Shea Butter for Chapped Skin This Winter

Winter weather is bad! Winter skin doesn’t have to be. Shea butter won’t keep you warm, but it is traditionally used on dry skin, lips and hands, and Baraka’s unrefined shea butter, strained and filtered only, is made by hand at the Konjeihi Women’s Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana.

Alright, for most of us it’s officially winter. It’s either snowing, extremely windy, or the air is dry and chilly or raining and ugly. The first thing I notice when fall leaves (no pun intended) and winter approaches is my skin – sometimes it is like it is recoiling in protest at the weather.

Naturally, when it’s cold we crank up the heater, sit by the fireplace, or take scorching hot showers. All of this is extremely enjoyable (there’s nothing like waking up and taking a 90°F (32°C) shower). The only downside to these fun activities is that the sudden heat in cold air actually dries out your skin and can lead to chapping, cracking, itching and scaling.

I woke up a few days ago with chapped, bloody lips. Not only was it a sight to see, but it was extremely painful. As a result, I’ve made it a habit to wake up every morning and lather on my own concoction of moisture:
1 oz (28 g) unrefined Baraka Shea Butter
1 oz (28 g) beeswax
1 oz (28 g) coconut oil
1 tsp (5 ml) of honey
15 drops of sweet orange essential oil

For some reason, I naturally get extremely flaky on my chin and around my nose in the winter. A mixture of hormones (the redness women can experience around their noses), cold harsh air, and the space heater that blows directly on my face at night leads to this problem. My face is extremely sensitive to breakouts, so I strictly use only Argan Oil on my face (does not clog my pores).

Now, let’s get to the rest of our body. My kneecaps and elbows are ashy as the fireplace after a night of burning logs. Each month I whip up a DIY body butter that I put on every morning when I step out of the shower.
It consists of:
1 cup Baraka Shea Butter
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup almond oil

That usually does the trick! Visit our DIY Recipes for more ideas.

Lastly, my hair. Thankfully, my hair doesn’t get too dried out in the winter. Just to be on the safe side, I use this Shea Butter Hair Milk once a week:
1 cup Baraka Shea Butter
3 tbs coconut milk
2 tsp sweet almond oil
1 tsp sweet almond oil
1 tsp raw honey
1 tsp aloe vera gel
1 tsp vitamin E oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

It smells amazing and, in my experience, helps keep my hair from becoming brittle or tangled. Contains water, so make small batches, keep it cool and throw it out if it smells or looks off.

I hope you enjoyed my quick fixes for dry, chapped skin. Just because it’s snowing outside, doesn’t mean our skin has to be just as white and flaky. 🙂 Remember, happy skin can Trump the winter blues!

~ Sonia, Guest Blogger