Few ingredients are as ubiquitous in skin care as shea butter and for great reason. From its ability to protect the skin from environmental stressors, to its moisturizing properties, shea butter performs a multitude of functions, which is why we’re all about shea butter in this article! We’ll talk about where shea butter comes from, shea butter benefits for skin, and of course, how to use it. Think of it as a love letter to a truly fabulous ingredient!
IN A NUTSHELL
Ingredient Category: Emollient
Main Benefit: Among its many talents, shea butter is best known for its ability to moisturize the skin.
Find It In: H2 Oh Yeah Hydrating Moisturizer and Youth Fairy Retinol Moisturizer.
What is Shea Butter?
Although you may know its name, and that it comes in a multitude of skin care and beauty products, you may not know that shea butter actually comes from the fat of the nut of a shea tree. Shea trees are found in West Africa, which is still where most shea butter comes from. If you’ve ever seen shea butter just on its own, then you probably know that when kept at room temperature it’s a solid. Generally speaking, it has a bit of an earthy smell that isn’t appealing to some, which is why it’s usually incorporated along with other ingredients in many products.
Shea Butter Skin Benefits
While its aroma might leave something to be desired, shea butter as a skincare ingredient is almost indisputably fantastic and has been used for centuries. Here are just a few of the benefits of shea butter for skin:
- Shea butter moisturizes - This is the function shea butter is most known for. As we mentioned above, shea butter is derived from the fat of the shea tree nut and contains wonderfully rich fatty acids, like linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids. This makes shea butter especially great for dry skin, although…
- Shea butter is great for any skin type - The oils in shea butter actually act to balance each other and are easily absorbed into the skin. That means it won’t make oily skin look greasy. It’s also known for being incredibly gentle, so it’s also great for those with sensitive skin; and of course, because it is very moisturizing, it’s great for mature skin as well!
- Shea butter protects the skin - Shea butter is full of antioxidants like vitamins A and E, which help protect the skin from free radicals.
- Shea butter helps diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles - Because shea butter is great at moisturizing the skin, it helps reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Shea butter is a great anti-aging ingredient - The combination of shea butter’s ability to moisturize, protect the skin, tighten the skin, and reduce fine lines and wrinkles makes it a great anti-aging ingredient.
How to Use Shea Butter for Skin
Incorporating shea butter into your skin care routine is actually very simple. Many apply shea butter in the form of facial moisturizer with shea butter, which is what we recommend. Here’s a simple routine to help you do that:
1. Cleanse Your Skin
A cleanser like our So Clean! facial cleanser will rid your skin of dirt and – even light makeup – without drying it out.
2. Tone
All you need is a few spritzes of our Rose and Shine rosewater toner to add hydration and leave skin feeling soft.
3. Apply Serum
Our Nectar of the C vitamin C serum will restore brightness and help diminish the appearance of dark spots.
4. Moisturize
Our H2 Oh Yeah hydrating moisturizer contains, among other ingredients, shea butter to hydrate your skin and help diminish fine lines and wrinkles. Providing deep, long-lasting hydration, it’s made for all skin types, but is especially effective for those with dry or mature skin.
5. Apply Eye Cream
No matter your age, you want to make sure you’re taking care of the delicate skin around your eye area. Our Eyes Eyes Baby anti-aging eye cream not only moisturizes, but will help with puffiness and dark circles.
6. Use a Purifying Mask
We call our Prince Charcoal detox mask “A Spa in a Jar” because it purifies the skin so well that it’s like getting a facial. Use it a few times a week and watch your skin’s vibrance return. To keep your skin hydrated, follow it up with a few spritzes of toner and H2 Oh Yeah hydrating moisturizer.
As you can see, no matter what skin type you have, shea butter can help improve your skin in more ways than one.
Face Moisturizer With Shea Butter
Shea butter is so effective at nourishing your skin, we’ve included it in two of our face creams. As mentioned above, H2 Oh Yeah is a hydrating moisturizer that combines sea buckthorn oil, hyaluronic acid and shea butter to effectively treat dry and dehydrated skin.
If you are looking for a night cream, or a moisturizer with major anti-aging benefits, Youth Fairy is it! Fortified with skin-rejuvenating retinol, peptides, and– yup, shea butter– this beginner’s retinol moisturizer gently smooths your skin for a more youthful look.
So, what are you waiting for? Slather on the shea butter and get ready for softer, smoother skin!
