2008 Archives: Shea Terra Organics: Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Skin Care
We’re suckers for anything that can eradicate the cracking, peeling cuticles we all get this time of year. Between the heaters, and the outdoor dryness, and the general nervous cuticle picking we’re prone to, our cuticles look like we spend our entire lives grating cheese.
So the organic shea butter that’s at the basis of Shea Terra Organics’ line of amazingly hydrating skin products was a big draw. Extracted from the shea nut in Africa, where it’s used to heal eczema, psoriasis and burns, as well as just plain old dry skin, a dose each night has virtually wiped out the carnage on our fingers. Plus it smells amazing—a kind of nutty goodness that makes us think of some kind of yummy dessert from our childhood. Pecan bars? Hmmm…
Seriously, it’s the way this stuff gets to Shea Terra, and the good stuff that comes from its cultivation, that truly had us sold. Beauty visionary Tammie Umbel created the company after realizing the impact that she could make from sourcing the sustainable shea butter in Africa. She’s pioneered several programs in Africa, including one in the Miombo Rainforest, where Shea Terra pays inhabitants fair trade wages for sustainable resources like bush mango extract and the exotically named sausage tree fruit found in their new range of Miombo Mango Indigenous Skin Care. (This is in stark contrast to the typical practice of selling lots of trees for a one-time fee, which contributes to deforestation and economic devastation.)
Preserving the forest, ensuring the success of indigenous people, and creating a fabulous line in the process? We’re sold.
