What is Shea Butter?
Shea butter is fat that’s has been extracted from the nuts of the shea tree. It’s solid at room temperatures and is off-white. Shea trees are native to West Africa.
Shea butter has been used as a cosmetic ingredient for centuries and is the perfect addition to any soap recipe. It is also the perfect addition to our deodorant recipe due to its high concentration of vitamins and fatty acids — combined with its easy-to-spread consistency. This makes it a great ingredient for soothing and moisturising delicate skin.
Here are 9 reasons why you should use shea butter in every product!
1. It’s safe for all skin types
Shea butter is a tree nut product, but unlike most tree nut products, it’s very low in the proteins that trigger allergies. Shea butter is appropriate for all skin types and doesn’t contain chemical irritants known to dry out skin. Also, it doesn’t clog pores, which is particularly important for soap and deodorant products.
2. It’s moisturising
Shea butter has fantastic moisturising effects due to its fatty acid content, including linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids. When you apply shea to the surface of the skin, these oils are rapidly absorbed into your skin. They act as a “refatting” agent, restoring lipids and quickly creating moisture. This reinforces the barrier between your skin and the environment, keeping moisture in and reducing dry, chapped skin.
3. It’s anti-inflammatory
The plant esters of shea butter have been found to have anti-inflammatory properties. As you apply shea butter to the skin it triggers inflammatory cells to slow their production. This helps to decrease irritation caused by factors, such as dry weather, as well as inflammatory skin conditions, such as excema.
4. It’s antioxidant
Shea butter has significant levels of vitamins A and E, which means it promotes antioxidant activity. Antioxidants are important anti-aging agents because they protect skin cells from free radicals that can lead to premature aging and dull-looking skin.
5. It’s anti-fungal
Shea tree products have powerful natural ingredients to help defeat skin infections caused by fungi
6. It may help prevent acne
The unique composition of different kinds of fatty acids in Shea Butter can help clear your skin of excess oil (sebum).
Simultaneously, shea butter rejuvenates moisture to skin and locks it in to the epidermis, so skin doesn’t feel dry and stripped of its natural oils. Restoring the natural balance of the skin’s oils can help to stop acne before it starts.
7. Collagen Production is Boosted
Shea Butter Contains Triterpenes which is a natural occurring compound and is though to stop collagen fibers destruction. This can minimize the appearance of fine lines and result in more youthful looking skin.
8. It helps promote cell regeneration
Shea’s moisturising and antioxidant properties work together to help your skin produce healthy new cells. The body is continuously making new skin cells and shedding dead skin cells. Dead skin cells sit on the top. New skin cells form at the bottom of the upper layer of skin (epidermis). Shea butter aids in creating moisture balance on the surface of the skin, which means that fewer dead skin cells will be in the way of fresh cell regeneration in the epidermis.
9. It may help soothe conditions like eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis
Its anti-inflammatory properties help soothe skin and relieve itching. which proves especially helpful for inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis.
What makes Shea Butter so Miraculous?
The benefits of shea butter come from its chemical makeup. Shea butter contains:
- linoleic, palmitic, stearic, and oleic fatty acids, ingredients that balance oils on your skin
- vitamins A, E, and F, antioxidant vitamins that promote circulation and healthy skin cell growth
- triglycerides, the fatty part of the shea nut that nourishes and conditions your skin
- cetyl esters, the waxy part of the shea nut butter that conditions skin and locks in moisture