Homemade Shea Butter & Avocado Oil Skin Cream

We have some skin issues in our lineage -- eczema, is the source of irritation for two of my kids. They get it on the palms of their hands so bad that it cracks and bleeds. Interestingly, they never had it until they went to work. Something about handling a lot of products plus the stress of working must have brought it on. We have never found a cure, even when the best of the dermatologists have scraped and studied the stuff under a microscope.

My hubby dear has nightmares of his undiagnosed itchy skin problems that were so severe on his feet that he couldn't wear shoes. I think he had to wear socks and weirdo sandals to his "grammar school" and go home and soak his feet at lunchtime. Any little itch he gets, has to be treated with this homemade cream.

Sometimes eczema gets infected, sometimes it gets a mixture of flora and fauna. Sometimes it's tied to the fungi that affects athletes. So far, this little potion I mixed up is helping all of our skin ailments. 

Homemade Shea Butter & Avocado Oil Skin Cream

2 Tbsp. Avocado Oil

4 oz. Shea Butter

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

15 drops tea tree oil

Shea Butter Extraction Wikipedia

One of the main ingredients is shea butter -- a white or yellowish fat composed of five fatty acids. Shea butter is extracted from the inner seed of the shea fruit, which grows on the African Shea tree or shi tree (be careful blending that word together). The trees take about 15 years to start producing, but by 20 to 30 years they are in full production, which lasts for 200 years. Now that's a crop. 


Here's some good points -- Shea butter has anti-inflammatory effects as well as anti-skin tumor properties (trials showed it inhibits skin cancers). And it's an antioxidant as well. And it's edible. It also blocks UV rays.

Shea Nuts Image

This African Shea butter is the yellow colored one, and feels a little bit grainy. Avocado oil has been used for eczema and other skin ailments. It's high in unsaturated fats and vitamin E. The trees are super easy to grow in Southern California. They fruit in just a couple years.

Avocado Tree Image

Olive Tree

Image via Wikipedia

Tea Tree oil is an essential oil from the Melaleuca tree, so you don't need much of this one. It has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. 

Shea Butter & Avocado Oil  Eczema Cream

2 Tbsp. Avocado Oil

4 oz. Shea Butter

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

15 drops tea tree oil

Directions:
1. Measure the shea butter, avocado oil, and olive oil in a pyrex glass cup. 
2. Place the glass in a saucepan filled with water. 
3. Heat over the stove until the butter melts.
4. Remove from the heat, add the tea tree oil. 
5. Pour into a container and put in the refrigerator to cool. 


It stays firm even at room temp, so you can keep it on the counter.

Related articles

• Homemade Beeswax Body Butter (eveoutofthegarden.com)
• Anti-Inflammatory and Chemopreventive effects of Shea Butter