February 12, 2009

Fair Trade EveryDay Shea Body Lotion

At Whole Foods recently, my eye landed on EveryDay Shea Body Lotion. Weighing in at a mighty 32 fluid ounces, it’s hard to miss. I assumed its diminutive price tag (just $14.95) would mean lower-quality ingredients. But I pleasantly discovered a very pure product made with unrefined shea butter—the best!—from West Africa.

Pretty Factor: You haven't used shea butter until you've used unrefined shea butter—the only kind that contains the oil's full healing and moisturizing properties. (Most have been bleached, refined and, worst, deodorized!) Raw shea butter's rich, nutty fragrance combined with real vanilla extract make this lotion sensually aromatic. Antioxidants in lemongrass, shea leaf and red palm oil further protect the skin.

Eco Factor: No parabens, synthetic fragrances or animal testing. EveryDay Shea is an extension of Alaffia Skincare, a fair trade company that gives 10% of its sales to community projects in West Africa aimed at reducing poverty and empowering women in poor communities. I have never been happier with a purchase and would have gladly spent twice as much to help this great cause.

To buy: $14.95 at Whole Foods and everydayshea.com. Considering my usual body moisturizer costs twice as much for only five ounces, this is a bargain. It may last all year!

—Jen from Skin Rhythm

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just sampled this the other day and was really happy with it. The vanilla is nice, but I think I liked the lavender one even better!

Virginia Green said...

That sounds awesome - I will have to check it out! Thanks Jen!

Traci said...

I haven't tried the everyday stuff yet, but I've been using alaffia for a couple of years now and I think it's the greatest stuff ever and very reasonably priced. I'm a toddler teacher and wash my hands a billion times a day so they get pretty dry and alaffia lotions always heal them up quick. I've also tried the face moisturizers and was surprised that it did not leave my oily skin feeling oily. It felt incredibly balanced and the softest I've ever felt. Anyone I've shown this to loves it.

Anonymous said...

I have been using this lotion since it came out at Whole Foods. I'm addicted to lotion, so I use it a lot that this one gigantic bottle only last for almost 2 months only. I love the smell and it makes me feel good that it doesn't contain any of the parabens. And oh by the way, the body wash in Vanilla is amazing too!

Heather Falms said...

It moisturizes the skin really well. I like it more because it is completely herbal and is non-greasy.

Handmade soaps

Whisper said...

My daughter and both I have very dry skin and Everyday Shea is the best lotion I've ever used! It absorbs right into my skin, so it doesn't feel oily, even if I use a lot. I can put it on my face with no irritation, and it even makes my complexion look better.