Here is your public service announcement: Shea butter is everywhere. It’s in your shampoo, your conditioner, your lip balm, your deodorant, your “natural” makeup remover, and that expensive night cream your aunt gave you for Christmas. It’s like the glitter of the natural beauty world—it gets into everything and never truly leaves.
Start reading labels like a detective reading a ransom note. Look for Butyrospermum parkii (the scientific name) or just “Shea Butter” in the ingredients list. You have to become a label ninja. It’s annoying, but it’s better than walking around with a face that looks like a tomato that just got bad news.
The Lip Balm Betrayal
This is the most heartbreaking one. You buy a $3 lip balm at the checkout counter, it feels amazing, and then your lips start tingling. Not in a “woohoo, this is minty” way, but in a “my lips are inflating like a life raft” way. Yes, shea butter is a huge ingredient in lip balms. You have been warned. Keep your lips safe.
