Shea butter has been an essential part of my skincare routine for years — in fact, I used to walk around with the enormous tin housing the full-sized L'Occitane Shea Butter in my purse (it elicited quite a few sideways glances). Shea butter (otherwise known as Butyrosperum parkii) is created by crushing and boiling nuts from the shea trees commonly found in African countries like Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, Uganda, Burkina Faso, and Sudan, then extracting the fatty residue, stirring it, and cooling it to produce a buttery balm. Rich in stearic and oleic acids, shea butter softens both skin and hair, which accounts for its usage in such hair products as Organix's Smoothing Shea Butter Shampoo, L'Occitane's Shea Butter Shampoo, Burt's Bees Hair Repair Shea & Grapefruit Deep Conditioner, and Hamadi's Shea Hair Mask, among others. Not only does shea butter hydrate hair strands and stimulates new hair growth, but it has a natural SPF protection factor of approximately 6, so that it automatically shields strands from damaging UV rays. But not all shea-packed products are made equal. If the appropriate ration of shea vis-a-vis the formula's other ingredients is not achieved, the final product can prove to be overly greasy, leaving hair feeling weighted down. The essential steps to create a stellar hair care product encompassing this ingredient, then, are: using a high grade variety of shea, striking the right balance of ingredients, and finding a stellar supporting cast of botanicals, minerals and vitamins. When these three elements converge, as in the case of the shampoo and conditioner in the Fekkai Essential Shea collection, your hair will taste greatness.
Both the Fekkai Essential Shea Butter Shampoo and the Fekkai Essential Shea Butter Conditioner contain no sulfates — an essential step in ensuring your hair remains healthy, as sulfates strip your hair of its natural oils, damaging the cuticle, and increasing porosity. What they do have is avocado oil, which restores luster and softens hair; castor oil, which boasts anti-bacterial and humectant properties; guar gum extract, which functions as a thickening agent; panthenol, which locks moisture into the hair cuticle; almond glycerides that condition and smooth hair; and Hydroxypropyltrimonium honey, which is derived from the honey comb, a natural humectant, as well as an antibacterial and antiseptic agent. Talk about yummy goodness!
The shampoo and conditioner smell exquisite -- boasting a sweet, slightly nutty, honey-tinged aroma that sweet yet milky, and incorporates a hibiscus-like freshness. Best of all, when you apply the Fekkai Essential Shea Butter Conditioner into your hair and massage it into your scalp, your strands will feel a bit plumper. It naturally conditions and detangles the hair so, once you rinse, you won't have to apply any additional leave-ins or detanglers. And, once your hair dry, you'll notice your mane feels softer and yet it has bounce and movement. If you've got dry, color-treated, or curly hair, you'll be particularly fond of these products, since they really deliver the necessary hydration and help to keep frizz at bay.
And that, ladies, is a great shea reaction!
Fekkai Essential Shea Butter Shampoo and Essential Shea Butter Conditioner, $23 each. Available at Fekkai.com or Nordstrom.com
