfractionated portions. The Shea oil is obtained as a fractionated "by-product" of Shea butter production directly from the seed.

For light moisturization, Shea Butter Oil proves to be a natural and effective way to relieve dryness. However, if deeper moisturization is needed, or if healing for specific skin condition is wanted, Shea Butter produces better results. This is because the healing factors are in both the fractionated and unfractionated components.

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

Sustainability and Shea Butter

According to the U.S. EPA Sustainability is defined as follows:

"Sustainability is the ability to achieve continuing economic prosperity while protecting the natural systems of the planet and providing a high quality of life for its people. Achieving sustainable solutions calls for stewardship, with everyone taking responsibility for solving the problems of today and tomorrow-individuals, communities, businesses and governments are all stewards of the environment. "

Did you know that Shea Butter comes from a renewable and sustainable resource: the kernel of a green, sweet and fleshy fruit? Well ,the fruit trees grow wild throughout the West African savannah. Women and their children collect these fruits, high in vitamins. After consumption, the pits are collected to extract their soft, healing butter.

Ask yourself, 'how susutainable are the products that I am using?'

Steph,

Purely Shea - The Leader in Organic Shea Butter Skincare

www.purelyshea.com