Shea butter is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. The color is ivory when it is raw. It can be yellow when refined. It is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturizer, salve, or lotion. Do you know that Shea butter is edible and may be used in food preparation? It has been used as an emollient. And a healing agent for the skin and hair and is sometimes used as a base for medicinal ointments. In this article, you will find many hidden secrets and more about this product.
Some supporters of it, use it for skin care. Also, maintain that it offers UV protection (though the extent of this is often debated). It provides the skin with essential fatty acids. And the nutrients necessary for collagen production, repair rough, dry, or chapped skin on the hands, feet, elbows, and knees. It softens tough or rough skin and treats burns, psoriasis, or other skin conditions.
It also heals blemishes restores elasticity to aging skin, prevents premature wrinkles and facial lines, and relieves itching due to dryness. Also, it reduces razor irritation and bumps and treats bug bites, sunburns, rashes, insect stings, or other minor injuries. It is also said to help with hair health by repairing damage caused by chemicals in shampoos, coloring products, and perms.
Theoretically, shea butter works well as an emulsifier for water-in-oil emulsions. However, because of its texture, it tends to be too thick to fully incorporate into most creams and lotions. It is also unstable in oil-in-water emulsions because the water causes it to go rancid fairly quickly. This is a fatty substance derived from the nuts of the shea tree. These Shea trees are also known as karité trees and can be found in several countries in West Africa. This local product has been used for centuries to keep skin smooth and heal wounds. It’s currently an important ingredient in many lotions, cosmetics, and soaps. Some benefits of it include;
Fights Against Premature Aging
Applying raw shea butter on your face can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. This can be attributed to the cinnamic acid contained in it, which provides protection against the sun’s UV rays. And prevents collagen breakdown (the main contributor to aging). In addition, the allantoin in shea butter encourages cell regeneration — another factor that helps prevent aging. This article, further explains that it can be a fight against aging prematurely.
Relieves Acne And Eczema Symptoms
Shea butter contains a number of natural agents that have anti-inflammatory properties. Also, help to heal irritated skin as well as rashes caused by eczema or other skin conditions. Try applying raw shea butter on your face before bed to see if it helps with your acne.
Helps With Dandruff
Because raw shea butter helps soothe and hydrate the skin, it can help soothe and heal inflamed dandruff. This can help improve your hair and scalp health.
Helps Prevent Acne
As noted above, shea butter is rich in moisturizing properties, which help soothe irritated skin and help it heal. In addition, it contains a number of natural agents that help prevent acne. A process that often occurs when an overactive immune system overreacts to hormones. For this reason, it is known to help prevent and cure breakouts.
Eliminates Acne-Causing Bacteria
As shea butter contains an effective antibacterial agent called saponin. It can effectively treat acne, blackheads, whiteheads, pustules, and other skin problems caused by bacteria. This natural treatment works by killing germs at the source, allowing the skin to heal itself more quickly. The natural ingredients in shea butter work together to kill the bacteria and reduce redness.
Contains A Blemish Fighter
Shea butter can help prevent pimples, and thus, a blemish-causing bacterium, from appearing. The oil contains an astringent agent called salicylate. Salicylate will draw out bacteria and prevent any pore-clogging debris from passing through. It will also help promote blood flow to the area, thus promoting healing.
Improves Shine And Elasticity
Because it is rich in lauric acid, shea butter will moisturize and condition the skin, improving texture and elasticity. It is also thick enough that you can apply it as a moisturizer to give your skin a natural glow.
Helps Reduce Scarring
Studies have shown that shea butter can help prevent scars from forming. In addition to moisturizing, shea butter contains vitamin E, which is thought to help prevent scarring.
Soothes Sensitive Skin
Shea butter can be used as a moisturizer for the face, but it can also be used on sensitive skin. This means it can provide more protection and therefore make your skin even more resilient to all types of threats.
Uses Less Product Than Your Usual Moisturizer
While it may seem like an extravagance, it is in fact a perfect moisturizer for dry skin. Especially if you make the obvious, subtle switch to using shea butter. This high-quality, low-poo substance dries down rather than staining and is easy to spread all over the body. While a bit of shea butter won’t make up for your daily moisturizer, it makes up for a few fewer applications.
Treats Diaper Rash
Dry, cracked skin on the baby’s bottom and thighs can lead to diaper rash. But one of the best natural remedies for diaper rash is shea butter. If you have a few tablespoons of shea butter, you can make a diaper rash ointment.
Keeps The Wrinkles Away
All baby oil does is provide extra moisture to the skin, which can leave the skin looking too shiny. However, there are some natural ingredients that can make a woman’s skin look smoother, like shea butter. If you use shea butter on your face, you won’t have as much product on your face. The product will give you that great glow, and you can moisturize more thoroughly. This will leave your skin looking youthful and attractive for many years.
Other Uses Include;
Anti-Inflammatory
The vitamins A and E in shea butter have anti-inflammatory effects on the skin. This makes it helpful for treating conditions such as psoriasis and dermatitis. Skin conditions such as acne that are caused by inflammation may also benefit from the effects of shea butter.
Pain Reliever
While pain relief is not usually a problem with essential oils, the effects of shea butter are additive. Using shea butter and a carrier oil such as almond oil together can effectively relieve severe pain. It acts as a topical anesthetic to make the oil less irritating on the skin. This article, 10 important truths you never know about shea butter, proffers solutions to most of them
Treats Dark Spots
Shea butter contains three plant sterols: stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, and camp sterol. These compounds inhibit the production of melanin in the skin, which is responsible for dark spots on the skin. The dermatologist prescribes applying it on the affected areas twice a day to relieve the appearance of discoloration. This article mentioned the vitamin that is present in it below.
What Are Some Vitamins Found In Shea Butter?
Shea butter is a natural fat that comes from the nuts of the African shea tree. It is known for its healing properties and is an important ingredient in many skincare products.
The benefits of this product come from the concentration of fatty acids. And vitamins that are essential for skin health, including:
Vitamin A – helps improve a number of skin conditions including blemishes, wrinkles, eczema, and dermatitis
Vitamin E – helps maintain the skin’s collagen/elastin structure
Sterols – aids in reducing inflammation
Stearic acid – helps to smooth wrinkles and skin texture
Some Common Products Using Shea Butter
This article further enumerates below. The reason why it is used in food, cosmetics, and other applications. The following is a list of some industries using shea butter;
Food – It is used in the chocolate industry as an ingredient in making white chocolate.
Lip Balm – Shea butter can be used to make lip balm. It is a great moisturizer and can help prevent your lips from becoming chapped.
Skin Care Products – It can be found in many skincare products such as lotions, sunscreens, face creams, and shampoos.
Candles – Shea butter candles are a natural alternative to traditional candles. Which often contain petroleum products like paraffin wax (which produces carcinogens).
Soap – Also, its soap is made from shea nuts that have been crushed into a paste. This paste is then mixed with water or milk to form soap bars. The result is a cleansing agent that does not strip moisture from your skin like traditional soaps do. Instead, it cleans without drying out your skin any further than normal soap would do.
Conclusion
Shea butter is full of fatty acids that promote moisturization. Additionally, the oils in it help to soothe dry skin. When applied to dry skin, it helps to repair cracked, dry skin, and reduce flakiness. Most moisturizers cannot replace the high levels of moisture in the air. Nor can they completely replace our skin’s natural supply of moisture. Shea butter can fill in these gaps. It may have additional benefits for your skin. But the ones listed above are the main reason, why it is a great moisturizer.
Edited By,
Prince Modupe Kashaam
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