Shea Butter and Coconut Oil Mix

Shea Butter and Coconut Oil – A Heavenly Union

Shea butter and coconut oil are a match made in heaven! Both are highly moisturizing ingredients that have many benefits for skin and hair. By combining these two star items, you can be more economical as well as enjoy the benefits of both of them, all in one go! Here are the reasons you should consider mixing shea butter and coconut oil together:

→ Vitamin E: Shea butter and coconut oil are rich in Vitamin E, which is an important vitamin dubbed as the “Skin Protector”. Vitamin E protects the skin from damage from external toxins such as car exhaust, air pollution and more. It also helps protect the skin from UV damage. Vitamin E also helps in the faster regeneration of cells, thus promoting quicker healing from acne and pimples wounds, burns etc

→ Oleic Acid: Shea butter is an extremely rich source of oleic acid (around 40% – 50% of shea is oleic acid), which is an omega-9 fatty acid with many health and beauty benefits. Oleic acid is highly anti-inflammatory and has deep moisturizing properties. Oleic acid is a component of the skin’s natural oil (sebaceous oil) and people with dry skin have been found to have low levels of oleic acid in the skin. This makes shea butter one of the best things you can use for dry and parched skin or hair.

→ Lauric Acid: Coconut oil is a huge source of lauric acid, containing about 45% – 52% of this medium chain fatty acid, which is highly antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiviral. It also has hormone-balancing effects.

What can the Shea Butter – Coconut Oil Mix Be Used for?

Once you make this easy mix, you can use it for:

Total body moisturizing
After shower cream
Oil cleansing
Facial cream
Shaving cream
And more!

Homemade Shea Butter and Coconut Oil Mix for Skin

Ingredients

To make this mix, you will need:

½ cup of raw shea butter (get it here)
¼ cup of coconut oil (get it here)

Directions

Simply take both the above ingredients and place them in a clean and dry blender/food processor. Put the lid on and blitz them together for about 2 minutes (or less, depending on the power of your blender).
Transfer the mix into a clean and dry container and leave it in the refrigerator overnight to set. If you don’t do this step, you may find your shea butter and coconut oil separating, especially if you live in a humid area.
After the overnight setting step, your delectable, highly moisturizing mixture is ready for application!

Optional: Adding Essential Oils

I prefer to store my shea butter coconut oil mix as it is, without adding any essential oils. This way, I can take out the portion that I’m using at that time and add in a drop of whatever essential oil I fancy at that moment. However, if you’d like to add essential oils to your mix, here are some oils that blend well with both shea butter and coconut oil and their purposes:

Geranium Essential Oil – For hormonal acne, skin balancing and flare-ups
Frankincense Essential Oil – For aging/aged skin, cell regeneration
Lemon Essential Oil – For hyperpigmentation and skin lightening

Use only 10 – 12 drops of whatever essential oil you choose to use. Remember, with essential oils, a little goes a long way. Do not be tempted into adding more drops in the hope that you’ll gain more benefit. It does not work that way! In fact with some essential oils, especially citrus-based ones, like lemon oil, using too much can cause skin burns!

The Aroma

While shea butter has a nutty aroma, coconut oil has a strong coconutty scent. But when mixed together, both the aromas are toned down, with both the nutty shea butter scent and the hint of coconut working beautifully together. Of course, if you choose to add essential oils, this will affect the scent of your mix too, depending on the scent of the essential oil/oils.