You’ve probably seen shea butter creams and lotions in stores and wondered what it might be? Or if it’s good for you? Not to worry, we will deep dive into those questions.
In skincare, there are so many body butters and oils to choose from, and we know it can be a bit overwhelming to sort through what shea butter is and if it suits your needs. Here we will go over what it is and other must-know factors.
Origin of shea butter
Shea butter is made from shea nuts, which are sourced from shea trees. The shea nut itself is rich in oil. It is extracted using a high standard of quality set by the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
The traditional form of extraction and processing does not conform to the recommended standard. Because of this, researchers further looked into the best ways to process the nut.
They took the time to study the manner and amount of time needed to dry the nut, the roasting time, the quality of the kernel needed, and hygienic factors.
Below are 4 reasons why it’s good for your skin and body:
Great for skin irritation and dryness
Depending on how sensitive your skin is, it may irritate and dry easily. Or have you been out in the sun too long and gotten a painful sunburn? This is another form of skin irritation. The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends the use of shea butter ointment.
Why an ointment, you might ask? They further state that shea butter in creams and ointments don’t irritate the skin in the way lotions sometimes do. Additionally, shea butter ointment is the more effective form of treating skin irritation caused by dryness or sunburn.
Anti-inflammatory factors
Shea butter is a powerful anti-inflammatory byproduct as well as an antioxidant. The way shea butter is processed, it allows for it to keep its best qualities. This is not true of all natural products on the market.
You may be aware that some products state they are good for the skin, but upon doing a little digging, you find out that when processed for cosmetic use it loses most if not all its beneficial qualities. When you purchase a product containing Shea butter, you can be sure that it is in fact a great anti-inflammatory.
It is so important to be conscious of what types of products and ingredients you apply to your skin, as the body usually does absorb some of what we use topically.
You want to make sure you are nourishing your skin, and not harming it or creating further pain or damage. Skin is the largest organ we have; it’s important to take care of it and only feed it good ingredients.
Scarring and keloids — Benefits
A skin condition you may never have heard of, unless you are suffering it from it, is keloids. If you’re unfamiliar with keloids, it’s an emergence of a scar with a rubbery texture. How is shea butter helpful for keloids, you ask? Since it is a substance that is fatty, it reduces the chances of a keloid fibroblast.
Shea butter helps increase collagen, which reduces the appearance of both keloids and other scars. While not many of us are suffering from keloids, we may have scarring we want to soften.
If you have a scar from a recent injury or maybe from a surgery you’ve recently had, shea butter creams and ointments should absolutely be your go-to.
Shea butter safety — Allergen
Shea butter is safe for your skin. In the long run, if you’ve already obtained a Shea butter product or are in search of one it is a good option to use on your skin. As mentioned above, it is a natural product that doesn’t lose the valuable effects that make it so great.
Naturally, if you have a nut allergy or have any concerns based on your medical history, make sure to consult your doctor.
But for the rest of the populace, we say: get yourself some Shea butter! It is going to benefit your skin and help tackle any concerns that we mentioned above.
