This is Unrefined Shea butter and therefore still has all its medicinal properties

What is Shea Butter?

Shea Butter is only found in the tropics of  Africa.  It is extracted from the nuts of the Shea-Karite tree which begins to bear fruit after about 15 years; and can take up to 30 years to bear a quality crop of nuts with a high content of irremovable fatty acid.  It is this irremovable fatty acid that gives Shea Butter its unique healing properties and makes it far superior ( 4x more moisturizing) to cocoa butter and other vegetable butters.  Traditionally, Shea Butter was extracted by people who picked the nuts, cracked them, grilled them and pounded them. They were boiled in water for hours until the Shea Butter rose to the surface.  It was then scooped into gourds and left to cool and set.  Shea Butter is solid at room temperature although it quickly liquefies right around body temperature.  This Shea Butter is called unrefined Shea Butter or raw Shea Butter.  Since Shea Butter is an all natural product, it can vary widely in quality, appearance and smell depending on where it is produced from and how it is refined or extracted. 

How can Rooting Bear Rub help my skin?

Shea Butter nourishes the skin with Vitamins A, E and F.  Vitamins A and E help maintain the skin and keep it clear and healthy.  They are particularly helpful for sun damaged skin. They help prevent premature wrinkles and facial lines.  Vitamin F acts as a skin protector and rejuvenator. It soothes rough, dry or chapped skin and helps soften dry or damaged hair.  Shea Butter is high in unsaponifiables (a type of fat).  Shea Butter has between 7-12% unsaponifiables.  For comparison, avocado oil, a well known skin conditioner, has between 2-6%.  This high level of unsaponifiables is one of the properties that makes Shea Butter so invaluable in treating the conditions listed above.   Also, Shea Butter easily penetrates the skin allowing the skin to breathe and not clogging pores.  Shea Butter has a high level of cinnamic acid, a natural sun screen.  So, it provides some degree of protection from the sun.  Shea Butter is also anti-inflammatory making it useful in treating rheumatism. 

What do the Essential Oils add to Rooting Bear Rub?

Rosemary: Regular massage with the oil helps in toning your skin and removing dryness. It is also considered as a beauty aid for the face. The ability of rosemary essential oil to relieve pain has resulted in its extensive usage for increased circulation, headaches, muscle pains, sore muscles, rheumatism and even arthritis. Massaging the part which is in pain with rosemary essential oil give relief from the pain.

Lavender: Lavender is a mild sedative and antispasmodic. The essential oil derived from lavender is used to treat anxiety, difficulty sleeping, nervousness, and restlessness. Other external uses of the essential oil of lavender are as an antiseptic to disinfect wounds. When used on wounds, lavender oil often is combined with other essential oil extracts to enhance its antiseptic and dehydrating properties.

Tea Tree: Tea tree has a long history of traditional use. Australian aboriginals used tea tree leaves for healing skin cuts, burns, and infections by crushing the leaves and applying them to the affected area. Tea tree oil contains consituents called terpenoids, which have been found to have antiseptic and antifungal activity. The compound terpinen-4-ol is the most abundant and is thought to be responsible for most of tea tree oil's antimicrobial activity.