JUCA Ugandan Shea Butter (Raw Nilotic)

You can apply shea butter to your face in the morning or at night. As a proven moisturizer, your skin may appear smoother after using it. But you may also experience breakouts upon use.

Shea butter is fat that’s been extracted from shea tree nuts. It’s off- or ivory-colored and has a creamy consistency that’s easy to spread on your skin. Most clear shea butter comes from shea trees in West Africa.

High concentrations of fatty acids and vitamins make shea butter an ideal cosmetic ingredient for softening skin. Shea butter also has anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Using shea butter on your body, especially your face, can condition, tone, and soothe your skin.

Benefits of shea butter for your face

Anti-inflammatory and healing properties

Shea butter has been proven to have extensive anti-inflammatory properties. Redness and swelling on your face may be calmed by applying shea butter products.

Emollient properties

The rich tree-nut oils in shea butter can soak into your skin, creating a smooth and soft barrier that seals in moisture. This moisturizing effect can last several hours.

Anti-aging properties

Shea butter has also been reported to have anti-aging properties. If true, the exact mechanism isn’t well-known and may be related to promoting collagen production or decreasing the breakdown of collagen that’s already present.

How to use shea butter on your face

The easiest way to use shea butter for your face is to purchase a cream that includes shea butter from a health food store, pharmacy, or online retailer.

Shea butter can be applied directly to your face before you go to sleep. Applying cream with shea butter as part of your skincare routine in the morning might take some getting used to. The fatty acids and oils in shea butter may make applying makeup on top of it difficult.

You can also make a facial mask using shea butter and several other ingredients. Wash your face first with a cream cleanser or warm water.

To make your own mask, mix together:

• 1 tbsp of raw honey
• 3 to 4 drops of grapeseed oil
• 1 tbsp of pure shea butter

Mix well and spread out over your face. Leave the mask on for 10 to 12 minutes before gently cleansing your face with warm water and a soft washcloth for best results.

Take care with these facial masks as it may promote acne if you are prone to it.

Side effects and risks

Shea butter is an incredibly low-risk topical ingredient. Allergic reactions to shea butter are rare.

Even people who are allergic to tree nuts, the family that shea nuts belong to, have a low risk of reaction to shea butter on their face. Researchers believe this is because shea nuts contain little of the tree-nut proteins that trigger allergies.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any risks to using it. Given the consistency of shea butter, it’s likely to be comedogenic.

Some websites on the internet claim that shea butter is non-comedogenic or has a “low comedogenic rating.” It’s not  where this evidence is derived from since there are no available studies to support this claim.

The American Academy of Dermatology supports the idea that shea butter can clog your pores and cause acne. This is especially true if you have acne-prone skin.

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Takeaway

Shea butter is a proven moisturizer for your skin. There are plenty of skincare products, at a variety of price points that contain shea butter as one of the main ingredients.

Shea butter has soothing and anti-aging properties that may make skin appear smoother and reduce aging.

However, pure shea butter on your face could lead to breakouts. Even using some products that just contain a smaller percentage of shea butter may lead to acne.

Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it works

When you’re working on your skin, chances are you’re following the popular suggestions for solving your particular skin issue, like a salicylic acid treatment for acne or a vitamin C serum for dullness.

After all, what works for hundreds must work for you… right? If only skin transformations were that simple.

When you’re faced with a skin care solution that just isn’t solving your problem — or is actually making your skin worse — it can be not only frustrating but also confusing. The good news is there’s never only one answer.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular skin care ingredients, why they might not be working, and alternative ingredients you can try to get your skin issues back under control.

Salicylic acid and alternatives

Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid that works by dissolving dead skin cells and ing out your pores. It treats both heads and blackheads.

What it treats: acne

Signs it’s not working: Your acne isn’t going away and your skin is damaged.

Why it might not be working: There are multiple types and causes of acne — and if your acne is severe, salicylic acid might not be strong enough for you. “Cystic acne will need something stronger than salicylic acid,” says Dr. Debra Jaliman, a dermatologist based in New York City.

What to try instead: Fortunately, there are many ingredients that work for acne. Face acids, retinol, zinc, sulfur, and tea tree oil are positive alternatives. You may even want to try at-home blue light therapy. However, if your acne is chronic and cystic, Jaliman recommends seeing a dermatologist. They can prescribe a stronger treatment, such as a prescription topical or, to get your acne under control.

Niacinamide and alternatives

Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that helps build proteins in the skin and retain moisture.

What it treats: wrinkles, sun damage, redness, acne, and overall skin health

Signs it’s not working: You’re not seeing results and notice that the product is pilling on your skin. Also, if you experience redness, itching, or burning, you might want to skip this ingredient.

Why it might not be working: If the product is pilling, that means it’s not properly absorbed into the skin and, because it’s not being absorbed, it’s not delivering results. If you experience redness or burning, your skin is likely sensitive to the ingredient.

What to try instead: If absorption is the problem, try using less product — and giving the product at least 2 to 5 minutes to absorb into the skin before layering on moisturizer. If your skin has an adverse reaction to niacinamide, switch to a gentler ingredient, such as bakuchiol extract, rosehip seed oil, or a face acid. Since niacinamide can treat many conditions, your replacement depends on your goals.

Retinol and alternatives

Retinol is a retinoid, a compound derived from vitamin A that helps speed up the process of cell turnover in your skin, or the rate at which new skin cells take the place of old ones.

What it treats: fine lines, wrinkles, elasticity, aging, and acne

Signs it’s not working: You’re experiencing redness, dryness, peeling, or a burning sensation after using retinol.

Why it might not be working: The truth is, retinol can be too active for some people. “It’s too strong [for some people],” Jaliman says. You could also be using too high of a percentage.

What to try instead: If retinol is too intense for your skin, try bakuchiol, a natural alternative. Bakuchiol “imitates retinol to a degree because of its anti-aging properties, but it’s all-natural, unlike retinol,” Jaliman says.

Vitamin C derivatives

Vitamin C is naturally present in the outer and inner layers of your skin and has a role in collagen production. Vitamin C serums can be applied directly to the skin.

What it treats: dullness, dark spots, elasticity

Signs it’s not working: Vitamin C is supposed to be nourishing for your skin. Think of it like a glass of OJ for your complexion! So, if your skin is having the opposite of a nourished effect, that’s a telltale sign this ingredient isn’t working for you.

Why it might not be working: Just like there are different brands of orange juice, there are different forms of vitamin C. If you have sensitive skin, certain types might not work for you. “If you have sensitive skin, avoid [vitamin C] products with L-ascorbic acid,” Jaliman says. “You might get irritation or discomfort.” If you aren’t seeing any results but have no irritation, it’s also possible that your serum has oxidized and needs to be replaced. This can occur if it’s been opened for too long or was stored or packaged ineffectively. This may be the case if your serum appears brown rather than yellow in color.

What to try instead: If L-ascorbic acid makes your skin react, try ascorbyl glucoside, a water-soluble derivative of vitamin C that tends to be gentler on the skin. If your vitamin C serum has oxidized, try replacing it.

Hyaluronic acid and boosting its effectiveness

Hyaluronic acid naturally occurs in the body’s connective tissue and is the main component of what gives skin its structure. It has moisturizing and rejuvenating effects.

What it treats: dryness and dehydration

Signs it’s not working: Your skin is still dry and dehydrated.

Why it might not be working: Hyaluronic acid binds moisture to the skin, but alone it’s probably not enough to give you a hydrated complexion. “Hyaluronic acid alone will normally not give you the moisture you need,” Jaliman says.

What to try instead: There’s no need to replace hyaluronic acid in your skin care routine — you just need to add additional moisturizing products. Follow up your hyaluronic acid serum with a moisturizer or face oil to hydrate your skin.

Product-specific issues

Don’t banish the ingredient from your skin care routine just yet. There are a number of reasons why a certain product might not solve your skin issues.

1. Your product could be expired

If a product has been sitting on the shelf too long, which is typically between 6 and 12 months depending on the product and packaging, it can definitely make it less effective — and less likely to deliver the results you’re looking for.

“Consumer skin products should undergo stability and efficacy tests,” says Dr. Brundha Balaraman, board certified dermatologist and founder of the SkinTRUST Society.

“Unfortunately, since these tests aren’t mandatory, and nonprescription cosmetics aren’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there’s really no way for American consumers to know how long a product will last,” Balaraman says.

2. You’re storing your products in the sun or a humid area

“Storing your products in your bathroom where the temperature can get very high due to hot showers may change effectiveness of some ingredients,” Jaliman explains.

“Extreme ambient temperatures may significantly affect product stability and efficacy,” Balaraman says. This means it can make your product react, look, feel, and even work differently.

“For example, sunscreen products that are overheated in cars may no longer be effective against ultraviolet radiation, or may cause skin irritation,” Balaraman says.

You might want to store your products the way you store food: in a mini beauty fridge.

3. Your product doesn’t have enough active ingredients

“It may be the proper ingredient, but the concentration is so low that by the time some of it reaches the target area in the skin, there’s not enough to have a qualifiable or quantifiable effect on the skin,” says Dr. Tsippora Shainhouse, a board certified dermatologist in a private practice in Los Angeles.

Before you chalk up an ingredient as ineffective for your skin, search for the ingredient list of your product. If the active ingredient isn’t in the top five, there’s probably not a high enough concentration to see results.

4. The product is low quality

Poor quality ingredients can cause a product not to work, Shainhouse says. Not all skin care products are created equal, and sometimes we see that reflected in prices.

Shainhouse refers to inferior ingredients, poor formulations, unstable molecules, or packaging as potential areas for quality checks. For example, open-jar packaging can let a lot of oxygen in, causing destabilization in active ingredients.

If you’ve eliminated any potential issues with the product, then chances are, it’s the ingredient.

Deanna deBara is a freelance writer who recently made the move from sunny Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon. When she’s not obsessing over her dog, waffles, or all things Harry Potter, you can follow her journeys on Instagram

Last medically reviewed on August 29, 2022

How we reviewed this article:

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

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Aug 29, 2022

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Mar 8, 2019

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Medically reviewed by Cynthia Cobb, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAANP — Written by Deanna Debara — Updated on August 29, 2022

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Here at Treasured Locks, we were selling shea butter and shea butter products long before shea butter became cool. When we opened our doors in 2002, we started with Shea Butter products from SheaMoisture and Heritage.  Continuing until today, we offer everything from pure, raw shea butter to shea butter in soaps, lotions, shampoos and hair conditioners.  Many manufacturers have jumped on the Shea Butter bandwagon. But, before you go buying that latest Shea Butter product, you should know a little more about this precious little nut from Africa.

What is Shea Butter? 
How can I tell if something is good Shea Butter?
How should Shea Butter smell?
How do I store Shea Butter?
My Shea Butter melted.  What do I do?
What color should  Shea Butter be? 
How can Shea Butter benefit me? 
How does Shea Butter benefit my skin? 
What does Shea Butter benefit my hair? 
Is all Shea Butter the same? 
What can I tell by looking at the label? 
Where can I get good Shea Butter?
What's the difference between raw shea butter and refined shea butter?
Do I want raw Shea Butter or refined Shea Butter?
What about East African Shea Butter?
It's possible that you may have only recently heard of Shea Butter.  But, its use is far from a new-fangled fad.  African have known the benefits of Shea Butter for centuries.  Down through the generations, native Africans have used Shea Butter to soothe and rejuvenate their hair and skin.  Shea Butter is not only for those of us with dark skin though.  Every skin typs can benefit from the use of Shea Butter.  Today, Shea Butter is available in pure form and as an ingredient in many products to help with maintenance of the hair and skin and relief from many common ailments.


 

What is Shea Butter?

Shea Butter is extracted from the nuts of  a tree only found on the continent of Africa.  Shea Butter is extracted from the nuts of the Shea-Karite tree.  This tree only begins to produce nuts after about fifteen years and it can take up to 30 years to get the first quality crop from a particular tree.  The producers are waiting for the nut to contain a high concentration of irremovable fatty acid.  It is this unique fatty acid that gives Shea Butter its unparalleled healing properties and makes it much more sought after than other butters like cocoa butter.  For centuries, Shea Butter was produced by people who harvested the nuts, shelled them, grilled them and and then pounded them. The karite nuts were boiled in a vat of water for hours until the Shea Butter.  The butter would then be scooped up in gourds and allowed to return to a soft solid state.  Shea Butter is solid at room temperature.  But one of the things that makes it so great is that it liquifies right around body temperature.  A quick rub in the palm of your hands and it's a liquid.  Shea Butter extracted this way is called unrefined Shea Butter or raw Shea Butter.  Since Shea Butter is an all natural product each batch will be slightly different. Shea Butter will vary quite a bit in appearance and smell.  It's important to be able to tell what is good Shea Butter and what is not, in spite of these natural variations. 
Most Shea Butter comes from West Africa or Ghana. A few years ago a softer and smoother variety from Uganda in East Africa started becoming more popular.  You can read more about it below.

How can I tell if something is good Shea Butter?

Pure Shea Butter differs in the methods of extraction used to get it from the nut.  Also, Shea Butter is often graded.

• Raw or unrefined- This Shea Butter will be extracted using only water.  The color will vary based on the nuts used.  The color will range from a cream color  or slightly off-clear to an actual yellow or yellowish gray.  This is the original form of Shea Butter.  It will also usually have a distinct nutty aroma.
• Refined- is more highly processed. It may be filtered and deodorized.  Many of its natural components are still in there.  But, some of the natural coloring and aroma will have been removed. 
• Highly refined or processed- In this case something other than water is used to increase the amount of butter that can betakenfrom a bath.  A solvent like hexane will be used.  The color of this product will be pure clear.

Treasured Locks only sells raw or unrefined shea butter.  We only provide the highest quality available- certified as such.  And, we never sell shea butter that has been extracted using solvents.
How should Shea Butter smell?
Shea Butter in it natural state has an aroma which most people find quite pleasant or at least not offensive.  I think it's a smell that actually grows on you over time.   The smell of raw West African Shea varies is typically a nutty smell.  As Shea Butter ages, the aroma will begin to decrease.  If you purchase unrefined Shea Butter with almost no smell, the chances are it's old.  Shea Butter is pretty stable when kept properly.  But, it can go rancid.  Shea Butter should not  have a mildewed or rotten smell, not matter the age.  If you happen to dislike the aroma of natural raw Shea Butter, you can purchase more highly refined  Shea that has been filtered through clay to remove the natural aroma.  But, before doing that, we'd recommend buying the smoother variety from East Africa.
How do I store Shea Butter?

You don't have to keep Shea Butter refrigerated.  In fact doing so would make it very difficult to use.  It will keep under normal conditions for about two to three years.  Over time it will be less effective in terms of its healing properties. But, it will remain a good moisturizer.  Keep it in a cool place and keep the container closed to keep out contamination.
My Shea Butter melted
This is not at all unusual.  In the summer months, a lot of Shea Butter that is shipped will melt somewhere along the route to you.  If you happen to leave it in the car  (we've done this many times) and you come back and it's liquid, don't panic.  Actually, one of the wonderful properties of Shea Butter is the fact that it melts right around body temperatures.  When you apply it to your skin, it quickly becomes liquid making it easy to apply and to be asborbed.  If your Shea Butter melts, just take the lid off the container and set it in the refrigerator. Or just keep it in an air conditioned room.   As it begins to cool, give it a stir every once in a while to bring the liquid parts (which are called olein) back into uniform distribution with the solid parts (called stearin)
What color should my Shea Butter be?
The color of Shea Butter will vary more than you might expect.  The ultimate color of the butter will depend on the karite nuts used. Shea nuts will differ in color from almost clear to yellow.  There is no way to determine the quality of the Shea Butter based solely on its color.  There is even a naturally almost saffron (golden yellow) colored Shea Butter.  But, Shea Butter shouldn't be green or very hard.  We prefer ivory or beige Shea Butter which indicates it hasn't been too highly refined.   Shea Butter that is too clear was probably pretty highly refined and may not be as good at healing.

How can Shea Butter benefit me?

Over the years we've found that Shea Butter can help so many problems that a joke around our house is it's like Windex in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".  Tywana's always saying "Put a little Shea Butter on it."  Shea Butter can provide relief from everything from just dry skin to many minor dermatological diseases (if you have a serious skin condition, you should see a doctor).  It has been clinically shown to provide benefits.  Here are some of the benefits of Shea Butter for the skin:
Do I want raw Shea Butter or Refined Shea Butter?
After years of experience with Shea Butter, we have to say we prefer raw Shea Butter.  The more Shea is refined, the more natural goodness is removed.  It's certain that none of Shea's healing properties are improved by the process that is used to make it clear and odorless or to increase the yield from a batch.  The only possible drawback we can think of from raw Shea is the odor- which quickly fades after you've put it on. If you really do not like the odor, we recommend trying Shea from Uganda or East African Shea Butter. It's more expensive. But, it has less of an aroma and is softer and possibly slighly better at moisturizing.

What about East African Shea Butter?

There are differing opinions as to whether West African (Vitellaria Paradoxa) or East African (Vitellaria Nilotica) is better.  East African Shea Butter is different from that from West Africain the balance between the olein and stearin (solid and liquid parts).  East African Shea has a higher liquid fraction. As a result, East African Shea is softer at room temperature, sometimes being in a semi-solid or almost liquid state.  The East African Shea is more expensive.  But, it provides Ugandan women farmers several times more money than is earned by West African Shea farmers.   East African or Ugandan Shea Butter is more easily absorbed into the skin due to having less saturated fatty acids. West African Shea Butter  will have more vitamin A and more sterols.  If you're seeking a natural vitamin A cream or are using Shea Butter to prevent stretch marks, you might want to use West African Shea Butter.  If you are looking for something to be primarily a moisturizer,East African Shea Butter would be preferable.

East African or Ugandan Shea Butter is less common than West African Shea and can be difficult to find at times.  When it is available it oftens sells at the equivalent of up to $40 per two ounces. We are pleased that we have found reliable, price competitive sources and offer this super-premium quality Shea Butter to you at very reasonable prices.

Ugandan Shea Butter is excellent for conditions where the skin is dry.  Knees, elbows, hands and scalp are areas that are typically dry.  
 

What about East African Shea Butter?

There are differing opinions as to whether West African (Vitellaria Paradoxa) or East African (Vitellaria Nilotica) is better.  East African Shea Butter is different from that from West Africain the balance between the olein and stearin (solid and liquid parts).  East African