Shea Butter the Moisturizing Butter of Life
Introduction:
So here we travel to distant Africa and experience the waters of the Red Sea – Shea butter which comes from this region, has become increasingly popular these days. It is now synonymous with skin care. As soon as you hear the word shea butter I bet you are reminded of our normal butter-on-the-bread, butter. Not quite the same! Shea butter is an ivory coloured butter. It is made from the fat extracted off the nut of the vitellaria tree, commonly known as the shea tree. This tree’s scientific name is Vitellaria Paradoxa or Butyrospermum parkii.
Recently we explored about the Himalayas and the Himalayan salts which are distinctively Asian and part of the Indian Ocean. Now we turn ourselves to Africa as the shea tree is most commonly found in the Sahel region of Africa. The Sahel region of African stretches from and Senegal which is at the Atlantic Coast right through to Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad Sudan which is at the red sea coast. Basically this is the coast line between the Middle East and the sub-saharan Africa.
In the Senegal language, the Shea tree is called the karite tree, meaning “The Tree of Life” which alludes to the fact that Shea Butter is the Butter of Life. Shea butter is considered as the ultimate superfood for the skin. So it is routinely used for making skincare products. Nevertheless, it can be used to eat as well! I know! I was like, really? YThe food consumption is linked to how much of it you eat. After all, it is fat.
As a triglyceride, shea butter is made up of oleic and stearic acids mainly, and linoleic, palmitic and arachidonic acids as well. In its raw state, it is an emulsifier which means it binds water and oil really well. This is really important as this characteristic supplements its moisturizing characteristic making it very good to be used right after a shower.
Other than these fatty acids, shea butter also contains phenolics antioxidants. Phenolic antioxidants are one of three types of antioxidants derived from plants and are protective chemical compounds for the body. These antioxidants provide resistance against cancer, and arthritis so you can immediately see the benefits of using Shea butter.
She butter is also full of vitamin E, F, A and C which are great for acne prone skin and dry skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis. It also has collagen boosting properties. It is no wonder it is called the superfood for skin.
Benefits
Let’s explore its benefits in detail now.
Of the multiple benefits, skin moisturizing will always stand out. Shea butter is very good for reducing inflammation, preventing aging, against stretch marks and scars, great for the hair, and lips, reduces aches and pains. Let’s look at it more in detail:
1.Moisturizing
One of its main characteristics is moisturizing. Combined with all the vitamins and antioxidant properties, it is an excellent and unparalleled moisturizer, keeping your skin hydrated, glowing, smooth and healthy.
2.Treatment for skin conditions
The moisturizing, nutritional and antioxidant properties of shea butter make it a fantastic treatment option for acne prone skin, dry skin and eczema. My daughter has eczema and she uses it through Go Eco Love’s Body Butter.
2. Pregnancy Stretch marks
Shea butter helps to smooth the skin, moisturize it and keep it healthy and hydrated thus helping with pregnancy related stretch marks. It’s collagen boosting properties also help with achieving these results.
3. Anti-aging and Wrinkle Reduction
The collagen boosting properties of shea butter helps the process of aging lessen. In this manner, wrinkles also become reduced because it makes the skin smoother and healthier.
4. Anti inflammatory
Shea butter has anti-inflammatory benefits. Therefore, it can be used as a medicinal ointment to treat joint pain, muscle aches, bruising and swelling. It can also be useful to treat sun-burnt skin and help towards soothing and pain relief.
5.Dry lips
For those living in cold countries, dry lips are a nightmare. Shea butter with its moisturizing properties is amazing at hydrating the lips, making them healthy. At Go Eco Love, we do sell the beeswax based natural, organic lip balm and lip scrubs so either or all these will work towards helping to take care of your lips.
6. Scars
Vitamins A and E and the collagen boosting properties of shea butter make it an excellent natural product to help wound heal and reduce the appearance of scars.
7. Hair and Scalp
It is not just the skin that benefits from shea butter, it is also good for the hair as well. Shea butter can be used for dry scalp and dry and frizzy hair because of its moisturizing properties. The good thing is it doesn’t leave your hair feeling greasy but provides necessary hydration for the hair.
At Go Eco Love we sell body butter made out of shea butter and a number of handmade soaps made out of shea butter. Be sure to check out our shop for all the natural skincare products we sell made out of shea butter.
You can find products at Go Eco Love shop.