Shea Butter - A Cosy Cottage and Cleopatra Favourite

We use shea butter in 75% of our products! Our moisturising hand and body care products at Cosy Cottage are different to the vast majority of moisturising products available. Rather than using emulsified water as the basis of our creams, balms and moisturising facial soap, we use a unique blend of rich, luxurious coconut oil and glorious shea butter. 

In this blog series, we took a good look at the many benefits of coconut oil and this time, it’s the turn of shea butter.

Shea butter is a creamy, sweet-smelling triglyceride (which means, a fat), which comes from the nuts of the Shea tree, native to West Africa. Around the world, shea butter is used for many traditional medicinal purposes, such as for the relief of pain, inflammation and sinus conditions. Its most popular use though is as a beauty product, for which it has been used for millennia. It’s said that the ancient Egyptian queen, Cleopatra always kept jars of shea butter on beautifying standby for smoothing, moisturising and conditioning her famously exquisite skin.

Each component which makes up this beauty staple has an important part to play in making it so beneficial:

• Fatty Acids (linoleic, palmitic, stearic, and oleic acid) – the building blocks of healthy cell membranes, helping produce the skin's natural oil barrier which is critical in keeping skin hydrated, plump, and looking youthful
• Vitamins (A, E, and F) - antioxidant vitamins which promote circulation and healthy skin cell growth
• Triglycerides (fats) - nourish and condition the skin
• Cetyl esters - waxy substances which condition skin and lock in moisture

Some of the triglycerides (fats) in shea butter can be saponified, which means they can be turned into soap. Our moisturising shea butter facial soap is comprised largely of these saponified triglycerides together with additional creamy, shea butter, to produce a uniquely moisturising facial cleansing soap.

As well as being a valuable skincare ingredient, shea butter is becoming increasingly popular in haircare, candlemaking, wax wrap making and more widely in cosmetics. A versatile and valuable favourite, which we at Cosy Cottage all love.

See our shea butter collection.