Dallas Morning News - April 8, 2021

Shea Butter

I work with my hands quite a bit using gardening tools, paint brushes, brooms and electrical tools. I also install a lot of the smaller plants in my gardens myself and only wear gloves about half of the time. The wet/dry and digging in the dirt bangs up the hands but even worse is during cold, dry weather the ends of my fingers crack open. And it really hurts.

Yes, I have tried Liquid Bandage, Gold Bond Cracked Skin Protectant Cream and Thieves Oil. I have also tried all the recommended medicines hand lotions on the market. Those products include but are not limited to Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater and Pink Peppercorn Hand Therapy, Burt's Bees Hand Repair, CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream. Neutrogena Norwegian Formula, Lubriderm, Cetaphil and coconut oil. Udder Balm (aka Bag Balm) is not bad but a little too greasy. Gloves in a Bottle puts a protective coating on your hands that seems to work well, but is too much trouble to remember to do consistently.

The solution, for me, has been discovered. Shea Butter.

Shea butter is a seed fat that comes from two oily kernels inside the seed of the shea tree from East and West tropical Africa. After the kernel is removed from the seed, it is ground into a powder, boiled and turned into this great product.

Shea butter can be used for rashes, dry skin, sunburn, itching, wrinkles and blemishes, cracks in the skin and minor wounds. High concentrations of fatty acids and vitamins give it anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Using shea butter on your face, hands and the rest the body can condition, tone, and soothe the skin.

This stuff really works well. It contains vitamin A and E with essential fatty acids which are believed to add moisture and shine to the hair. Its non-greasy quality makes it an excellent moisturizer for skin and hair. It softens dry brittle hair and repairs split damaged ends as well. The non-greasy factor is important. You can go right back to the computer without making a mess of the keyboard. Shea butter is great for correcting skin discoloration and evening out skin tone. It apparently can even help to smooth out scarred skin.

The only negative thing I have found on shea butter is this: if you have acne prone skin, shea butter could possibly cause breakouts. Some shea butter brands claim the ingredient is noncomedogenic (meaning it doesn't clog pores).

Some of the good products on the market have shea butter as an ingredient, but the product I have discovered and use is pure shea butter and available from thebodyshop.com. Give a try and give me a report.

  Search Library Topics      Search Newspaper Columns