Organic shea butter 250 ml: a simple fix for dry areas

Hands that spend the day in water, elbows that rub against the desk, heels that went barefoot all summer: these areas dry out faster than the rest of the body and need something richer than a light lotion. That is where shea butter comes in – a small amount, a little warmth from your hands, and the skin feels comfortable again.

What is shea butter?

The shea tree grows in the African savannah and is known to botanists as Vitellaria paradoxa. The nuts inside its fruit yield a fat that is solid at room temperature and melts on contact with the skin. In the regions where the tree grows, it has a long tradition of cosmetic and household use.

According to the product sheet, our organic shea butter is made from the nuts of the shea tree, native to West Africa. It is deodorised for a more neutral scent while keeping its cosmetic qualities. The sheet describes it as very rich in unsaponifiables and vitamins and suitable for all skin types, especially dry skin and skin that feels tight.

How to use it on dry areas

• Take very little: a pea-sized amount is enough for both hands. The butter is concentrated, so add more rather than overdo it.
• Warm it between your palms for a few seconds until it melts and spreads more easily.
• Massage it in on the areas that need it – backs of the hands, cuticles, elbows, knees, heels – until absorbed.
• Pick your moment: in the evening, before bed, the butter has the whole night without clothes rubbing it off. For feet, a pair of cotton socks helps keep it in place.
• After a shower, on slightly damp skin, it spreads more thinly.

As the product sheet notes, it can also go into your homemade preparations for body or hair, for example a touch of butter on dry lengths.

Precautions

Worth remembering. For external use only. If your skin is reactive, test a small amount on the inside of the elbow first and wait 24 hours. Avoid contact with the eyes. Scoop the butter with clean hands or a spatula, close the jar tightly and keep it away from heat: above a certain temperature it softens, then sets again as it cools, sometimes with a slightly grainy texture, which does not affect its use. Keep out of the reach of children.

Our products

• Organic shea butter, 250 ml: a handy jar to keep by the washbasin or on the bedside table.
• Organic shea butter, 500 g: for those who also use it all over the body.

The full composition and details are in the documentation tab of each product page.

In short

One pure product with no added fragrance covers many small everyday needs: dry hands, rough elbows, hard-working heels. The secret is to use a little, but regularly. To find out whether it suits your skin type, or how to combine it with a plant oil, ask the team at Droguerie Perusset in Yverdon-les-Bains.