Shea butter is fat extracted from the shea tree, which is found most commonly in West Africa. Shea butter naturally inherits a variety of minerals, vitamins, and fatty acids from the earth. These properties of shea butter make it great for applying to the face, hair, and body. It’s really good for softening and making your skin smooth, while also including anti-inflammatory and healing elements.

Common skin conditions, both acute and chronic, can cause problems for many people, and affect quality of life. If you’re not feeling your best, and/or looking your best due to a rash, red skin, or dry skin, lotion alone won’t cut it, and can even make certain conditions more severe.

Eczema is one of the skin conditions that causes redness, inflammation, and dryness.  The word eczema comes from the ancient Greeks and the word “ekzein”, which means to boil over. It’s the perfect definition; both painful and imposing. The symptoms can range from the mild to the severe. 

• Dry skin

• Rough, leather-like spots of the skin

• Swelling of the local area

• Redness and inflammation

• Unbearable and itchy skin

Some skin products can actually make your symptoms worse by oversaturing problem areas. Shea butter helps to keep the skin moisturized and provide nourishment to soothe your outer layers, while also allowing the skin to breathe, and slowly absorb the nutrients. Properly applying shea butter for eczema requires you to know the benefits of organic shea butter, and how they work your skin. 

Shea butter, more specifically, cold pressed shea butter is a great skin moisturizer, offering many other benefits to the skin. Shea butter benefits eczema sufferers, as a natural product that helps heal skin problems.  Organic shea butter locks the moisturizer within the skin and strengthens your skin externally. The information below explains the benefits of using shea butter for treating eczema.

• Soothing and smoothing: A painful condition to maintain without skin problems, eczema requires strong and powerful moisturizing agents. Due to the fatty content, Shea butter is rich enough to help consistently soothe the agony. 

• Anti-inflammatory: Research shows that shea butter is effective and helps to treat eczema. This comes without side effects. It contains lupeol cinnamate, cinnamic acid, which treats many skin conditions.

• Natural repellent: Organic shea butter is a natural repellent to treat eczema, containing fatty acids, vitamins A, E, and F.

Eczema is very common in the United States; it is one of the most common skin conditions. According to the National Eczema Association, more than 30 million people are affected by some form of dermatitis. Below are some of the forms of eczema.

• dyshidrotic eczema

• contact dermatitis

• seborrheic dermatitis

• atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is by far the most common form, with more than 18 million Americans affected. Symptoms include:

• oozing or crusting

• rough or dry skin

• swollen or skin inflammation

• Itching

There’s currently not a cure for any form of eczema; however, symptoms are manageable with proper care and treatment.

Despite its commonness in the United States, eczema is also prevalent in other countries. According to a report from the Pediatric Times, an internet-based survey of more than 273,645 children, infants, adults in 18 nations was conducted in 2017. The study revealed that global atopic dermatitis appears to be more common in adults, with about 10% reporting symptoms, than in younger folks, who report about 4%-8%.

Eczema affects about 10 to 20 percent of infants and about three percent of adults and children in the U.S. Most infants who develop eczema will eventually outgrow the condition by their tenth birthday, however, there are some people who will continue to have symptoms on and off throughout life. With proper treatment, the skin symptoms of eczema often can be controlled.

Doctors and scientists do not know what causes eczema; however, it can possibly be linked to an overactive response by the body's immune system to an irritant. It is this response that causes the symptoms of eczema.

Furthermore, eczema is commonly found in families with a history of other allergies or asthma. Defects in the skin barrier could allow moisture out and germs in.

Some people may have "exacerbations", which some many call “flare ups” -- of the itchy rash in response to certain substances or conditions. For some, coming into contact with rough or coarse materials may cause the skin to become itchy. For others, feeling too hot or too cold, exposure to certain household products like soap or detergent, or coming into contact with animal dander may cause an outbreak. Some triggers of eczema are viral infections, colds, and upper respiratory infection. Stress may cause the condition to worsen.

Although there is no cure, most people can effectively manage their disease with medical treatment and by avoiding irritants. The condition is not contagious and can't be spread from person to person.

There are topical ointments you can get from your dermatologist, while organic body butters, like aloe butter, mango butter, and shea butter serve as one of the best ways to help remediate eczema. Relieving and preventing itching is the main goal of eczema treatment, because if you don’t treat them properly, skin abrasions can lead to infection. Moisture is key, as the condition makes skin dry and itchy. Lotions and creams are suggested to keep the skin moist, however, non-organic lotions, or those without the correct ratio of oil and seed product, can make infections worsen. When the skin is damp, after a bath or shower, it is best to apply the ointment, lotion, or cream because it will help the skin retain moisture. However, infected skin should be air-dried prior to application. Furthermore, cold compresses may also be used to relieve itching.

Over the past decade, dermatologists and scientists alike have been working on new techniques to help treat eczema.  One of these new treatments has been developed to help drastically improve the quality of life for sufferers, especially children. The new therapy is called “wet wrap therapy”. Here’s the best way to apply the technique.

• Before you go to bed, you should take a nice soak in a lukewarm bath for about 8 to 16 minutes to hydrate the skin.

• Get out and pat yourself dry with a towel. Air dry for 5 minutes if you have infected areas.

• Moisturize the eczema areas using an eczema-safe, natural ointment or emollient. Cold pressed and unrefined shea butter is a great option. After applying the shea butter, use mildly dampened wraps to tie the area.  

• Add a layer of clothing on top of the wrap. Remove the wrap when you wake up in the morning. 

The damp cotton will keep the moisture of the shea butter locked in overnight, while allowing the skin to breathe. Nourishing your skin and giving it a chance to recover is an essential step. Even better, the wrapping will reduce the chances of scratching the eczema in your sleep, especially for children (or extra fussy adults). Wet wrap therapy has improved a lot of lives, and it’s entirely based on the very simple principle of locking moisture into the skin.

Shea butter has been known as a miracle worker in the effort to treat eczema. Similar to cocoa butter, shea butter contains lots of fatty acids, which can help heal scars formed by eczema through moisturizing the skin, accelerating cell renewal, and supporting circulation. It has shown to be a superb moisturizer, with exceptional healing properties for the skin. African shea butter and raw shea butter are all-natural healing Vitamin A solutions, and Vitamin A is very important for many skin conditions including eczema, acne, blemishes, and wrinkles.