When it comes to going back to all natural, for years, society has told women of color that their hair is “different.” With bombarding media messages promoting straight hair and fair skin, a naturalista had few outlets for championing her beauty. The Kyra Shea Medleys family is saying no more to fitting into societal norms! KSM encourages women to not alter their hair or use harmful products on their skin in order to fit into societal standards of beauty.
So what is the inside scoop behind KSM products and their amazing affect on skin and hair?
Shhh! The secret is out. The vitamin-packed, rich ingredient in KSM products is shea butter! Produced in Ghana, Kyra’s Shea Medleys come from 100 percent natural Shea Butters. Now what is Shea Butter you ask?
Definition – Shea [shee, shey] n. – a tropical African sapotaceous tree with oily seeds; shea butter is the butter-like fat derived from the seeds of the plant (also known as Karité)
Botanical Name – Butyrospermum parkii or Vitellaria paradoxa
Photo: Women of Ajike Shea Centre in Ghana producing Shea Butter. @ajikesheacentre
A creamy to yellowish color and a mild, nutty-like scent, shea butter is extracted from the Shea nut seeds of the Karité Tree. The natural Vitamin A and E found in shea butter are the key ingredients responsible for its skin softening and moisturizing properties. It helps to improve skins conditions like eczema, dermatitis and wrinkles.
The list of benefits of shea butter is far and wide. According to the American Shea Butter Institute, shea butter helps with dry skin, harsh weather conditions, frost bites, skin rashes, insect bites, sunburn, blemishes and wrinkles. No friends, these are not new discoveries! For centuries, it has been used in areas of West Africa (and now the world) for beauty (skin and hair care), as well as therapeutic purposes.
Fun Fact: Shea butter is edible in it’s raw state and has been used for cooking purposes. It is truly a multipurpose ingredient just like baking soda and vinegar, which are staple products in many households.
Most of Kyra’s Shea Medleys products include Shea. For example, the Avocado & Vanilla Oil Medley contains shea nut oil as well as avocado oil and vanilla essential oil. It is perfect for treating eczema, psoriasis, flaking, sun-damaged and aging skin. For a good scrub with shea butter, try KSM’s Lavender & Roseship 3-N-1 Scrub. Exfoliate and moisturize your scalp, face and body as you are soothed by the romantic lavender aroma. The shea butter in the scrub will restore moisture and vitamins to your skin. If your hair is in need of moisture, try a KSM butter cream like the Hydrate + Refresher Butter Cream. The number one ingredient is shea butter (of course!)
With the natural hair and skin care movement at an all time high, there have been great strides in shifting the culture to encourage women of color to love who they are from hair to toe. KSM is proud to be a part of this movement toward self-love and empowerment for black women, with shea butter as the key ingredient in its arsenal.
“It is a blessing to see more and more us going back to our natural roots (pun intended) each day,” says Young. “For us to continue on this path of self-care and community love, it is important that we tell our natural hair and skin care stories simply because they matter.”
Photo: @girlcavela on IG | Visit The Girl Cave LA beauty supply locations to pick up your favorite KSM products. You can also find us in their #TheGirlBoxLA subscription at https://girlcavela.com/bundles/the-girl-box.
We greatly appreciate our community for trusting your skin and beauty care to Kyra Shea Medleys! The joy of shea butter and KSM products is that they are for everyone. Continue to shine like the queens and kings you are! Be sure to tell someone else about KSM and spread the shine.
– Your KSM Family
Tag @kyrasheamedleys in your photos on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
If you want to be featured as a Kyra Shea Queens and share your natural journey, then please click here to fill out our KSM Queenin’ Survey. Of course, you will also receive something special for your participation.
For more from the author, Stephanie Taylor, check out her blog, Life as Told by an Upcoming, Twenty-Something.
