Shea butter is great for skin care, it relieves dryness and irritation, but it can also solve a lot of other skin problems. Here’s why it’s good to include it in your care routine!
Shea butter is a creamy fat with many benefits. It is extracted from the nuts that grow on shea trees in African countries. Solid at room temperature, melts on contact with skin, similar to coconut oil.
Although it is edible and used in many African recipes, it is mainly found in skin and hair care products around the world, with the United States being the largest consumer of shea butter cosmetics.
It can be safely applied to the face, lips and body, even some body scrubs and hair conditioners contain shea butter for its moisturizing effects.
However, caution is needed for those with acne-prone skin. Shea butter can clog pores and lead to more acne breakouts. And those with seborrheic dermatitis or dandruff should remember that the bacteria involved in the development of dandruff can multiply “fed” by shea butter.
Choose the unrefined version
Raw shea butter is full of vitamins and nutrients that are good for the skin. The refined (or processed) one loses some of its essential nutrients during processing. For example, there is less or no cinnamic acid, an anti-inflammatory substance, in processed shea butter. Unrefined is usually yellow or beige, while refined shea butter is white.
Moisturizes dry skin
Usually, shea butter it is present in lotions for people with dry skin because it contains fatty acids that lubricate the skin and create a barrier that keeps moisture inside. For people with oilier skin, sebum (natural skin oil) fulfills this role, but for those with dry skin, a moisturizer helps to retain moisture.
Fights irritation
Because it contains anti-inflammatory substances that relieve swelling and redness of the skin, many use it for anything from sunburn to chapped lips or wounds from acid peels or exfoliations.
Prevents wrinkles
Shea butter contains two anti-aging antioxidants. One is vitamin A, which is crucial for skin health, and has been tested since the 1970s for synthetic retinoid formulas because they play an important role in promoting skin elasticity and reducing wrinkles. It works by increasing the rate of cell turnover or replacement, smoothing the surface of the skin. It also improves the appearance of the skin by stimulating the production of collagen, which prevents the skin from sagging.
The second antioxidant contained in shea butter it is vitamin E, which maintains the health and appearance of the skin, preventing cell damage, increasing moisture.
It relieves eczema
A common skin condition, eczema causes red, itchy rashes. It also increases the susceptibility to skin infections, because the skin barrier is no longer as effective at removing irritants and germs. Shea butter contains linoleic acid, a fatty acid found naturally in the skin. Research shows that linoleic acid plays a crucial role in protecting the skin and can significantly reduce eczema symptoms.
Provides sun protection
Shea butter has a sun protection factor (SPF) of about three or four. It’s too little to prevent sun damage or sunburn on its own, but manufacturers combine it with other ingredients to achieve SPF levels of 15 or higher.
2024-02-24 05:04:44
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