Benefits Of Adding Shea Butter To Your Skincare Routine
Before learning about the various benefits of shea butter on the skin, it is good to understand more about the substance in general. To start off, it is derived from the nuts of shea trees and has an off-white ivory colour that is solid when kept at room temperature. Shea trees are native to West Africa, so most of this substance still comes from the region. A fascinating fact about shea butter is that it has been used as a cosmetic ingredient for hundreds of years. This is mainly due to its high vitamin content, fatty acids, and ease of application which collectively make it a fantastic skin-smoothing, soothing, and moisturising lotion ingredient.
Where Do All These Benefits Come From?
The chemical composition of shea butter adds up to benefits for the skin. It contains:
- The linoleic, palmitic, stearic, and oleic fatty acids in this compound help to restore the balance of the oils on your skin.
- Vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin F are antioxidants that assist circulation and skin cell development.
- The fatty acid component of shea nuts, called triglycerides, nourishes and conditions the skin.
- The cetyl esters, which are the waxy part of shea nut butter, improve skin texture and help retain moisture.
Keep in mind that the exact makeup varies according to where the shea nuts are harvested from. You may also find shea butter mixed with added ingredients, such as tea tree oil or lavender oil in products such as handmade or designer soaps like a shea butter soap that contains the benefits of natural ingredients like this.
Few Key Benefits Shea Butter Provides
Safe For All Skin Types
The substance is a tree nut product, but despite that, it's free of any proteins that can cause allergies. There's no medical literature documenting a reaction to the butter of the shea fruit. Thus, it is fully free of chemical irritants that might harm skin or clog pores and as a result, works for oily skin type to dry, virtually any kind.
Wonder Moisturisation
Shea is commonly applied for its hydrating abilities. These benefits are connected to shea’s fatty acid content, including linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids. So, when you apply shea topically, these oils are quickly absorbed into your skin and they act as a “refatting” agent, replenishing lipids and rapidly creating moisture. This performs the function of restoring the barrier between your skin and the outside environment by holding moisture in and reducing your dryness risk. The effects of this natural ingredient are just as good as any of the scrubs and lotions that you can think of because a soap consisting of this ingredient is probably one of the best moisturizing soap you can have.
Protection From Acne
Shea butter is high in fatty acids. This unusual combination aids in the removal of excess sebum from your skin. It also helps to restore moisture to your skin while also keeping it locked into your epidermis, preventing it from drying out or becoming "stripped" of oil. The result is a restoration of the natural equilibrium of oils in your skin, which may aid in the prevention of acne breakouts.
Boost Of Collagen Production
Triterpenes are a naturally occurring chemical compound in shea. They are accredited with deactivating collagen fiber destruction. The result of this is the minimisation of the appearance of fine lines on the skin and overall plumper skin.
Cell Regeneration
Shea butter works to moisturise and protect your skin while also helping it generate new, healthy cells. Your body is always creating new skin cells and getting rid of dead ones - you could get rid of up to 40,000 old skin cells each day. The bottom layer of your epidermis is constantly creating fresh cells, but the Dead skin cell build-up on the surface can interfere with this process. Keeping your skin's surface hydrated will help reduce this issue by stopping the dead skin from piling up as much.
Now that you know a little more about the various benefits of shea butter, how about reading another one of our features that informs you of glycerine soap benefits?
