Raw Shea butter does one thing exceptionally well: it keeps skin hydrated, soft and comfortable in weather that would otherwise wreck it. Everything else people claim for it follows from that, and a fair amount of what people claim for it is invented.
Here is the full list of benefits, what is in the butter that produces them, and the claims we will not make.
What Is Raw Shea Butter?
Shea butter is the fat from the nut of Vitellaria paradoxa, a tree that grows wild across the African savanna belt from Senegal to South Sudan. It refuses plantation life, takes around twenty years to bear its first fruit, and then produces for up to two centuries.
Getting butter out of the nut takes eight steps by hand: gather, boil, sun-dry, crack, roast over a wood fire, grind to paste, whip with water until the fat separates, then cook and skim clean. Nothing is added at any point.
What Is Actually In It
- Oleic acid — helps the butter sink into skin rather than sit on top
- Stearic acid — gives it the body to stay put on a dry patch
- Unsaponifiable fraction — several times higher than olive oil, and where the plant sterols live
- Vitamin A — supports skin cell turnover
- Vitamin E — antioxidant, also helps the butter resist going rancid
- Vitamin F — the essential fatty acids your skin barrier is built from
Refining removes most of the unsaponifiable fraction and much of the vitamin content. That is the entire argument for buying raw.
Shea Butter Benefits for Skin
- Long-lasting moisture — emollient and occlusive at once, so it smooths the surface and slows water escaping. A morning application is still working in the afternoon.
- Barrier repair — fatty acids and sterols are the raw material your outer skin layer is built from. Cold, wind, hot showers and harsh cleansers all damage it.
- Calms rough and itchy skin — dry patches, flaking shins, cracked heels, chapped lips, wind-burned cheeks. This is where it is close to unbeatable.
- Stretching skin — keeps skin supple and stops the itch during pregnancy or growth. It does not prevent stretch marks and we will not tell you it does.
- Hair and scalp — a small amount through the ends tames frizz. As a pre-wash scalp mask it works well. Too much weighs fine hair down.
- Faces, including oily ones — rates low for pore-clogging and suits most skin types applied thinly.
Which Product for Which Problem
| Skin issue | Reach for | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Very dry body, winter skin | Raw Shea butter | Daily on damp skin |
| Cracked heels and hands | Raw Shea butter, thick layer | Nightly under socks |
| Dry or tight face | Shea whipped with Baobab oil | Nights |
| Oily or combination face | Baobab oil alone | Nights |
| Pregnant belly | Raw Shea butter | Twice daily |
| Baby skin | Raw Shea butter, nothing added | As needed |
Three Claims We Will Not Make
- Shea butter is not sunscreen. You will find SPF numbers attached to it everywhere. Whatever protection it offers is low and unmeasured on your batch, and sun is the largest preventable cause of skin ageing. Wear a certified SPF.
- Shea butter does not remove wrinkles. It softens the look of fine lines by hydrating, which is real and temporary.
- Shea butter is not a treatment for a medical skin condition. Many people with eczema-prone skin find a plain unrefined butter kinder than a fragranced cream. It is still a moisturizer and your dermatologist is still the right person to ask.
Raw vs Refined Shea Butter
| Raw (ours) | Refined | |
|---|---|---|
| Process | Hand-whipped, nothing added | Solvent extracted, bleached, deodorized |
| Colour | Ivory, varies by batch | Uniform white |
| Scent | Nutty, faintly smoky | None |
| Vitamins and sterols | Intact | Substantially reduced |
More detail in raw versus refined Shea butter.
How to Use It So None Is Wasted
- Take less than you think: a pea covers a face, a walnut covers a leg
- Warm it between your palms until it turns to oil
- Apply to slightly damp skin, ideally straight out of the shower
- For heels and hands, apply thickly at night under cotton socks or gloves
- Store sealed, cool and out of sunlight and it keeps for years
Who Makes Ours
A cooperative of women in northern Ghana, who own the operation and set the standards. They started with ten members and are now more than thirty. They use their own butter daily on themselves and their children, which is the strictest quality control system we know of. The income is steady and their children are in school, and that holds because customers keep ordering.
Where to Get It
Our raw Shea butter and cold-pressed Baobab oil are available now on Amazon in the US and across the EU. Every link and our own webstore lives on our LinkTree.
Shea butter comes in 450g | 16oz pouches and 2.25kg | 5lb and 4.5kg | 10lb boxes.
Read More
- Is Raw Shea Butter Good for Your Face?
- How to Use Raw Shea Butter
- How to Store Raw Shea Butter
- DIY Raw Shea Butter Recipes
FAQ
What are the main benefits of raw Shea butter for skin?
Long-lasting moisture, barrier repair, and relief for rough, itchy or weather-damaged skin. It also softens the look of fine lines by hydrating.
Is unrefined Shea butter better than refined?
For skincare, yes. Refining removes much of the vitamin and sterol content that gives Shea butter its reputation.
Can I use Shea butter every day?
Yes, and daily use is where it performs best. Small amounts on damp skin beats occasional heavy application.
Does raw Shea butter expire?
It keeps for years stored sealed, cool and away from sunlight. Vitamin content declines slowly over time.
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