"Out of Necessity... the mother of invention" How SheaCreamery was Born

We have all grown up on the brands which have been the main staples of Body care. Unfortunately, they have never really worked for me.

On occasion, my skin would break out with “dry patches” which would show up on my arms, stomach, and back. In my 20’s, when I was able to afford to see a Dermatologist, it was never diagnosed as eczema, but I was told to avoid soda and the sun.  I was given a prescription and told to use some of the more popular dry skin creams.

I followed the doctor’s orders but never really found a solid solution. As I kept buying store-bought body creams, I became curious about the ingredients in the products.  A couple of things I realized, there were always “mineral oils” and “alcohol”.  Both of which are drying for your skin. 

And let’s not forget those 10-letter or more word ingredients like, “stearalkonium chloride”, “dimethicone”, “hydroxyethylcellulose”.  I firmly believe, if you can’t pronounce it, you probably shouldn’t be consuming it, and clearly not putting it on your skin. 

Frustrated, I started to buy the hard shea butter from the beauty stores. This worked a bit better for me, but most left my skin with a greasy feeling and never really absorbed into my skin the way I wanted it to.

It took a few years, but I honed in on the butter.  I then started to gain interest in essential oils for aromatherapy.  I started with lavender and peppermint scents and my interest grew from there as I gravitated toward naturopathic healing. 

In my daily travels to and from work, I would see a vendor who sold oils, incense, and you guessed it… Shea Butter.  But, this was different from the shea butter I bought in the beauty supply stores.  He treated (softened) the shea butter and added fragrance to it.  I began to see a difference in how my skin looked and felt and it wasn’t just me. People actually commented on how good my skin looked.  That was it, I was hooked!

Unfortunately, my job moved from Wall Street, Manhattan to Midtown, Manhattan, and I lost touch with the vendor.  Again frustrated, I knew I had to do something, so I began to buy the shea butter and mix it myself with natural oils using a hand mixer and blender.  Everything I made was for myself and I would use it from head to toe.  I was my own personal tester.  I never would talk about it, because originally I was always trying to solve my original problem and never a “We” problem.

I finally started to share with my family, in particular, my sister.  She liked it and used it.  I decided instead of buying Christmas gifts for family and friends, I would give out 24 jars of my shea butter.  I didn’t know it yet, but that Christmas SheaCreamery was born. 

My family and friends loved the shea butter gifts I gave them.  There was a demand!  I said to myself, “wow, this could be something”.  There have been distractions, but I have always come back to making shea butter.  This is where I see how God is always in the mix. 

My sister, Jennifer who has been one of my main supporters continued to encourage me to move forward.  It is amazing when you start to focus on something which has been within you well over 20 years, it just magically takes off.

Sometimes you question God/Universe wondering whether you have purpose.

Today, I realized it has always been within me.  Gifts and talents arrive at the time they are appointed for you and only you.