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.
There are so many uses when it comes to Karite butter (or shea butter) that I had to create a whole section of the website in order to dedicate it to this INCREDIBLE product.
Here’s some really useful pages related to Shea butter:
- Shea Butter SHOP
- Shea Butter Overview
- Shea Butter Benefits
- Shea Butter Uses
- Shea Butter for Skin
- Shea Butter Components
- Shea Butter Research
- Shea Butter FAQ
- Shea Butter Articles
- Shea Butter Sitemap (quick links)
- Shea Butter Videos
- Shea Butter Warnings
I hope you enjoy reading about all of the benefits that this product has to offer. I have something for everyone, kids, adults, pregnant women, people suffering from eczema or psoriasis…! Women’s health? We’ve got it. Health in general? Check. There isn’t much you won’t find on this page. And if there are topics that are not covered here or you need any form of advice/help then please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email using my contact page.
There’s no doubt that the way in which the butter is made as well as the communities by women in Africa behind it have all contributed to making this product something I have absolutely fallen in love with.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading about it.
How Shea Butter Benefits Your Skin
Shea butter is beneficial for many skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and dry skin. It is used in creams, lotions and balm to heal the skin or provide relief in cases of dermatoses such as eczema and psoriasis. Shea butter also has the ability to soothe the irritated and inflamed skin after using a strong anti-bacterial soap.
When finding out all the different uses and benefits of shea butter I just couldn’t help thinking I had found gold. I’ve used the product in so many of my DIY skincare day and night creams, balms, body lotions, body butters… Honestly, I just couldn’t imagine formulating without it to be honest.
So, feel free to scroll and enjoy what you might already know regarding the benefits of shea butter and/or find out new benefits you hadn’t stumbled upon anywhere else.
Is it good for your skin? Yes (yes, yes, and yes)! Is it good for your hair? Yes. Is it good for eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and dry skin? Yes!
And the list goes on…
It’s got to the point where I smile when I get comments from people thanking me for my products at the market because their doctor or dermatologist told them their only option was to be prescribed steroids.
You know what, it makes me sad when I receive comments from people that have been prescribed steroid creams that did nothing for them. Almost every week I get someone who has had no results or they weren’t happy with their prescription.
I’m here to tell you that there is another option out there to help your skin and hair. And it’s going to be more natural and less harsh on the body and the wallet.
As far as I’m concerned, I’ve had a look at a lot of lists to make sure I didn’t miss anything. And, if I did, please do let me know and I’ll add it asap! Enjoy :)
Shea Butter Uses: A List that Keeps Growing
What is shea butter good for? Well, I’ve found many benefits and keep stumbling upon new ones. So, as I find them, I’ll keep adding them to this list. If you think there’s a shea butter benefit I’ve missed please leave it in the comments below and I’ll add it as soon as I see it. Thanks!
**Make sure to out my shea butter on face before and after post.
Shea Butter for the Skin & Other General Uses
- Deep conditioning
- Fabulous moisturizer
- Good for blemishes
- Prevents wrinkles
- Stretch mark prevention during pregnancy
- Muscle fatigue, tension and aches
- Dermatitis
- Radiation treatments for certain medical problems
- Anti-inflammatory
- Potential anti-tumor promoting compounds such as cinnamate esters
- Boosts collagen production (anti-aging properties)
- Heals eczema
- Heals psoriasis
- Heals rosacea
- Good for burns
- Hypoallergenic
- Good for infants
- Good for diaper rashes
- Safe for people with sensitive skin
- For insect bites
- For frost bites
- Lubricates skin cracks, tough or rough skin on feet
- Skin peeling after training
- Small skin wounds
- Insulation against cold
- Skin allergies
- Treats sprains and wounds
- Decongestant
- For arthritis treatment
- Evens out skin pigmentation
- Good for acne-prone skin
- Adds natural glow to the skin
- Restores elasticity on the skin
- As a tanning oil
- For irritated skin after shaving
Shea Butter for Cosmetic Use
- Moisturizes and rejuvenates dry skin
- Moisturizes chapped lips
- Hair conditioner adding sheen
- Lubricates dry scalp
- Hand cream
- Make up remover
Shea Butter for Hair
- As a hair conditioner
- Helps with alopecia (hair loss)
- Heals eczema, seborrhoeic dermatitis and psoriasis on the scalp
- Hair loss treatment
- Hair follicle protection against damaging chemicals in hair products and shampoos
- Anti-inflammatory properties that help to relieve dandruff and itching scalps
- No harmful chemicals, preservatives or fragrances added to this product
Shea Butter for Children
- Helps with diaper rash
- Moisturizes dry skin, hands and lips
- Great for cradle cap
- Prevents diaper rash during cold and flu season by protecting the skin from bacteria and other infections. Also, the anti-inflammatory properties of shea butter helps with any kind of complications that might occur as a result of the common infection caused by these viruses
Shea Butter for Pregnant Women
- Prevents stretch marks
- Helps get back elasticity of the skin
- Helps with irritated skin after shaving
Shea Butter for Eczema
- Provides relief from itching and pain
- Anti-inflammatory properties reduce the redness and flaking associated with eczema
- Improves recovery time after a skin injury as well as prevents scarring
- Makes skin appear more radiant, soft and supple.
- Doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals like paraffin waxes or mineral oils. Just pure Shea butter!
- Good for the hands, elbows, knees and feet
- Helps ease itching of eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis on these areas
Shea Butter for Women’s Health
- This butter can help treat irritated skin after using any kind of soap, such as bar soaps, body washes, bubble bath, scented cosmetics and cleansers
- Provides relief from swelling and inflammation associated with cellulite leg, ankle and foot regions
- Helps increase skin elasticity and firmness
- Helps relieve the pain associated with arthritis and rheumatism
- Helps protect skin from harmful UV rays of the sun
- Aids in healing superficial burns
- Makes hair shinier and softer. Will do wonders for color treated hair.
Shea Butter for Men’s Health
- Because of its natural skin moisturizing ability, shea butter may be used to promote hair growth
Other Uses
- Confections and chocolate
- Cocoa butter substitute
- Good for making products like soap, creams, lip balms, sunblock lotion
- Softens and conditions wood and leather
- Cooking
- Candle making
Too Good to be True?
I know it all sounds a bit too much. Even I was skeptical to some extent.
But, let me tell you something…
Shea butter is a natural remedy. It is not just a cream or oil made in the lab and sold for profit. When used correctly and consistently, it will help your body to heal itself from minor as well as major ailments associated with age or even from the side effects of medications (steroids).
I’ve seen it help people with severe skin conditions like eczema-dermatitis and psoriasis completely clear up. They come to my stall at the market and thank me for introducing them to the product (it is still not well known here in Spain). I’m nothing but a promoter and seller of this product and it’s super healing benefits, along with Aloe vera, my other favorite product.
All I ask of you, in exchange for this information is to please do your own research before starting to use shea butter. I don’t wish for anyone to stop using it because they think it’s too good to be true. It can do wonders for your skin and hair, help your muscles relax and reduce fatigue, leave you with a glow, help prevent stretch marks, strengthen nails and make you go all fluffy like a bunny rabbit.
I know… I know…
Boy is it a weird list. But it’s a real one.
Shea butter can do all that and more.
So, how is it possible? The answer is simple.
Like I said in the beginning, Shea butter is an all natural remedy made from a tree nut called the karite tree (Vitellaria paradoxa). It grows only in Africa. The natives there for years upon years have been using this natural product for their own skin care needs and to boost their health.
I’ve used it on my own skin for a long time and the results are in plain sight. It works! But I can’t guarantee your body’s reaction to it. You might have to try it for yourself before you could make an assessment of its usefulness and healing abilities, so why don’t you give it a shot?
What it Contains
Below I’ve listed what I found shea butter contains. Ideally I’ll create a blog post at some point solely dedicated to develop each of the bulleted points in depth. The idea is to talk about each acid and its benefits together with the vitamins and their benefits. Keep tuned!
- 40-50% oleic acids
- 30-41% stearic acids
- 5-9% palmitic acid
- 4-5% linoleic acid
- 1.2-1.7% arachidonic acid
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin F
Quotes regarding a scientific study regarding its potential anti-tumor agents:
“Since the inhibitory effects against EBV-EA induction have been demonstrated to correlate with inhibition of tumor promotion in vivo, these compounds may have potential as antitumor agents. ~ Source
“… it appears that the triterpene cinnamates and triterpene acetates isolated from shea fat, especially lapel cinnamate, could be valuable as anti-inflammatory agents and chemopreventive agents in chemical carcinogenesis. Although these compounds can be found in other plants, shea kernels are a particularly attractive source due to exceptionally high levels of triterpene alcohols (up to 6.2% as the NSL constituents of fat) and the availability of shea nuts and shea kernel fat (shea butter) as export commodities. ~ Source
Conclusion
Shea butter is, without a doubt, one of nature’s greatest gifts to us. It is a wonderful product that can bring so much healing and protection to our body.
What can I say? The above are clear benefits that this magic product offers. I love when I bump into products that just offer so much in a way that feels right: natural products right from Mother Earth, no messing around with it, no adding/substracting/manipulating. Just Simple Magic!
At the same time, it’s a bit difficult to evaluate if it’ll do what it promises. I can only tell you that my personal experience with it is that it does work. Yes, I did see results. It helped many of my customers heal from mild eczema-dermatitis, remove herpes when no other product had worked, and help people with very dry skin. I’m happy to see these results but I know I can’t be sure that it’s due to ONLY the product or any other factors that may have contributed.
I’m also not saying this will happen for everyone.
But because it is a natural product, the healing ability may not be as mathematically documented as those in pharmaceutical drugs or even salon treatments and procedures. It’s not a common item here in Spain, but hopefully, I was able to deliver enough reasons and arguments as to why you may want to use it and help you discover more about it.
I hope you found this article informative enough so that you can weigh the pros and cons of using Shea butter.
My Recommendation
I recommend you use a high quality product, so there will be no worries about additives—only a pure, unadulterated product.
One of the best brands are Mary Taylor Naturals because it is certified organic, but there are many great brands on the market, just make sure to do your research.
You can get your Shea butter here.
Resources
Anti-Inflammatory and Chemopreventive Effects of Triterpene Cinnamates and Acetates from Shea Fat