The Mysteries of Shea Butter

Well, it turns out it's completely herbal lore.

There are no studies that I could find of any scientific nature showing that shea butter has ANY of the following traits:

1. Skin renewing properties
2. Absorbs quickly
3. Good for joints
4. That no one has an allergy to it.
5. (my favorite) non-greasy.

I find that shea butter is, in fact, VERY greasy and it NEVER absorbs into your skin.  It just covers it like a greasy glove.  Unlike other lotions, whenever manufacturers add this ingredient, you can immediately tell from the fact that it DOES NOT absorb into your skin- that if you try to open a door knob right after using it on your hands, the door knob just spins because the lotion didn't absorb at all.  If you go to type after using it, it leaves little greasy fingerprints behind.

(hmm....perhaps the reason that it's become so popular with manufacturers is that it's actually being subsidized by the American government to make fingerprinting on coarse surfaces easier...hmmmm)

The very idea, also, that people are not allergic to shea butter is absolutely ludicrous.  People can be allergic to anything.

Why am I so opposed to shea butter?

Well, my favorite lotion manufacturer, St. Ives, recently decided to reformulate (AGAIN!) their entire line of lotions.  I used to get the Collagen and Elastin.  It was a great lotion- thin enough to wear under makeup, but still lasted all day.

Now, they have not only put shea butter in it, they've changed the fragrance- it's OVERPOWERINGLY PERFUMEY!

You can't use the lotion under makeup because the shea butter prevents and even coverage of your foundation and eye shadow.

You can't use it on your body because it leaves greasy stains on your black clothes when you use it.

It's simply awful!

So, why don't I just find another lotion?

Well, St. Ives has decided, in its terribly shortsighted wisdom, to use shea butter in all but one of its lotions- the one without has gluten in it, so I can't use it anyway.

I've tried just about every lotion on the market and they all either have shea butter or gluten in them.  It's a NIGHTMARE!

I've taken to trying to find the old UPC of lotion that St. Ives produced before reformulating- I think I've just about found the last of it, so my days of using it are numbered.  I have tried using Udder Cream, but you can't use it on your face (it's comedogenic - clogs pores) and if you're prone to acne other places, you can't use it there, either.  It does not use shea butter or gluten- it's lanolin-based, just to let you know.

Now, interestingly, St. Ives has recently released a "new" lotion for your face.  It only comes in a 4 or 10oz container and it costs the same as the big bottles, so basically, it's twice as expensive.  It does not have shea butter or gluten.  When I decided to try it out, I released that it's actually the OLD Collagen Elastin formula from about 6 years ago- when I started using St. Ives....but now they call is face cream and charge twice as much.

It's what you call "business".

I'ts what I call a rip-off.

Please, everyone, stop buying lotion with shea butter (or gluten) in it and send the manufacturers the message that it doesn't need to be in EVERYTHING.