Whether after a stressful day at work, after sport or just because, everyone should pamper their body at regular intervals. Shea butter is ideal for this and contains numerous valuable ingredients. Shea butter not only gives your skin suppleness, it also helps you to relax and increase your well-being. At the same time, your health also benefits from this high-quality care. You will be amazed at the healing effect of shea butter and how versatile it is. Shea butter is used for skin and hair care, among other things. However, pure shea butter can do much more and should therefore be an integral part of your routine.
What is shea butter and how is it made?
Shea butter is obtained from the fruit of the shea tree, which belongs to the berry family. These are mainly found in the Sudan region of Africa. The fruits of the tree are even edible and have a slightly sweet taste. The fruit itself is green and has a kernel inside, the so-called shea nut, from which pure shea butter is extracted. The nuts are shelled and then ground in a mortar to produce a brown mass. This is then infused with hot water. During the subsequent kneading process, the fat separates out and floats to the surface of the liquid. The fat can now be skimmed off and left to cool. This is exactly what pure and valuable shea butter is.
The ingredients and the effect of shea butter
Shea butter is known for its many minerals and vitamins. But that alone does not make it as popular as it is. It is only through its special composition with other ingredients that it gains further healing properties and finds its raison d'être in the field of cosmetics.
Shea butter itself is mainly rich in the following ingredients:
- Oleic acids
- Palmitic acid
- Linoleic acid
- Stearic acid
- Vitamin E
- Beta carotene
- Allantoin
- Triterpene alcohols
- Triterpenes
These ingredients are said to have the following effects:
- Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects against free radicals and also slows down the ageing of cells in the body.
- Beta carotene is also an antioxidant, which controls the reaction of our immune system and is also supposed to protect us from various heart diseases.
- Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for the body, as they also protect against heart disease, normalize blood pressure and increase cholesterol levels. They can also relieve joint pain.
- Allantoin is considered anti-inflammatory and is said to support the body in wound healing, thereby accelerating it.
- Oleic acids, such as the well-known linoleic acid, are unsaturated fatty acids that maintain the skin's natural barrier and acid mantle. They also have an anti-inflammatory effect and are therefore used to treat many different skin conditions.
- Triterpenes have an anti-inflammatory effect. They also protect the liver and are said to counteract thrombosis. Triterpenes are also said to regenerate the nerves.
- Triterpene alcohol has a decongestant, antispasmodic and antibacterial effect.
The possible applications of shea butter
Thanks to its many active ingredients, shea butter is available in the form of creams, lotions, ointments and general body care products. We would now like to show you how you can use shea butter so that you too can benefit from its many advantages and effects on your body in the future.
Shea butter as an anti-ageing product
By using shea butter regularly, you can promote and support the circulation of your skin. This allows individual ingredients to penetrate deep into the skin and develop their full effect. Shea butter significantly improves the appearance of the skin and provides it with sufficient moisture. This reduces wrinkles and delays the ageing process. This mainly relates to wrinkles caused by excessively dry skin. The vitamin E and beta carotene it contains also protect your skin from free radicals, which not only age your skin cells but can also damage them further.
Using shea butter on the face
Shea butter can be used on the face in its pure form or mixed with a high-quality day cream. It is sufficient to apply this care product in the morning. It is not saponifiable (unsaponifiable). As a result, once applied and absorbed, the shea butter forms a protective layer that cannot be washed off even with soap. Once applied all over the body in the morning, your skin will feel pleasant and silky soft all day long.
Good to know: In Africa, shea butter has been used since time immemorial as protection against wind and sun.
Shea butter as a remedy
Shea butter not only provides the skin with plenty of vitamins and moisture, protecting it from dryness. Shea butter also contributes to regeneration and healing. Shea butter can also be used to treat scars, for example, and it also helps the skin to regenerate after sunburn.
The anti-inflammatory effect helps with both neurodermatitis and eczema. Many experts also recommend the use of shea butter for joint pain or rheumatism. Applying this product to painful joints on a daily basis can alleviate the inflammation and possibly even heal it completely, so that the pain also improves.
The effect can also help with allergy symptoms. A study conducted in Nigeria in 1975 found that shea butter has a decongestant effect on the mucous membranes in the nasal area. In some participants, the allergy symptoms even disappeared completely after prolonged use.
Another study, which was conducted in Japan at the College of Science and Technology in Tokyo, even showed that shea butter had a positive effect in the fight against tumor cells.
Shea butter for lip care
Shea nut butter is also often used as lip care. Used as a pure natural product and lip balm, it protects the lips from various external influences such as dry air or cold. It also gives the lips a beautiful and natural shine.
Shea butter for the hair and scalp
Shea butter is not only used as a cream or skin care product. Even a small amount is sufficient to moisturize dry hair and split ends.
It is best to distribute and massage the unrefined butter through the entire hair before going to bed so that it can work in overnight. Then wash your hair the next morning. Your hair will feel wonderfully soft and smooth. For short treatments, it is sufficient to leave the natural product on for 20 to 30 minutes, just like a soothing bath. The effect over several hours at night is of course significantly greater.
If you suffer from a dry or very flaky scalp, shea butter can also be the perfect solution here. To do this, massage it into the scalp. You should also leave the butter on overnight for this application and only wash it out the next morning. This not only provides the scalp with important moisture. Itching is also significantly reduced thanks to the nourishing properties.
Our conclusion - Shea butter the all-rounder
Due to its many positive properties, shea butter has not only become an integral part of skin and hair care. Be sure to pay attention to the ingredients when buying, because shea butter can fully develop its effect on your skin and the rest of your body, especially as a pure and unrefined natural product.
