Lots of natural ingredients are common in skin and hair care. Shea butter is one of them. Naturally extracted and properly used, it has lots of healthful properties. The diversity of vitamins and minerals brings immediate effects. Check what you can expect from cosmetic Shea butter.

What is Shea butter?

Shea butter, also known as Karite, is a natural cosmetic extracted from the nuts of vitellaria. The tree grows in Africa and its fruit is picked after 30-40 years. The tree itself lives for around 300 years! The nuts of the plant resemble large berries and inside them there are brown and red seeds abounding in fat. Consequently, 1 kilo of Shea butter is made from 15 kilos of seeds. The resulting product is solid and it gets the consistency of the oil when you heat it up. Shea butter is used both in cosmetics and… in the kitchen for frying the food.

Shea butter – beauty benefits

It is added to lots of hair, skin and nail care products. Shea butter regenerates and nourishes, makes wounds heal fast and alleviates all irritations. It is rich in vitamins A and E which aim at delaying skin aging processes and protecting from free radicals. Shea butter shields the skin against the harmfulness of external factors.

Who is going to make the most of Shea butter?

Shea butter is recommended for:

  • dry skin which is prone to irritations, has a moisturising and lipid-replenishing effect;
  • purifying sensitive and extremely dry skin;
  • protects in winter and reinforces the natural protective layer;
  • firms up mature skin affected by wrinkles and additionally works as a sunblock.

Shea butter – other uses

  1. A brilliant alternative to eye creams, reducing dark circles and puffiness.
  2. Excellent care for chapped lips, regenerating and protecting delicate skin.
  3. Protection from UV radiation, alleviation of post-sun irritation and providing a healthy radiance.

Shea butter for hair

The ingredient is usually used as a mask, conditioner or serum for dry, split hair ends. Shea butter protects from the outside elements, moisturizes dry and flaky scalp, shields hair from the chemical processing damage (regular coloring, straightening or bleaching).