FAQ'S

What is shea butter?
Shea Butter, also known as Butyrospermum parkii, is extracted from the nuts that come from the shea tree. The Shea trees grow in the Sahel belt of West Africa which includes countries like Ghana, Mali, Togo, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

What is the difference between refined and unrefined shea butter?
Unrefined shea butter contains a sizeable quantity of unsaponifiable fats, vitamins and other essential elements, which help cell regeneration and capillary circulation. Unrefined shea promotes the healing of small wounds, stretch marks, eczema, cracked and irritated skin and skin ulcers. It is said that unrefined shea provides some level of UV protection because it contains cinnamic acid. Unrefined shea butter has a natural, earthy and nutty scent which is great for the skin and has therapeutic effects.

Refined shea butter on the other hand is white and odorless. The refining process removes the natural scent and color, and unfortunately strips the natural shea butter of all its therapeutic properties. The process may involve the use of harsh chemicals such as sodium hydroxide. Refined shea butter may be aesthetically appealing, but lacks the true moisturizing, healing and nutritive properties of unrefined shea butter.

Why do you use unrefined shea butter?

A lot of skincare companies use shea butter because of the emollient benefits of this natural moisturizer.  Majority of these companies use refined shea butter in their formulations because it has a longer shelf life and is easier to work with. Unfortunately, the process of refining can strip shea butter of its natural biotactives.

Unrefined shea butter is rich in properties that moisturize and heal the skin. Shea butter contains bioactives that include tocopherols, flavinoids and cathechins (similar to those found in green tea). 

Unrefined shea butter is rich in tripetenes which contain anti-inflammatory and protease inhibition properties. Shea butter also contains phytosterols which can improve skin metabolism and reduce inflammation.

Shea Radiance uses only unrefined shea butter as the base for all our products. We believe that skin care products should produce results. Our goal is to create products that are luxurious and effective.