GOODBYE TO LOTION

Hey Candies!

Yes!! I just said goodbye to LOTION!!!!!! Unbelievable??? Oh you've got to believe it! I know I am a lotion junkie but I've stopped using lotion for some time now. Coz it doesn't satisfy me and I just hate wasting my money on products that gives empty promises of moisture, hydration & soft & silky skin! Pui..

So as everybody knows, I'm a lotion freak! I love lotions! And I can't go on a day without slathering some lotion.. I just love lotion!! But, there's a tons of lotions out there and I've tried a lot but some just doesn't satisfy me. Some says that their product gives MOISTURE & HYDRATION and blah blah blah... So in the search for the best lotion, I've searched the web for the one that would give me what I want. And I've come about sometime ago the best! Before I purchased anything online I ofcourse have to read some reviews and stuffs. And  all the reviews were praises. So I purchased online this baby for me to try. I mean every skin is different and some products may not be suitable for every skin types. But this baby is so suitable for all skin types! So let's get to know this lovely baby!

Introducing SHEA BUTTER!!!

This baby is a slightly yellowish or Ivory-colored natural fats extracted from the nut of the Shea Tree by crushing, boiling and stirring. It is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturizer, salve or lotion. It is edible and occasionally, chocolate industry uses shea butter as a substitute for cocoa butter although the taste is different.

The traditional method of preparing unrefined shea butter consists of the following steps:

• Separating/cracking: The outer pulp of the fruit is removed. When dry, the nut, which is the source of shea butter, must be separated from the outer shell. This is a social activity, traditionally done by Women Elders and young girls who sit on the ground and break the shells with small rocks.
• Crushing: To make the shea nuts into butter, they must be crushed. Traditionally, this is done with mortars and pestles. It is hard, grueling work - with the women spending hours lifting the heavy pestles and slamming them into the mortars to crush the nuts so they can be roasted.
• Roasting: The crushed nuts are then roasted in huge pots over open, wood fires. The pots must be stirred constantly with wooden paddles so the butter does not burn. The butter is heavy and stirring it is hot, smoky work, done under the sun. This is where the slight, smoky smell of traditional shea butter originates.
• Grinding: The roasted shea nuts are ground into a smoother paste, water is gradually added and the paste is mixed well by hand.
• Separating the oils: The paste is kneaded by hand in large basins and water is gradually added to help separate out the butter oils. As they float to the top, the butter oils, which are in a curd state, are removed and excess water squeezed out. The butter oil curds are then melted in large open pots over slow fires. A period of slow boiling will remove any remaining water, by evaporation.
• Collecting and shaping: The shea butter, which is creamy or golden yellow at this point, is ladled from the top of the pots and put in cool places to harden. Then it is formed into balls.

Shea Butter has been used in Africa for centuries. It is used to moisture and protect the skin from the sun, heat, wind and salt. It is known as the most effective moisturizer and conditioner because of it's high content of non-saponifiable fats including vitamin F. It is an excellent moistener and is used for aging skin, eczema, and all forms of massage. It is also used to relax the muscles and to treat sprains, wounds and colds. It also helps protect and prevent dryness, irritation and wind burn. Can be used as a hair dressing cream to moisturize a dry scalp and stimulate hair growth. And best of all, it helps to diminish stretch marks!! 

I got mine from Coastal Scents. I got 1 pound of pure, un-refined Shea Butter. It smelled kinda nutty but it smells so damn good!! Some people might not like the smell but I definitely love the smell. It can be applied on the skin as it is or make your own body butter by incorporating some Essential oils and fragrance oils. But it's still all natural! What I did with my own Shea butter was I made my own body butter. So I mixed in half a pound of Shea butter with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Raw African Honey, and Vanilla Lavender fragrance oil to give me that sweet, chocolate like scent. Smoothed it all over my body, face, hair & especially those areas where I have stretch marks, give it a good amount of body butter and massaging it so the skin will absorb it faster. Instantly, after the body butter sinked into my skin, it felt so smooth, so soft, and it smelled really good!!!

My own body butter.. It has a creamy consistency. And It smells damn good!!

And my God! I am never gonna waste my money again on lotions that promises nothing! Nothing like the Shea Butter can do for your skin! It's totally hydrating and moisturizes, affordable and long lasting! A pound of Shea butter goes a long way baby! And I still have 5 pounds here with me coz I ordered another one! Lol.. Keep your Shea Butter in cool, dry place. 


So there's my little secret! Well, it works wonderful for me. If you guys are interested, go google it now! You can go check out this websites for some reviews. Please click Tonya TKO, Tonya TKO stretch marks solution, & SorrySary. Check out this reviews and see for yourself.


Anyways, you might see that there are some White Shea Butter, Yellow Shea Butter & Ivory Shea Butter. Be aware, the real Unrefined Shea Butter is Ivory in color. Not Yellow & not White! IVORY!! The White Shea Butter that you see is the REFINED Shea Butter. You do not want that! Because it's refined and all the natural properties were stripped out and were being replaced with chemicals! So That is not good! The Yellow one is NOT Shea Butter! I repeat, it's NOT SHEA BUTTER! But don't fret, it is similar to Shea Butter but a very different kind of butter. Tricky?? Not really.. 


In my next blog I will further explain the difference between the Ivory, Yellow & White Shea Butters.. 


Stay tuned!!


Much Love,
Ivy ♥