Shea butter, also known as Beurre de karité is fat obtained by crushing and boiling the ripe nuts of the shea tree. Its has creamy texture which makes it easy to apply on your skin. The majority production of shea butter come from West Africa ,specially from Ghana where the shea trees grow abundantly in its savannah regions.
As the shea butter provides many benefits for the hair and skin, it is widely used in many cosmetic products. However, as it is mixed and diluted with other components, it loses parts of it nutritional properties. Refined shea butter usually have a white color and are scented.
On the other hand, unrefined raw shea butter has a yellowish or ivory color. As it is 100% pure and organic, it provides much more benefits to your hair and skin.
Benefits of unrefined raw shea butter
1. It is a great skin moisturizer
It is a great moisturizer for your skin . The fat in the shea butter have humectant and emollient properties that retain the moisture in your skin, which keep it hydrated for a long period of time. When your skin is dehydrated and dry, it becomes scaly and rough and sometimes can cause skin cracks in certain areas of your body for e.g the heels.
What makes shea butter great for the body is that it nourishes and soften your skin by easily penetrating it without clogging the pores.
2. Shea butter have anti-inflammatory properties
It contains derivatives of cinnamic acid that have many anti-inflammatory properties. Hence, the shea butter help to alleviate many skin conditions linked to inflammation like dermatitis and rosacea. Furthermore, it also helps to treat rashes, sunburns, cuts, and scrapes.
3. Shea Butter protects the hair and scalp
Our hair follicles are exposed to the sun causing them to be damaged and dry. Shea Butter will act as a protective barrier against the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Before going out, melt a small amount of shea butter and apply it directly and lightly on your hair.
Shea Butter can also be applied to dry scalp. You can do so by melting an adequate amount of shea butter and to massage gently the oil obtained on your scalp.
Moreover, if the hair is dry, melted shea butter can be applied from roots to ends. You can easily comb your hair after application.
Shea butter will strengthen your hair follicles and will promote growth, reduce hair loss and increase its thickness.