Shea Bliss Botanical Blend

The quick answer: Shea Bliss Botanical Blend is a daily body moisturiser for dry, rough skin. Its four butters and oils melt into the skin, help improve the look and feel of dry, rough areas such as elbows, knees and heels, and leave skin soft and supple. You choose the scent: warm red cedar or fresh peppermint.

Kombo butter

Kombo butter is pressed from the seeds of the kombo tree. It is a rich, emollient butter that softens and conditions dry skin, and it gives this blend its depth. Learn more in our Kombo Butter – Ultimate DIY Guide and Recipes.

Raw unrefined shea butter

Shea butter comes from the seed of the shea tree. Unrefined shea butter is creamy and deeply moisturising, and it is the soft base that gives whipped body butter its smooth texture. Explore more in our Shea Butter – The Ultimate DIY Ingredient guide.

Cocoa butter

Cocoa butter gives the blend its thick, stable whipped consistency and a light, natural chocolate note. It helps the butter hold its shape in the jar and adds to its rich feel on the skin. Learn more in our Cocoa Butter – Ultimate DIY Guide and Recipes.

RSPO-certified red palm oil

Unrefined red palm oil is naturally rich in beta-carotene and vitamin E, which give it its deep golden-red colour. In this blend it adds a silky feel and a warm golden tint that fades as the butter is absorbed. Our red palm oil is RSPO-certified and comes from small-scale farmers in Ghana. Learn more in our Why Baraka Palm Oil Is Sustainable guide.

Your scent: red cedar or peppermint

Red cedar essential oil has a warm, woody, earthy scent that many people enjoy in the evening.

Peppermint essential oil has a cool, crisp, minty scent and feels fresh on the skin, which makes it a favourite in the morning or after exercise.

Who it is for

Scoop a small amount, from a pea to a hazelnut in size, and warm it between your palms until it melts. Apply to damp skin right after bathing, using long strokes on arms, legs and torso and small circles on dry, rough patches. Use it once or twice a day. A little goes a long way, so start small and add more if you like.

• Daily moisture: apply all over after a shower or bath, while skin is still slightly damp.
• Dry, rough patches: apply a little extra to elbows, knees and heels at night. For heels, cover with cotton socks.
• Dry hair ends: warm a small amount and smooth it over dry ends before shampooing, leave for 30 to 60 minutes, then wash as usual.
• Colour: the golden colour from red palm oil shows as you apply it and fades as the butter is absorbed. Let it absorb for a minute or two before dressing.
• Texture: if it turns grainy after a change in temperature, warm it gently in a water bath and let it cool slowly.

Patch test first: kombo butter and essential oils can affect sensitive skin, so apply a little to your inner arm and wait 24 hours before using it more widely. For external use only.

Most body butters are built mainly on shea butter. Shea Bliss Botanical Blend uses four butters and oils in equal parts, including kombo butter and red palm oil, which few body butters contain. It has five readable ingredients and no synthetic fragrance.

Prefer to make it yourself? The individual ingredients are in the Baraka range, and our How to Make DIY Body Butter guide shows you how.

Used all over every day, one jar lasts about 2 to 4 weeks. Used only on hands, elbows, knees and heels, one jar lasts about 6 to 10 weeks. Every size has the same formula.

Shea Bliss Botanical Blend is handmade in Canada from Ghanaian ingredients. The shea butter and kombo butter are made by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, in Northern Ghana, using traditional methods. The cocoa butter comes from Ghana's cocoa-growing regions, and the RSPO-certified red palm oil comes from small-scale farmers through our partnership with Benso Oil Palm Plantation. Read the story behind the ingredients in Fair Trade Shea Butter: The Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre Story and see the impact of your purchases in our Baraka Social & Environmental Impact Report.

Ingredients: kombo butter, shea butter, cocoa butter, red palm oil, and red cedar essential oil (Red Cedar) or peppermint essential oil (Peppermint).

INCI names:

• Pycnanthus Angolensis Seed Butter
• Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
• Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter
• Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil
• Thuja Plicata Leaf Oil (Western Red Cedar scent)
• Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil (Peppermint scent)
• Limonene, Linalool (Peppermint scent)
• Limonene (Western Red Cedar scent)

Variants: Red Cedar (RPBB-60MLRC, RPBB-120MLRC, RPBB-180MLRC); Peppermint (RPBB-60MLP, RPBB-120MLP, RPBB-180MLP)

What you will notice: a golden to amber whipped butter with a rich, creamy texture that melts on contact with warm skin. The colour comes from unrefined red palm oil and varies a little from batch to batch, as natural ingredients do. Scent may also vary slightly between batches.

Storage: keep in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and heat, ideally 60 to 70°F (15 to 21°C). If it softens in warm weather, chill it briefly. Best used within 12 months.

What is Shea Bliss Botanical Blend?

It is a whipped body butter made from equal parts kombo butter, raw unrefined shea butter, cocoa butter and RSPO-certified red palm oil, scented with red cedar or peppermint essential oil. It moisturises, softens and nourishes dry skin. It is handmade in Canada from Ghanaian ingredients and was formerly called Red Palm Body Butter.

What is the difference between Red Cedar and Peppermint?

Only the scent. The butters and oils are the same in both. Red Cedar is warm and woody; Peppermint is cool and fresh.

Does the red palm oil stain skin or clothes?

The golden colour shows as you apply it and fades as the butter is absorbed, usually within a few minutes. Let it absorb before dressing to avoid marks on fabric.

Is the red palm oil sustainable?

Yes. It is RSPO-certified and comes from small-scale farmers in Ghana through our partnership with Benso Oil Palm Plantation, not from industrial plantations. Learn more in Why Baraka Palm Oil Is Sustainable.

Is it suitable for sensitive skin?

It contains kombo butter and essential oil, which some people with sensitive skin react to. Patch test first: apply a little to your inner arm and wait 24 hours before wider use.

How long does a jar last?

About 2 to 4 weeks for daily full-body use, or 6 to 10 weeks if you use it only on hands, elbows, knees and heels.

Can I make it myself?

Yes. The equal-parts recipe is one of the easiest body butters to make. Get everything you need in the Shea Bliss recipe kit, or follow our How to Make DIY Body Butter guide.

What is in Shea Bliss Botanical Blend?

Four Ghanaian ingredients in equal parts: kombo butter, raw unrefined shea butter, cocoa butter and RSPO-certified red palm oil, scented with your choice of red cedar or peppermint essential oil. It is a whipped body butter, handmade in Canada. Choose your scent on the Shea Bliss Botanical Blend page.

What size is it?

It comes in three sizes: 1 jar at 2 fl oz (60 ml), 2 jars at 4 fl oz (120 ml), and 3 jars at 6 fl oz (180 ml). Each size comes in Red Cedar or Peppermint, and every size has the same formula. Start with one jar if you are new to it.

Who makes it, and where?

Shea Bliss Botanical Blend is handmade in Canada from Ghanaian ingredients. The shea butter and kombo butter are made by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana; the RSPO-certified red palm oil comes from small-scale farmers in Ghana. Every purchase supports fair trade and the women who make these ingredients.