English
Français
Deutsch
Español
Italiano
Shea Butter
This incredible ingredient has been around for thousands of years. It has been suggested that both Cleopatra and the Queen of Sheba used it in its raw form on their skin! The benefits of using shea butter in your skincare and cosmetics are due to the high concentration of vitamins and fatty acids that are within it.
This incredible ingredient has been around for thousands of years. It has been suggested that both Cleopatra and the Queen of Sheba used it in its raw form on their skin! The benefits of using shea butter in your skincare and cosmetics are due to the high concentration of vitamins and fatty acids that are within it.
Shea Butter is native to central Africa and comes from the Shea tree Butyrospermum parkii, also called Vitellaria paradoxa. Generally, at warm temperatures, Shea Butter is found as a solid however it melts very easily under skin temperatures. Even though its a product of a nut tree, it's safe for all skin types. There has been no medical literature documenting an allergic reaction to Shea Butter as its low in proteins that can trigger allergies.
It contains linoleic, palmitic, stearic and oleic fatty acids to help balance the oils in your skin. These acids work together to balance each other out so it doesn’t leave your skin looking oily. This management of oils and as well as being both an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic means that people with oily or acne prone skin can find it very helpful. There has been a correlation between Shea Butter helping people who suffer from inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis due to its ability to soothe skin and relieve itching.
As well as vitamins A, E & F which work as antioxidants to protect your skin from environmental damage as well as promoting circulation. Antioxidants work to protect your skin from free radicals in the environment. Free radicals are unstable molecules in the environment that contain an uneven number of electrons. These molecules are looking to complete these outer shells which means they can take electrons from your skin. Too much exposure to free radicals can cause oxidative stress and lack of moisture in your skin which can then lead to premature ageing. If your skin is a lack of moisture, you might notice that your skin is flakier, this is due to the body getting rid of more dead skin cells. Generally, your body gets rid of between 30,000 and 40,000 skin cells every day. If these dead skin cells build up it can lead to clogged pores and potentially acne.
Shea Butter has also been known to contain between 3 to 4 SPF! This is a great benefit, however, you would need to layer this with another, higher SPF to be safe from sunburn. In addition to this Shea Butter contains triglycerides and cetyl esters which work to nourish and condition your skin. It's also noncomedogenic, meaning that it doesn’t clog your pores.
Try all of the following product for something containing Shea Butter:
Anti-Ageing Retexturing & Resurfacing DUO Moisturiser
Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Overnight Restoring Treatment
Pro Activ+ Resurfacing & Lifting Glycolic DUO Moisturiser