What is Shea Butter?
Shea butter is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. It is ivory in colour when raw and commonly dyed yellow with borututu root or palm oil. The shea butter comes from two oily kernels within the shea tree seed. After the kernel is removed from the seed, it is ground into a powder and boiled in water. The butter then rises to the top of the water and becomes solid. It is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturiser or lotion.
Shea butter is a seed fat that comes from the shea tree. The shea tree is found in East and West tropical Africa. The shea butter comes from two oily kernels within the shea tree seed. After the kernel is removed from the seed, it is ground into a powder and boiled in water. The butter then rises to the top of the water and becomes solid.
People apply shea butter to the skin for acne, burns, dandruff, dry skin, eczema, and other skin conditions.
What are the benefits of shea butter?
High concentrations of fatty acids and vitamins make shea butter a superior moisturiser and an ideal cosmetic ingredient for softening skin. Shea butter also has anti-inflammatory and healing properties. The presence of shea fat and vitamins favours quick skin healing and sun protection. Shea butter in skincare, especially using shea butter on your face, can condition, tone, and soothe the skin. Shea butter has also been known to work well against stretch marks and scar tissue.
What is shea butter used for?
As a tree nut product that is low in proteins that can trigger nut allergies, unrefined shea butter doesn’t contain chemical irritants known to dry out skin, and it doesn’t clog pores. Although some use refined shea butter, the unrefined one is appropriate for all skin types including dry, acne-prone, sensitive or oily skin.
How is shea butter used?
Shea butter for skin is commonly used in body lotions, hand and face creams, eye creams and lip balms. The healing and soothing properties make shea butter suitable for areas like the eyes and lips.
Shea butter is an adaptable and widely used skincare ingredient in body lotions, providing hydration, and leaving the skin delicate and smooth.
In hand and face creams, shea butter helps retain skin moisture while improving skin tone and texture, making it an effective ingredient to combat dryness and promote a healthy glow. Its natural, non-toxic qualities make it ideal for use in eye creams, where it helps reduce puffiness as well as reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
It is also a key ingredient in lip balms as it’s a fantastic moisturiser that keeps lips soft and supple even under harsh environmental conditions. Shea butter’s natural vitamins plus fatty acids also have healing properties thus using shea butter extract versus a ceramide lip balm is a much better option to heal dry and chapped lips.
How does shea butter work?
Shea butter is full of essential nutrients and works wonders when it comes to hydrating and nourishing dry skin. It’s rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin F which help in soothing, softening and shielding the skin from harsh environmental factors.
Shea butter extract is rich in anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce redness and swelling in inflammatory skin conditions such as acne-prone skin or sensitive skin suffering from allergic reactions.
Applying shea butter on dry or chapped lips as part of your skincare routine is also perfect as it locks in moisture due to its emollient properties. Shea butter is also rich in anti-aging properties and supports the regeneration of skin cells, ensuring the lips stay smooth and supple.
How can Shea Butter benefit different skin conditions?
Shea butter can help with many skin conditions, including:
- Inflammation: Shea butter’s anti-inflammatory properties can soothe and repair sensitive skin, and reduce the effects of skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
- Anti-aging: Shea butter contains compounds that may help with wrinkles.
- Itching: Shea butter can treat short-term and long-term itching and redness.
- Moisturising: Shea butter locks in moisture to keep skin hydrated and supple. It can also treat dry, cracked heels, and ashy elbows and knees.
- Acne: Shea butter can help balance out skin’s oil production and keep skin hydrated without overworking the sebum glands.
- Diaper rash: Shea butter can ward off diaper rash and keep skin healthy.
- Sunburn or windburn: Shea butter can be used as a pre-treatment and aftercare for sunburn or windburn.
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