Who doesn’t love butter? And even better when it works like magic for your skin, right? We’re talking about shea butter, a skincare superstar. Known for its amazing hydration, heavenly scent, and silky texture, shea butter has more benefits than you might already know of.
In this blog, we’ll explore everything you need to know about this versatile ingredient and how you can use shea butter for skin.
So read along!
What Is Shea Butter?
Shea butter is an edible nut butter widely used in food, medicine & cosmetic industries. It’s obtained from trees that grow in Africa. The nuts derived from these trees are rich in fat & that’s where the butter comes from. To obtain butter, the kernels are ground & boiled in water. The fat rises up & solidifies once cold into shea butter.
Shea butter may be of two types: raw & refined. While the former is loaded with nutrients that are beneficial for your skin, the latter loses some of those nutrients due to its processing.
Shea butter is rich in many bioactives such as triterpene, alcohols, cinnamic acid esters, retinols & tocopherols. It’s an effective emollient that has superb antioxidant & anti-inflammatory properties.
Let’s learn more about its specific benefits in the next section.
Benefits Of Shea Butter For Skin
- Moisturises Skin
We have tons of evidence to back the claim stating the skin moisturising roles of shea butter, thanks to its glorious fatty acid profile. It has a high content of oleic acid, linoleic acid & stearic acid which traps the skin moisture, preventing transepidermal water loss. If you’re someone with rough, patchy or dry skin, adding shea butter as a moisturiser to your skincare routine can turn out very beneficial.
And here is another reassuring fact — As shea butter lacks the protein that triggers nut allergies, you can safely use it for your face, body or even lips. This is particularly useful for those who have other nut allergies.
P.S.: Shea butter contains latex, a common allergen. So people with latex allergies should take note.
- Relieves Irritation
As mentioned earlier, shea butter is anti-inflammatory, which supports its use for calming irritated skin be it sunburn or chapped lips. It has been used for treating skin that’s affected by inflammatory conditions such as dermatitis (skin swelling & irritation) and eczema (dry skin & itchiness). Additionally, it has also been used to treat itchy & flaky scalp.
- Visibly Reduces The Signs Of Skin Ageing
Being rich in two main antioxidants i.e. Vitamin E & Vitamin A, shea butter can also help you pull the plug on skin ageing. While Vitamin E maintains your skin moisture keeping it supple & soft, Vitamin A helps visibly reduce wrinkles, boosts collagen production & gives an overall smooth skin surface.
These antioxidants also serve to scavenge off the free radicals & prevent environmental damage to your skin. That’s all the more reason to start using shea butter for your skin.
- Helps With Eczema
People with eczema develop itchy skin with red rashes that can easily get infected. It’s mainly caused when your skin lacks enough fatty acids & the barrier gets weakened. So the ultimate line of treatment includes working on this barrier by externally applying a thick coat of moisturisers.
For treating eczema, doctors often recommend using petroleum-based products. But as it turns out, shea butter is even more effective than those in managing eczema.
- Protects Against Harmful UV
While shea butter can’t replace your actual sunscreen, it does offer some protection against damaging UV rays. So a good idea would be to use the two in conjunction when stepping out in the sun.
Ending Note
Having discovered the seemingly endless list of shea butter benefits, we’re sure you’d want to make it a part of your skincare routine. And the best way to use shea butter for skin is to look for shea butter creams or other products that contain this ingredient.
At AreoVeda, we’ve formulated several mom & baby products that are enriched with shea butter. One of our popular products among expectant moms is Stretch Marks Cream which visibly reduces stretch marks in 28 days & moisturises the skin.
To explore more such AreoVeda’s products, you may visit Areoveda website.
FAQs
- What Does Shea Butter Do For Your Skin?
Shea butter nourishes, soothes & deeply moisturises your skin, leaving it soft & supple.
- What Is Shea Butter Made Of?
Shea butter is a nut butter derived from the kernel of the shea plant.
- Who Should Not Use Shea Butter?
Those with latex allergies should avoid using shea butter as the shea seed contains latex.
- Is Shea Butter The Same As Vaseline?
While Vaseline is simply a petroleum product that works as a physical barrier for your skin, shea butter is a nutrient-rich skin food.
Article Source :
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https://www.areoveda.in/blog/ingredients/shea-butter-for-skin