Everyday Shea

Shea Butter is the oil from the nuts of wild Shea trees (Vitellaria paradoxa) scattered throughout the wooded savanna of West and Central Africa. Shea Butter has been used for centuries in Africa and is completely enmeshed within the history and culture of the West African savanna. Shea Butter is mentioned in almost all African historical documents, including a reference as early as Cleopatra's Egypt, which mentions caravans bearing clay jars of Shea Butter for cosmetic use. Funeral beds of kings were carved in the wood of old Shea Trees, and Shea Butter has always been a staple of African pharmacology.

Shea Butter has been used for centuries in Africa as a decongestant, an anti-inflammatory for sprains and arthritis, healing salve, lotion for hair and skin care, and cooking oil. However, the protective and emollient properties of Shea Butter are most valued for skin care. In recent clinical trials, Shea Butter was found to help to protect skin against climate and UV aggressions, prevent wrinkle formation, soothe irritated and chapped skin, and moisturize the epidermis. Shea Butter also enhances cell regeneration and capillary circulation, which helps prevent and minimize stretch marks, inflammations, and scarring."

Editorial comment continues from me, the author. Shea butter is popular now in many products on drugstore and grocery shelves. But those shea butter additives are typically the refined version of it's truer form. The refining process strips most of the nutritive properties from a substance. Further, the chemical additives and heating process actually create toxic residue. The finished refined shea butter is soft, white, and fragrance free. It feels pleasant to the touch, but it's an artificial balm that contains little ability to actually restore damaged skin.

Alaffia is the largest corporation in Togo, West Africa. Besides providing a valuable product for its many consumers worldwide, this business cooperative is committed to empowerment of its West African employees and citizens. Ten percent of its fair trade profits go toward directly improving the lifestyle in the community, particularly for women and children. Some valuable programs for improvement are actively pursued.

*Direct quotation from everydayshea.com

Bicycles for Education: Donations of used bicycles from our US communities give disadvantaged students in Togo the incentive to stay in school. We have sent more than 2000 bicycles since 2006 to 64 villages.

Maternal Health: 1 in every 16 women faces death from pregnancy and birth related complications in West Africa. Alaffia works with several clinics in Togo to provide pre and post natal care to expectant mothers. This program aims to reduce the maternal mortality rates and help families stay together.

School Supplies & Repairs: Spending on education in Togo has dropped by half over the past ten years, meaning families and communities must make up the difference. Every year, we donate school supplies to hundreds of families. Alaffia also donates metal roofs, bench seats, and school supplies to rural schools in central Togo to help these communities maintain their schools.

This is the truth I discovered about Everyday Shea. I read a few internet articles concerning the industry behind food, water, cleaning solutions, and personal cleansing products, and became a little obsessive. After reading for about ten hours straight which carried me straight through an entire night, the verdict was in. Almost everything we purchase in a mainstream grocery or drugstore environment contains toxic poisonous elements. I carried all sorts of things to my computer that night and "googled". I carried soap, shampoo, bread, mac-n-cheese packages, so many things. I dissected the "ingredients" labels and typed in all those "ingredients" I didn't recognize-- you know, those ten syllable chemical compounds in the ingredients listings that regular people without a medical degree have never heard of. I found out the truth-- most of the things I eat, clean, and bathe with contain poisonous toxins.

We call ourselves "chemically sensitive". Discovering the truth is frightening and almost makes one feel as if the world or himself-- one or the other-- is crazy. So, we make up our minds we can't tell everyone the truth. It's just too extreme for most people to handle. In truth, these chemicals are not allergens. They're not preservatives of which some have just become sensitive. Most of the chemical ingredients that I researched fell ino one of two categories-- carcinogens (cancer forming compounds) or neurotoxins (brain altering components, particularly sedatives). When you meet someone that admits they're "chemically sensitive", chances are you've encountered someone who's discovered the truth and doesn't want to alarm others.

Personal cleansing products was a sensitive point for me. Every product I "googled" was hazardous to my health. I found out that not only do toxic elements damage hair and skin, they also absorb through the skin into the bloodstream. (Think of a nicotine patch and how it works.) Okay, I panicked a little. I love Dr. Bronner's soaps, but my hair looked like poop when I tried it as a shampoo. I didn't know what to do. I tossed out my poisonous shampoos and went shopping at the grocery store with my "granny" reading glasses. I must've spent almost an hour reading shampoo ingredients in the store, but every mainstream shampoo contained basically the same toxins. So, I carried myself and my "granny" glasses to Whole Foods. Surely, this place provides pure soaps and cleansers.

This is where I found Everyday Shea. But here's the part of the story that surprises even me. After investigating ingredients labels one after another in Whole Foods Grocery (known grocery for organic, fair trade ethical products), only Everyday Shea and Dr. Bronner's soaps left off the toxic additives. Other brands merely exploited the ideas of "natural" or "organic" products. But they all still contained toxic over-processed elements. I feel so fortunate that I found Everyday Shea because now I can groom myself and wash my hair without looking like a dirty hippie. In fact, my hair is softer, shinier, and easier to comb than ever before, all without toxicity. *Whew* What a relief.

Everyday Shea products feel different than mainstream products. Since none of this brand contains sodium laurels (a controversial corrosive saponin), soaps and shampoos lather a bit less. The good thing about this is that it still cleanses quite well and is much easier to rinse out of hair. The lotion is extremely moist upon initial application, but no greasy residue remains once the lotion soaks in and evaporates. It's a really clean light moisturizer. Skin feels healthy upon a liberal application, and it feels restored within moments without any sensation of bearing a lotion product.

After a lifetime of using mainstream grooming products, I had to adjust to the differences felt by using products that contain normal healthy ingredients. It's been a couple of months since I made my earthshaking discoveries of toxins everywhere. My skin actually peeled within the first couple of weeks. Okay, a little scary. But now, the skin that emerged is smoother and healthier. My hair is as shiny as a twenty-year-old's. (I don't tell my age, but I have grown children.) I feel better and think a little more clearly. Don't hold your breath though, just a little, LOL. I'm so grateful I found Everyday Shea. It makes my joy soar to know what a wonderful company it is as I'm always looking for "fair trade" labels. These are the only personal grooming products I now use although I still use Dr. Bronner's for washing hands and cleaning my house.

An irony tickles me here. The philanthropist in my conscience wants to believe I'm saving lives by supporting this company. And I believe that's true, but this is no condescending charity move through soap purchases on my part. The fact is, Everyday Shea is the only pure ethical grooming product I've been able to find in my neighborhood. I think they're saving my life as well as the lives of my family. Thank you, Everyday Shea.