Is Shea Butter Good for Your Face? The Answer May Surprise You
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you whatsoever when you make a purchase using my link.
What Exactly is Shea Butter?
Shea butter is a thick, solid fat product with a buttery consistency (dense and creamy) made from the nuts of the shea tree in West Africa. Packed with fatty acids, vitamins and more, it’s a wonderful emollient and moisturize full of beneficial properties that can be used to help treat aging skin, dry skin, dermatitis, or acne.
I love African remedies like Black African soap and I personally think Shea butter is a wonderful emollient for the skin and the best body oil you could ever use. It has made it into my medicine cabinet because I consider it to be medicinal as well as cosmetic.
Is it Good for People with Oily Skin?
It is true that Shea butter does help to manage oily skin. It can help to prevent breakouts by controlling oil production in the area of the pores. The comedogenic rating is 0 so it does not cause breakouts or clogged pores.
Read my article on “Shea Butter for Oily Skin“.
Is Shea Butter Good for Your Face?
Shea butter can be very beneficial to your skin, but does that mean that is is good for everything on your face as well?
Shea butter has many benefits, and it is a fantastic natural ingredient/product for your face. It provides a soft and velvety consistency, absorbs quickly into the skin and doesn’t leave an oily or greasy feeling behind.
Check out my 21 day experiment using “Shea Butter on Face at Night“.
How Shea Butter can Help your Face
This natural product has wonderful fatty acids, allantoin, polyphenols and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E. It is rich in essential fatty acids including Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids which are believed to be beneficial for the skin. With anti-inflammatory properties, it can boost skin hydration and help soothe redness from sunburns as well as breakouts.
As a great moisturizer, it helps to reduce inflammation and irritation also providing emollient properties that help to restore the skins moisture levels. These combined benefits make the butter an excellent moisturizer for smooth and healthy looking skin.
Check here “Shea Butter Components” to get a better idea of what’s in it.
Let’s have a look at some of the properties of Shea butter:
It Has Anti-Aging Properties
Natural moisturizing factor (NMF) production is often weakened during aging. Without NMF to protect the skin, its moisture evaporates too quickly, leaving the skin vulnerable to free radical damage and thus creating fine lines and wrinkles. Shea butter can help to replenish the NMF back to normal levels.
It can also restore elasticity in aging skin by penetrating deeply into the epidermis and dermis where it increases collagen production. It also helps to rejuvenate aging skin by enhancing its capacity to retain moisture.
It Can Help your Skin Tone
One of the best things about Shea butter for face is that it can help to even out your skin tone. It contains vitamins which are effective for reducing discoloration and pigmentation caused by aging, acne, or too much sun exposure.
It Can Give you Glowing Skin
It gives skin an instant glow and works as an excellent skin moisturizer. People who use this butter regularly in their skin care routine can enjoy soft, supple and glowing skin.
It Can Help Even Out Blemishes or Scar Tissue
Vitamin A plays an important role in maintaining clear, healthy looking skin. Using the butter regularly can help you maintain healthy looking skin.
It Has Great Healing Properties
It is a soothing ingredient with anti-inflammatory and healing properties. It can be used to treat a wide range of skin conditions including eczema dermatitis, dry skin, sunburn, age spots and more.
In fact, it has antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial properties.
It Can Speed Up the Healing Process of Minor Skin Conditions
It has been proven to have healing properties. Because of its anti-inflammatory effects it can play a big part in controlling acne in skin, irritated skin and other skin conditions without causing negative side effects.
Safe to Use on Eczema and Atopic Dermatitis
It is great for relieving eczema symptoms. It can provide your skin with the nutrients it needs to heal and reduce inflammation.
Check my post in “Shea Butter for Eczema” for more information on this.
Good for Sensitive Skin
It is hydrating for your skin and can be used in products for sensitive skin without causing problems.
It Can Help with Acne Breakouts
Vitamin A can help to reduce acne breakouts. Shea butter can help to reduce excess oil production and give your skin the vitamins it needs to heal your acne breakouts.
Prevents Dry Lips
One of the most common problems associated with dry lips is cracking. Shea butter can help to provide your lips with extra moisture.
I have a lovely Shea Butter Lip Balm Recipe 🙂
Helps the Skin Look Youthful and Smooths it Out
Vitamins are an important ingredient when it comes to keeping skin youthful and smooth. It can help to give your skin the nutrients it needs to look healthy.
A Great Primer for Makeup…
Forget commercial products packed with preservatives. The butter works as a great primer for your foundation and also adds moisture to the skin.
Excellent for Dry or Very Dry Skin
Shea butter is a great moisturizer and can help to prevent dry skin. It can also help to restore the natural oils in your skin that can be lost during the winter.
Check my entry on “Shea Butter for Dry Skin“.
Suitable for All Skin Types
It’s great for all skin types. It is gentle enough to be used for babies, pregnant women, the elderly and people with sensitive skin.
It Can Act as a Full-Body Moisturizer
Use Shea butter as a moisturizer for your whole body and keep it looking and feeling healthy.
Benefits: Safe and Non-toxic for the Skin
Below is a quick overview of some of the benefits of She butter which can be found in a few other articles I’ve written on the subject.
- It is great for dry skin and can create softer, hydrated, plumper skin
- It is used to help moisturize, nourish and soothe the skin
- It also helps protect against extreme temperatures
- It is used in many lip balms to help with chapped lips
- It can be used as an acne scar treatment
- Soothes skin allergies like poison ivy, insect bites, and contact dermatitis
- Eases the symptoms of rheumatism (not proven)
- Non-toxic
- Helps neutralize free radical damage
- Combination of components in it helps reduce wrinkles and age spots
Check my entry on “Shea Butter Benefits” for more information on this.
Here’s How to Use It
Shea butter can act as an excellent natural moisturizer that will leave your skin feeling smooth and soft. Use it on dry skin, on the body, on cuticles, on elbows and knees. It is also a great moisturizer for lips. Can be used above all on dry or sensitive areas of the face like around the eyes or mouth.
Apply in evening routines because of the thickness as it will take some time to absorb.
Steps for applying it:
- Pinch a little amount of the butter (the size of a small coin is probably more than enough) and place it in your palm.
- Rub both palms together lightly to get the shea butter warm (it will melt a little bit). This way it’ll be easier to apply.
- Apply it on dry skin or damp skin using gentle patting motion or slight rubbing motion with your hands. You can also wear a small amount as a base for your foundation.
- Your skin will become soft, smooth and shiny as it is moisturized by the butter.
- Shea butter can be used as an excellent moisturizer for hair as well as anywhere else on the body where you need some hydration or nourishment.
Do this every day AND night for 1 month. You’ll notice the difference on your skin. Please do leave me your comments below.
Check my entry on “Shea Butter Uses“.
How to Choose the Right Shea Butter
Not all Shea butter in the marketplace is the same. There are mainly two types for you to choose from: unrefined or refined Shea butter. In order to enjoy the TRUE effects of Shea butter you’ll need to purchase unrefined, pure Shea butter.
The highly processed butter isn’t as effective. It has been deodorized and bleached (whitened) to make the butter unscented and smooth. What happens with this procedure? The processing extracts many of the amazing nutrients. Sometimes even more refining processes are involved when the butter is incorporated into skin care or cosmetic products. The nutritional benefits get destroyed after so many refining processes. OUCH.
Unrefined Shea butter is also known as raw Shea butter or unadulterated shea butter. This pure butter does have a strong scent, yes, this is normal, as with many natural products. But beauty companies remove the scent because consumers usually prefer the ‘nice smells’ (in my opinion, we’ve been educated to expect it). This is such a shame; the only reason commercial skincare with Shea butter in it smells ‘nice’ is because they’ve been refined and deodorized by artificial fragrances. This is DETRIMENTAL to the skin, the natural products with all their nutrients are important and our body does understand that after all! So it is important that you do your research before purchasing. If you have sensitive skin, it’s best to avoid any product with artificial fragrance as you probably already know.
So, you want to buy the raw, unrefined, pure 100% African Shea butter.
TIP: If you buy a product with shea butter, check where it ranks in the list of ingredients. If it appears at the very top your product has a lot of it in it. The further down the list, the less Shea butter the formula contains.
More information here on The Difference Between Yellow and Ivory Shea Butter and The Difference Between Raw, Unrefined, Refined and Ultra-Refined Shea butter. Also here you can find more about Ivory Shea Butter.
About Allergic Reactions
If this is your first time using the butter, I recommend you test a small amount on your inner wrist. If it causes any irritation or reddening, discontinue use right away. Natural ingredients can sometime cause allergic reactions.
If you have eczema, are prone to allergic reactions (skin bad reactions) or any other known sensitivities please do your research before using this product. If you have further questions, please consult your physician or dermatologist before using this product.
Best Brands for Shea Butter
1) Better Shea Butter
2) Shea Moisture
3) Plant Guru
4) Sky Organics
Conclusion: Is Shea Butter Good for Your Face?
YES. This product from the African Shea tree is a great moisturizing ingredient for the face with added anti-inflammatory and anti antioxidant properties, and is 100% natural. It is a good alternative for people with sensitive and/or dry skin and can also help with acne and blemishes on the face.
Give it a try.
Love,
Patri ❤️💕
