Shea oil, a mo' betta butta!

I'm spending this week in Atlanta visiting friends and family. I came to Atlanta armed with powerful intentions. Among them was my desire to stumble upon some hair goodies unique from those I can find back home. While browsing the local shops and stores, I quickly realized that Atlanta is probably the translation for "Land of Shea Butter." Everywhere I went I found some form of shea butter which is a good thing because I recently rediscovered the awesomeness of this nut.

I first purchased shea butter about a year and a half ago and quickly lost interest. That's because the butter was hard and difficult to work with. Then summer came along and slowly my shea butter began to soften. I remember the day that I first dipped my finger into the soft, buttery, creamy, shea. I could hardly believe that this was the same product that I nearly threw away just months before.


So here I am in ATL and my very first purchase within hours of my arrival is shea butter. I'm talkin' the natural stuff in a container with no label. Fast forward a few days and I find myself in a natural food store in front of their massive shea butter collection. This time I'm drawn to a bottle labeled "shea butter oil." I couldn't believe my eyes. Is it possible that I could have the softened form of shea at my disposal year round?

I sampled the oil with my fingers and simultaneously experienced sensations which only surface during late night hours with my significant other. The feeling was incredible. It took only a millisecond before I swooped up two bottles and proceeded quickly the register.

Even now as I type, I'm having visions of using this product when I air dry. My friend and I were caught in a down pour as we strolled the streets of the Little Five Points Shopping district. Needless to say my hair got wet as we ran to my rental car. A feeling of fear and dread came over me as I contemplated what my hair would look like as it dried. I had no scarf to tie down my hair, I also had no blow dryer. What I did have was my liquid shea.

As soon as I arrived at my friend's place I quickly made a beeline to her bathroom with shea oil in hand. The first experience using this product on my hair was magical. The consistency of this product was unlike other oils I have. Liquid shea is opaque and thicker than any other oils. I would describe it as a creamy oil. It feels extremely rich and moisturizing to the touch and my hair seems to love it.

My hair was damp when I used it last night so the oil acted as a sealer on top of the water. This morning my hair feels extremely moisturized. I'm also experiencing less breakage as I run my hands through it. Needless to say that I am a very happy girl. In fact, I'll be stopping by the marketplace today and picking up another bottle (or two).

Long live liquid shea!