Shea butter is an off-white natural fat extracted from the nut of the African shea or Karite tree. The nuts are naturally high in Stearic acid and oleic acid which gives shea butter it’s moisturizing and healing properties.
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Uses
- Skin Moisturizer: Use shea butter for your skin to keep it looking young. Shea butter is an excellent moisturizer, it protects the skin from windburn, helps soften calluses on hands and feet, and can help fade scars, burns, and stretch marks.
- Healing: Shea butter even has healing properties, helping clear dermatitis, prevent ashy skin and rashes such as psoriasis, eczema, or even sooth the effects of poison ivy or insect bites.
- Skin Protectant Active people can use shea butter as a lubricant to protect against chafing during heavy work or exercise. It can help heal skin cracking and give relief from sunburn. It will even help with skin pealing from sunburn or overly dry skin.
- Hair Care: Shea butter provides moisture to dry or damaged hair from the roots to the very tips, repairing and protecting against weather damage, dryness and brittleness. It also absorbs quickly and completely into the scalp to re-hydrate without clogging pores. It is particularly beneficial for processed and heat-treated hair. It is an excellent treatment for dry scalp. The high levels of Vitamins A, E and F, restore luster to damaged hair.
Benefits
- Shea Butter is naturally rich in Vitamins A, E, and F, as well as a number of other vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A and E help to soothe, hydrate, and balance the skin. They also provide skin collagen which assists with wrinkles and other signs of aging. Vitamin F contains essential fatty acids, and helps protect and revitalize damaged skin and hair. Shea Butter is an intense moisturizer for dry skin, and is a wonderful product for revitalizing dull or dry skin on the body or scalp.
- In addition, Shea Butter offers a low level of UV protection (approximately SPF-6), and may be incorporated into natural sunscreen recipes. Because of its soothing nature, anti-inflammatory and rejuvenating effects, it is a perfect ingredient to incorporate into your body care recipes and skin care regime. It is also wonderful to use in the summer as a moisturizer before and after sun exposure to reduce the possibility of the skin peeling or becoming dried out.
Cautions
- Shea butter is one of the safest essential oils around, because it is fat-based. Medline Plus recommends shea butter oil over harsher soaps and cleansers during the dry winter months, as well as for anyone who needs a little extra moisture in her skin. As with any new product, you should consider testing the product on a small portion of your skin to see how you react to it. Shea butter and related products should not be used in the eyes.
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References
Source: www.stylecraze.com/articles/best-benefits-of-shea-butter-for-skin-hair-and-health/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/1000522-shea-butter-safety/