Shea Butter
When you scoop up a finger full of your favorite evanhealy Shea Butter product, can you feel the vein that supplies life to the shea seed, to the earth, to you? Can you feel the hands of the women who plant, tend, harvest and produce the Shea Butter? Can you feel the care and love of their souls in your hands?
We source our Shea Butter from Kperisi Village in Ghana. Kperisi Village, pronounced PER•EE’•SEE, is made up of over 100 women who extract the fats from the shea seed and transform them into one of the skin’s greatest allies — the Shea Butter you know and love.
Maintaining an intimate connection with plant ingredients elevates the efficacy and therapeutic benefits they provide, and it keeps the profound prana of the plant alive and well, so that by the time our Whipped Shea Butter reaches your palms it is still bursting with vitality.
A vitality you can feel. A vitality you can smell. A vitality you can see on your skin.
Our Shea Butter Comes From
the Kperisi Village
We've partnered with Baraka Impact to bring you Shea Butter that comes directly from the hands of the women of Kperisi Village, close to the city of Wa in the northwestern region of Ghana. For the 100+ women who make up this remarkable Collective, shea butter production is their sole livelihood and affects the economic health of their entire community. Their story is an inspiring example of how we can play a small but significant part in the revitalization of communities through conscious spending – impacting health, education and securing a future for younger generations.
Our purchase of this singular shea butter has helped secure a better livelihood for these women and their families, while providing 350 school uniforms for their children. In 2018, after asking the women of Kperisi Village what would have the most impact on their community, our customers helped fund the purchase and construction of a grinding mill, milling shed and roasters. Our contributions have helped efficientize food and crop processing to allow more production, facilitate improved health and nutrition systems and enable more children to go to school with proper supplies and equipment.
Relationships are the foundation of who we are. They are the strongest threads within our tapestry, and they are the roots that anchor us. In 2014, our team had the incredible opportunity to travel to Kperisi Village in Ghana and meet the wonderful women who produce our Shea Butter.
From Nut to Butter:
How Shea Butter is Made
Before the Butter reaches our hands, it undergoes an extraordinary labor of love. It takes a shea tree up to 50 years to mature enough to be harvested, then it will bear fruit for around 200 years.After harvesting, the pits of the plum sized shea fruit are boiled and dried in the sun. The women of Kperisi Village then crack the hard outer shells and remove the ‘kernels’, which are roasted over an open flame fueled by wood and ground by machine.
The resulting paste is mixed with water and kneaded vigorously by hand to form an emulsion until it separates - the fat or oil rising to the top. The fat is then scooped off, put into large bowls and cooked over an open fire until the water evaporates. It is then stirred or churned with wooden paddles then cooled until solid, creating a smooth butter. Since each batch is made by hand it is normal for variations in color and texture to occur. No chemicals or pesticides are used in the preparation of our shea butter. In fact the production process is done by hand much the same way it has been for centuries.
When the Shea Butter reaches our evanhealy headquarters in Carlsbad, California we carve off large slices and drizzle in various nourishing oils and botanical infusions. Slowly, over a period of 4-6 hours, we gently whip it, continually checking and scraping the sides of the mixer to incorporate all the goodness of the Shea Butter. We then individually fill, package and label each jar by hand.
Remarkable Shea Butter
For centuries shea butter has been called “women’s gold” not only for its rich golden color, but also because it provides employment and income to millions of women across the continent. The ‘UN Development Programme’ estimates that an average of three million African women work directly or indirectly with shea butter.
Shea Butter is rich in essential fatty acids, and a unique array of skin-loving nutrients. It is remarkably versatile, offering nourishment and exceptional skin revitalizing activity.This soft, creamy, smooth, comforting and protective magic ingredient is appropriate for all different types of skin, and is a staple in many of our skin care, body care, and cosmetic offerings.
Shea Butter for Winter Skin
The secret to retaining the beautiful moisture created by your daily Oil & Water application is to seal it in with ingredients that prevent transepidermal water loss (the evaporation of water from skin into our external environment). After applying your daily Oil Serum & HydroSoul, apply one of our simple, rich Shea Butters. Shea butter locks in hydration and nutrients, while allowing skin to breathe and pores to remain unburdened.
That’s why they are our number one choice for winter skin. Our Butters can be used as a daily moisturizer (when paired with a HydroSoul), as a moisturizing mask and even as a cleansing balm.
Our Best-selling Shea Butter Offerings
Whipped Shea Butter with Olive Leaf is often one of our first choices for hyperactive, hyper-irritated and wildly sensitive skin. It has a truly remarkable affinity with the nervous system and is especially appropriate for troubled skin that has been over-processed.
Blue Cactus Beauty Balm is a highly concentrated, antioxidant-rich and has been artfully formulated to comfort and consecrate all skin. The moisture-drench replenishment of this cooling, azure cloud cream features heat-pacifying blue tansy, powerful prickly pear seed, nourishing baobab, and protective Kperisi Village shea butter.
Whipped Neroli Frankincense Body Butteror any of our Body Butters are our top choices for softening, protecting and soothing even the driest of skin. Kperisi Village shea butter is whipped to a lush and decadent, mousse-like perfection with nourishing oils that soften and seal in hydration. Our Body Butters can be used for head to toe moisture across all terrains of skin.
Wild Carrot Immortelle Eye Balm is perhaps our most versatile, essential product. It protects, nourishes and refreshes your skin, whether you’re at home or on the go. This beloved customer-favoritecan be used all over the face to help seal in moisture, or anywhere on the body or face that craves protection, moisture and care. All of our products are formulated with healing and support in mind, but if we had to choose just one product to do it all, we reach for Wild Carrot Immortelle Eye Balm.
New Moisture & Cooling Face Balmsprovide richer moisture than our Oil Serums, are silkier than our Whipped Shea Butters and more simple and minimalist than our Day Moisturizers. They provide simple, protective nourishment and moisture to the skin. A continuation of our Wild Carrot Immortelle Eye Balm, these new Face Balms are available in three unique scents: Rose Vetiver, Patchouli Frankincense, and Blue Cactus. One of our favorite techniques for creating truly moisturized skin is to seal in the lush moisture and hydration created through an application of Oil Serum & HydroSoul with an occlusive layer. We reach for Rose Vetiver, Patchouli Frankincense or Blue Cactus Face Balm to act as this sealing layer and a simple all-over face moisturizer.
Whipped Shea Butter for Lipsis the ultimate protection for lips. In addition to the magic of Kperisi Village Shea Butter, it features certified organic red raspberry seed oil. Red raspberry seed oil is high in Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, and has impressive antioxidant activity. It is also rich in vitamin E, which gives it exceptional lip and skin nourishing and protective qualities.