Unrefined Shea butter for sun burn treatment - Preparing for summer

With the recent records of rain in the UK, we all hope it will soon be over and we can look forward to enjoying the warm summer days, where we can soak in the sun, swim at the beach or pool, have a picnic at the park with our family or perhaps a summer barbecue in the garden with our friends and family.  But summer heat can cause exposed skin to become dry and sunburned.  And even more important is to ensure that this sunburn doesn't later result in premature aging and skin cancer.

Unrefined Shea butter provides some natural protection against sunlight as it contains a small amount of a natural sunscreen (below SPF 6). So if you have no sun lotion available at home immediately, and you need to step out into the sun, you can apply unrefined Shea butter all over your body before you go out.

But more importantly Unrefined Shea butter is a natural healing balm that can help ease the pain, irritation and flaking of sun-burned skin. It is important to note that these healing properties are only present in unrefined Shea butter and not the refined. Just apply a small amount of Pure or Unrefined Shea butter to the affected area.  

Nothing soothes and helps heal a burn faster than pure or unrefined Shea butter. It leaves a soothing sensation on the skin that eases the pain and provides thorough and long-lasting protection against dryness.

Aviela unrefined Shea butter is suitable for all ages and skin type and you should keep a pot at home always or in your bag for when you go out in the sun, especially when going out with children.  Not only to treat their sun burn but also insects bites or skin irritation that they might experience with the hot weather.

Unrefined Shea butter vs Refined Shea butter

I was recently approached by a customer with the following question:       “To Whom It May Concern, Are there any unnatural, chemical processes used to make your Shea butter? I ask because I purchased your "%100 pure" Shea butter, and was unconvinced of its natural, rawness. This is because the colour of your Shea butter is white, appearing to be highly refined and less like the true, unrefined”. 

Michael Smith

I believe Michael is not the only one with this concern and with so many products on the market claiming to sell unrefined Shea butter, how can you truely determine which Shea butter is authentic Unrefined Shea butter.  Well, read my response to Michael. 

‘Thank you for your email and your concern about the authenticity of our product.  Let me start off by assuring you that our 100% Pure Shea butter is a 100% Raw and Unrefined.  Our butter is directly sourced from the fields of West Africa(Ghana) and the butter has been Eco-Certified as Premium grade ’A’(meaning that they have a high percentage of healing properties).

Now how is the  authenticity of Unrefined Shea butter determined?  Well, the authenticity of Unrefined Shea butter can be determined in two ways.  Firstly through the colour of the butter and secondly through the smell of the butter.

The Colour of Unrefined Shea butter can be yellowish (please note it is not yellow), beige or off-white.  Refined Shea butter on the other hand is Pure White.  The difference between it being yellowish or beige depends on the country that it originates from.  For instance Shea butter from Burkina Faso is yellowish while Shea butter from Ghana is beige.  When the butter is off-white it simply means it has been softened through the processing of whipping or mixing to make it softer for easy application.   This has no effect on the chemical structure of the butter and authenticity of the butter is retained.  This method is used by suppliers of Shea butter to avoid people from re-heating the butter all the time before using it.  Shea butter can be hard to apply and most people resort to reheating it before using it but heating and melting it has to be done within certain temperatures and reheating above those temperatures could destroy the effectiveness of the butter.

However the colour of the butter cannot be the only determine factor as some people tend to colour ‘False Shea butter’ to get it to look like the authentic ‘Unrefined Shea butter’.  The most reliable test therefore is the Smell of the butter. This is quite a difficult test for people who do not know and understand Shea butter very well.  The smell of the Shea butter can help you to know whether the butter has expired or not, is refined or unrefined and the quality of the butter without even taking it to the laboratory to have it tested. And most traditional users of Shea butter use this method to determine the Authenticity of Unrefined Shea butter and the quality of the Shea butter.

On a more personal note, I am a Ghanaian and my parents hail from the Northern part of Ghana, where Shea butter is mainly found.  I have used Shea butter most of my life and have been seriously studying and researching about this wonderful product for the past 5years.   Even though  I am able to determine the authenticity of the Unrefined Shea butter by its smell, we have ensured that our supplier’s butter has been scientifically tested to confirm its quality. ‘  

Aviela 100% Pure Shea butter is off-white in colour and has been softening to allow people to be able to easily take the butter and apply it and prevent them from reheating so that the healing properties in the unrefined Shea butter will not be destroyed.  It has no colour, no additive, no fragrance and preservatives and has a rich earthy smell.  We have many feedbacks on the authenticity of our butter and many feedbacks on how it has helped most people especially with eczema and rosacea. 

Visit www.aviela.co.uk for more information.

SHEA BUTTER – A summary of various uses and benefits

A recent trip to the beauty shops shows that Shea butter is fast becoming the no 1 natural skin moisturisers.  Almost all face, body and hair moisturisers contain Shea butter, mainly because of its softening, anti-drying, anti-aging and protective properties.  Shea butter is versatile and can be used for various purposes including:   

·         Baby’s skin

 Shea Butter that is all natural and unrefined is one of the best things you can put on your baby's sensitive skin. It has healing properties and is amazing for many things.  With bad publicity on chemical based products many mothers and fathers are turning to natural products to put on their baby’s skin. Unrefined Shea butter is natural, safe and very gentle on the skin. It is great for soothing and calming baby and for baby massage.

·         Dry skin

 The environment and seasons have been known to play a major role when it comes to dry skin. During the winter months the cold temperature outdoors and central heating indoors contributes to skin being dry and chapped. In the summer months, the heat from the sun and using air conditioning also contributes to dry skin. Dermatologist have recommend that one effective way to treat dry skin is to use a skin emollient like Shea butter, a vegetable based oil loaded with essential fatty acids, anti-oxidants and phytonutrients which can deeply moisturise the skin and help to relieve dry skin.

·         Family care

Shea butter is ideal for use by the entire family. It is an ultimate skin tool for everything from daily skin moisturising to lip, foot and hand care, to even athletic use. It also helps wounds  to heal and forms a protective barrier over the vulnerable area. In other words, it’s a very useful tub to keep around the house!

·         Hair care

 With Shea butter rich in vitamins A, E and F, and other moisturising properties; it can help to condition, moisturise, revitalise and protect hair. It is ideal for very dry, brittle hair and can help to improve over processed and damaged hair. It anti-irritant and anti-inflammatory properties are also great for any scalp irritation especially after the use of chemicals. It naturally returns sheen and lustre to the hair and keeps it generally healthy

In order to enjoy all these great benefits from Shea butter, it is important to note that the Shea butter must be raw, natural and unrefined.  It is only with raw unrefined Shea butter can these benefits be fully realised.  For raw unrefined Shea butter visit www.aviela.co.uk