MillieCare SheaButter Benefits and Uses
- Benefits
- How to use
- Side effects and risks
- Takeaway
Overview
Sheabutter is extracted from shea tree nuts. It’s off-white or ivory-colored and has a creamy consistency that’s easy to spread on your skin. Most shea butter comes from shea trees in West Africa. High concentrations of fatty acids and vitamins make shea butter an ideal cosmetic ingredient for softening skin. Shea butter also has anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Using shea butter on your body, especially your face, can condition, tone, and soothe your skin.
Benefits of Sheabutter
With a myriad of therapeutic benefits for the skin, sheabutter has been used for thousands of years. In addition to being an exceptional moisturizer, this all-natural ingredient has antioxidant, pro-aging, and anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe and heal the skin. People of all ages and skin types utilize shea butter because of the many uses. Every house should have a jar of sheabutter for smoother skin or for treatment of minor skin injuries and perfect textured hair.
Anti-inflammatory and healing properties
SheaButter has been proven to have extensive anti-inflammatory properties. Redness and swelling on your face may be calmed by applying shea butter products.
Emollient properties
The rich tree-nut oils in shea butter can soak into your skin, creating a smooth and soft barrier that seals in moisture. This moisturizing effect can last several hours and thus provides smoother skin.
Anti-aging properties
Sheabutter is known to have anti-aging properties. The exact mechanism isn’t well-known it is related to promoting collagen production or decreasing the breakdown of collagen that’s already present. For decades women in Africa have used sheabutter to avoid the formation of wrinkles for younger youthful skin.
How to use sheabutter
Sheabutter can be applied directly to your body or hair before you go to sleep. Applying sheabutter cream as part of your skincare or haircare routine in the morning might take some getting used to. The fatty acids and oils in shea butter may make applying makeup slightly difficult.
You can also make a facial mask using shea butter and several other ingredients. Wash your face first with a cream cleanser or warm water.
To make your own mask, mix together:
- 1 tbsp of raw honey
- 3 to 4 drops of grapeseed oil
- 1 tbsp of pure shea butter
Mix well and spread out over your face. Leave the mask on for 10 to 12 minutes before gently cleansing your face with warm water and a soft washcloth for best results.
Take care with these facial masks as it may promote acne if you are prone to it.
Side effects and risks
SheaButter is an incredibly low-risk topical ingredient. Allergic reactions to sheabutter are rare. Even people who are allergic to tree nuts, the family that shea nuts belong to, have a low risk of reaction to sheabutter on their face. Researchers believe this is because shea nuts contain little of the tree-nut proteins that trigger allergies. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any risks to using it. Given the consistency of sheabutter, it’s likely to be comedogenic.
The American Academy of Dermatology supports the idea that shea butter can clog your pores and cause acne. This is especially true if you have acne-prone skin.
