The sacred shea tree has been sharing its various gifts with countless communities in its native Africa for thousands of years. Its adventurous history is said to go back all the way to Cleopatra’s reign when the iconic ruler supposedly never traveled without her jars of this decadent butter. Besides being part of Cleopatra’s famous, luxury beauty routine, and long before it became a starring ingredient in many of today’s nourishing, natural skin care products, this special fruit was treasured and well-utilized by African cultures in numerous ways.