Today we want to spotlight another indie heart whose making it easy for some of us chicas to wear our naturals and have smooth like butter skin. Who am I talking about? I'm talking about St. Louis own Tasha Burton of BELLE BUTTERS
Indie Heart ~ So tell us how did you begin making Shea Butters?
BELLE BUTTERS ~ It all started when I bought my very first jar of shea butter. I was newly natural and wanted something to buy on the ground quickly and in the store. After browsing through forums about natural hair care, I decided to add oils, like tea tree and jojoba (for added benefits) to my shea and I've done this ever since. I received many compliments about how soft my hair was and since then, what I add has evolved and so sharing the list with my friends birthed the look of exhaustion on their faces. I decided then that I wanted to make and sell my recipe. I gave myself 30 days to get my business up and running and my online shop went live just 2 days before deadline.
Indie Heart ~ Where does the name Belle Butters come from?
Belle Butters ~ I knew that I wanted to sell a variety of butters, so that part wasn't hard, but then I wanted something to represent beauty. I figured the French word for beauty, belle, would work just as fine. It also rolled off the tongue easily, was easy to remember (Tasha Burton of Belle Butters for ex.), and wasn't already taken.
Indie Heart ~ What are your most popular fragrances?
Belle Butters ~ It is between the Shea-Mango Fluffy Butter which has a warm vanilla scent and the Mango Moisture Butter for Face which is scented with lavender. Coming in third place is the Mint Chocolate Butter which smells exactly like a Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie.
Indie Heart ~ Most people are familiar with Shea Butters however for those who are not please explain what is Shea Butter and what can it be used for?
Belle Butters ~ Shea butter is taken from the shea nut which grows from the shea tree. These trees are found in different regions of Africa and each tree (from each region) yields a different variety of shea butter. The shea nut is pressed and then churned, by hand by the villagers and cleaned. Some shea is sold unrefined (the best type to use), some are sold refined (which is dyed with hexane or some other bleach and not good for you), and some shea has red palm oil added to it.
Shea butter is filled with vitamins (lots of vitamin E) which help ease the irritation of dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and I've even heard that if it is massaged into sore joints, can help ease the pain of arthritis. Of course it is a wonderful moisturizer for your natural hair, and the vitamins contain healing power that can repair the hair. Shea butter also is a natural spf, and helps the skin cells regenerate which is a plus for when you and your hair are outdoors.
HerSoul Indie ~ What's one thing people don't know about your shea butters, what makes your product different?
Belle Butters ~ I do not melt my shea butter or other butters down before whipping them. However, I will melt down cocoa butter because of how hard it is at room temperature. I do not melt them down because heat can lower the efficacy of the butters. So, when you receive a jar of Belle Butters, expect it to be whipped, thick and not completely free of small bits and pieces of the shea butter. I like this because I think it stands out as a form of authenticity and instills trust within customers who have experienced "shady" products with questionable ingredients before.
HerSoul Indie ~ What sort of things do you or your company do or have thought about doing to give back to the community?
Belle Butters ~ I plan on contributing a percentage of my sales in the month of October for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Increasingly, this cancer is becoming the leading killer of women and we must be more proactive about our health care and preventive medicine. Working in research aside from my business has shown me how important money from outside sources is because grants alone just aren't enough.
HerSoul Indie ~ Where can we go to get your product?
Belle Butters ~ You can visit my online shop at www.etsy.com/shop/mstashab and if you live in St. Louis, MO, you can go to GYA which is located 2700 Locust St, 63103.
Indie Heart ~ Thank you Tasha for this great interview, wish you well in all your endeavors and much success with Belle Butters!!
Belle Butters ~ Thank You!
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