Shea butter is a fat extracted from nuts of African tree. It includes fatty acids, namely oleic acid, stearic acid, palmitic and linolenic acid in its arsenal. According to SFGate.com, shea butter is non saponifiable, mean it doesn’t turn to soap when mixed with alkaline, this aids to have greater healing potential than other oils.
Wonder if it makes your face oily or sticky?
Though shea butter remains solid at room temperature, it melts when subjected to body temperature and your skin quickly absorbs it. It’s non comedogenic, mean it doesn’t clog pores.
Jump to: How to use Raw Shea Butter on Face
What properties in shea butter aids to have well hydrated & smooth skin/face
As mentioned shea butter is non saponifiable, oils with this property has more healing fractions. And oils which are saponifiable have little or no healing fractions and more moisturizing fractions. Luckily shea butter has both healing and moisturizing fractions. Moisturizing elements in shea butter resembles to that in sebum, thus aids to hydrate your body and because of more healing fractions, repeated application of this African butter enhances healing.
Vitamin A in shea butter is a superb moisturizing agent and helps in improving skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, wrinkles, skin allergies and sunburns. Though exact benefit of vitamin E is not clear, it’s described as an effective remedy in improving micro-circulation and thwarts free radicals. Vitamin A and E both exhibits antioxidant qualities. Whereas acids in this butter, exhibits anti-inflammatory qualities.
Also read: Shea butter for stretch marks
Non saponifiable and vitamin F improves skin elasticity, this fades wrinkles and frown lines.
To reap the nutritional benefits from shea butter on face, beauty experts suggests raw shea butter. American Shea Butter Institute states, pure shea butter has strong smell, anyhow after applying it over body it no more smells.
How to Use Raw Shea Butter on Face
It’s damn simple to apply this African shea butter on your face. But to take in the listed nutritional properties you must follow the right way. Let’s make it in points.
Note: Unrefined shea butter has all the properties listed above; refined shea butter loses most of the healing properties. So we recommend getting only pure raw shea butter.
- Your face is exposed to harmful pollution and impurities get settled over your smooth face. So first step is to wipe them out. Use any natural or store bought cleanser.
- Pat dry with soft towel.
- When your skin is still damp, apply raw solid butter optionally mixed with any essential oil on your face. Use your finger to massage in circular motion. This improves blood circulation on your skin. [Related post: Shea butter face mask]
- As mentioned above, your body heat melts this solid shea butter and it gets absorbed into your skin.
- Apply it at night, so you can rinse it off in the morning.
Don’t miss this: How to make whipped shea butter
Regular application will show significance change in your face.
Worried about oily skin? Shea butter properties doesn’t clog pores and it also controls excess sebum production, but remember to try with light layer first.
Are you curious about how to use shea butter on skin?
Simple, exactly the same way mentioned above.
You can also use raw shea butter on your hair. Take fresh shea butter in your palm, using your fingertips apply it over dry scalp. Using wide toothed comb, run the raw shea butter to hair end. Wrap your head with cloth for 10 minutes and then rinse it off.
Did you ever use raw shea butter on face?
Don’t miss this: 5 Simple Steps to Make Shea Butter Lotion