SheaMoisture From Harlem to Your Shower: Curls, Smoothies and Butter

SheaMoisture is a brand with a real family story, and I would rather tell it properly. SheaMoisture was founded in Harlem in 1991 by Nyema Tubman and Richelieu Dennis, together with Dennis's mother, Mary Dennis. Its roots go back further still, to Dennis's grandmother, Sofi Tucker, who sold shea butter in Bonthe, Sierra Leone, in 1912. The brand has had its rough moments too: a 2017 commercial drew controversy, and the company apologized. In the same year Dennis agreed an acquisition with Unilever that included the New Voices Fund. I mention all of it because a brand's story is part of what you are buying into, and this one is more honest than most.

On the shelf, the hair products are the reason I keep coming back. The Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie is the curl cream, made for defining curls. The Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen and Restore Shampoo and its Leave-In Conditioner make a pair for hair that wants extra care. The Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Masque is the deeper treatment for the weekend.

Two body products sit in the same family: the Virgin Coconut Oil Body Lotion and the Raw Shea Butter Deeply Moisturizing Body Wash. Both are easy to use in the same shower as everything else, and I like that one bottle of lotion near the sink means my hands get the same coconut scent as my hair after a wash. The Raw Shea Butter body wash is an easy one to keep in the shower next to the shampoo.

Not everything on my hair shelf comes from one brand, and it should not. Curl smoothies work best when they are paired with something that smooths the surface and adds shine, especially in winter when the ends go rough.

Pattern Beauty's Palo Santo Leave-In Conditioner is made for curls and coils, and it is my choice for a base layer under any thick cream. Virtue's 6-in-1 Vitamin E Hair Smoothing Styler does several jobs at once, so it suits a rushed morning. Moroccanoil's Intense Smoothing Frizz Control Serum and the MahaMane Smooth & Shine oil from Fable & Mane are both finishing products, to be used in tiny amounts on the lengths once hair is dry. One drop is a start, and two is often plenty for shoulder length hair.

Then there are the blowout-focused ones. Chris McMillan's Glassy Smooth Blowdry Spray is made for straightening frizzy hair with heat, and Pureology's Smooth Gloss Mask is for frizz control and shine, best done in the shower after shampoo.

A rule I keep: leave-in first, cream second, oil last. Water-based products go on first because they carry moisture, and oils go on last because they seal it in. If you do it the other way around, the oil blocks the rest. It is the same logic as a face routine, only with more hair and less mirror time.

Shea butter has a long history on skin, and the body butters here range from light to seriously rich. I use them on the same few dry spots every cold season, so I know what each one does. I use them on the elbows, knees and shins when the heating comes on, and on my hands before bed.

L'Occitane's Protective Karité Confort is a multi-purpose shea butter made for dry skin, and it works on hands, body, lips and even hair in a small amount. 54 Thrones' African Beauty Butter is an intensive butter made for dry skin. Summer Fridays' Body Butter Balm in Vanilla adds hyaluronic acid and a vanilla scent, while Rare Beauty's Find Comfort body cream, also with hyaluronic acid, is the bouncy one. Josie Maran's Pink Algae Body Butter has pro-retinol in it, and KAYALI's Yum Boujee Marshmallow is the scented pick, for people who want their body cream to smell like something.

What I would skip: layering a heavily perfumed body butter on skin that is already irritated or freshly shaved, since it can sting. Try it on a small patch first. If dryness cracks, itches or does not improve after a couple of weeks, please see a doctor.

Apply within a few minutes of getting out of the shower, when your skin is still slightly damp. Warm a small scoop between your palms first, so it melts and spreads thinly instead of dragging across skin. The cold, hard scoop from a jar is the usual reason people think a rich butter is too heavy.

Here is how I would put it together for one week. Wash day gets the shampoo, the masque and a leave-in. Every other day I refresh curls with a little water and the smoothie. Body butter goes on every night.

Keep it plain, keep it consistent, and give each new product a few washes before you decide. Wrap your hair in something soft at night, rinse away product build up now and then, and enjoy the small ritual. Sunday is my reset day: I detangle gently with conditioner in, rinse, and put the masque on while I do something else. Good hair care is mostly patience, and it helps to have a brand with a story you like behind the jar. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Butter Yellow Dresses and Butter Yellow and Gray Outfits to Try This Fall.