What Is Shea Butter? By Jennifer Lane, Certified Aromatherapist
Shea butter is a must have for your beauty routine. It is an excellent moisturizer for skin and hair, leaving a silky feel. Besides using it as an all-natural moisturizer, it is fabulous for making luxurious DIY Shea Butter Recipes.
You can make body butters, lip balms, hand creams, and homemade lotions. Shea butter is known for its superior moisturizing, anti-aging and healing properties. Shea butter is actually the fat of the nuts from the African shea (karite) tree. It is rich in vitamins A, D, and E, plus essential fatty acids. It is solid at room temperature but when rubbed between hands or onto the skin it melts and can be easily absorbed. Shea butter has a nutty aroma and it only takes a little bit of butter to cover a large area.
Who can use: All skin types. It is gentle enough for use on sensitive skin and effective enough for rough, red, and dry skin. It is also non-comedogenic, so it doesn’t clog pores.
Qualities: Emollient (moisturizing), soothing, softening, protective, anti-inflammatory.
What Shea Butter Should I Buy?
It is best to buy raw, organic, unrefined ivory shea butter.
Top 10 Shea Butter Uses
Do you want to discover the incredible health benefits of shea butter? Shea Butter is a hugely popular ingredient in many beauty products today, so it is no wonder why this natural product is gaining increasing attention around the world. Here is how you too can benefit from using shea butter!
- Shea Butter For Hair
Shea butter can restore moisture, and it can also be used as a natural remedy for a dry, itchy scalp. Want to get rid of ? Use whipped shea butter for a DIY hair mask. You could even add in a drop of lavender or rosemary essential oil.
DIY Hair Mask: Simply apply a small amount of whipped shea butter to hair from roots to tips, use fingertips to massage into scalp as well. Let it sit on the hair for 30 minutes. Use a shower cap so you can still get things done as you beautify your hair. Then rinse out with warm water and wash hair normally.
- Shea Butter For Skin
Shea butter is ultra healing and nourishing to the skin because it has high contents of antioxidants, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, D, and E. Not only does it moisturize and lubricate, it also protects, holds in moisture and keeps the skin balanced. If you have had a cold or allergies, you know how chapped your nose can get from blowing it with tissues, even soft tissues can cause irritation. Soothe a chapped nose by applying a small amount of shea butter around the nostrils.
DIY Soothing Sun Cream: Replenish your skin after a day in the sun by applying shea butter to sun-exposed skin for soothing relief. Better yet, add a few drops of lavender to your shea butter for DIY soothing sun cream.
- Shea Butter For Lips
Shea butter heals and prevents dry cracking lips as well as protects your lips from the harsh elements. Place shea butter in a lip balm container and use it as needed to keep lips moisturized. Add in a drop of peppermint essential oils for added cooling, tingling, and refreshing.
| Peppermint Shea Butter Lip Balm |
Enjoy the tingling and cooling relief of peppermint oil in this DIY recipe blend that can soothe chapped lips.
Directions: Fill the lip balm jar with shea butter, leaving a little room at the top. Add the drop of peppermint to the jar and mix in with a toothpick. |
- Shea Butter For Face
Shea butter is very helpful in bringing balance to the skin, especially irritated skin. High-quality raw shea butter can instantly reduce redness. It is high in skin lubricating essential fatty acids, which are important for ensuring healthy skin’s cellular function. Shea butter is also safe for acne-prone skin because it is non-comedogenic, so it doesn’t clog pores.
- Shea Butter For Nails
Repair dry, brittle nails and cuticle. Just rub shea butter around your nails. For a special treatment, rub a good amount of shea butter on your hands and nails, then wrap up with a moist, hot towel. Leave the towel on until heat dissipates. You may want to do one hand at a time for easier manipulation. This moist heat will allow the shea butter to penetrate even deeper for an ultra-moisturizing treatment. This can be done to feet too, now that is a great at-home pampering treatment!
