When Essence was diagnosed with leukemia in 2015, skincare wasn't something we expected to become part of the journey.
We were focused on getting her through treatment.
Then her skin began to change.
When Treatment Shows on Your Skin
Chemotherapy and other cancer treatments can be incredibly difficult on the skin. For Essence, some of the most visible damage appeared across her chest and neck.
Her skin became extremely dry, irritated and dramatically darker. This wasn't ordinary dry skin that disappeared after applying lotion. Her skin had been through something traumatic.
The photograph below is difficult for us to look at even now. But it's important because this is where her skin journey actually began.
No filters. No recreated images. No overnight transformation.
Just Essence.
Finding What Her Skin Needed
We tried conventional moisturizers, but they weren't giving Essence's severely dry skin what it needed.
That's when we began exploring richer ingredients, including Nilotica Shea Butter, Shea Nut Oil and Royal Jelly.
We focused on something simple: keeping her skin moisturized, avoiding unnecessary fragrance and being consistent.
And then we waited.
Over time, Essence's skin began to look and feel remarkably different.
There Was No Overnight Miracle
That's something we never want these photographs to suggest.
There was a long journey between that before and after.
Treatment. Damaged skin. Trial and error. Moisturizing. Patience. Consistency.
Essence's experience is her own, and skincare doesn't treat chemotherapy burns or reverse the effects of cancer treatment. But caring for her changing skin became an important part of helping her feel comfortable in it again.
Where Sheair Butters Began
Our search for something better eventually led to the formula that became My Everything Cream.
It wasn't created because body butter was trending.
It began with a mother trying to help her daughter care for skin that had been through more than either of us could have imagined.
Years later, we still keep these photographs.
Not because they're pretty.
Because they're real.
And they remind us why Sheair Butters exists.