Shea butter is extracted from Vitellaria paradoxa, also known as the Shea Tree, which grows in Africa. The greenish shea butter is extracted from its nuts, which are similar to avocados. The extract, which is crushed and boiled, is consumed in traditional West African cuisine. It is also used in the chocolate industry as a substitute for cocoa butter. Shea butter is also used in traditional native ceremonies. Members of a rebel group in Uganda smeared shea butter on their bodies, believing that it would protect them from bullets.
Shea butter has moisturizing and skin-protection properties. It contains a number of phenols including gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, gallocatechin and epigallocatechin gallate as well as quercetin and trans-cinnamic acid.1
Shea butter is most often used for its emollient properties as an adjunctivefor the care of itchy dry skin.
