Can I Put Shea Butter on my Face?

Go Right Ahead, Hun!

If there’s one thing I’ll never stop putting on my face it’s shea butter. I always keep a tub (1 pound jar) of fresh organic unrefined Shea butter Nilotica on my dresser. Whenever I wash my face, I immediately apply just a tiny amount all over my face – concentrating on my dry acne-prone cheeks. The shea goodness sinks right into my skin, moisturizing any flaky skin and keeping acne at bay. So if you have my skin type: dry and acne-prone, then go right ahead and use shea butter! Now as for other skin types…

Can I Put Shea Butter on my Face even if I Have (Insert Skin Type Here)

Shea butter is so versatile – it can be used on ALL skin types. From the greasiest face to the pimple-prone one, trust me when I say shea butter is a miracle worker (it also depends on how much you apply, which I’ll talk about later on!). What kind of skin types does shea butter help and how? Read on below:

Dry Skin – This is obvious: most people who come running for shea butter as a moisturizer are those with dry peeling and flaky skin. This is because shea butter is known to be a heavy moisturizer since it has a thicker consistency that most oils. It effectively lubricates parched skin and feeds it with much needed moisture and oils.

Oily Skin – I hear you saying I’m lying but I’m not! When I was a teen and had cystic acne, I was also a major grease face. But I used shea butter to moisturize my face. How does shea butter – a heavy emollient moisturize oily skin without greasing it up and causing breakouts? The secret lies in its comedogenic rating, which is a scale of 0-5 showing the pore-clogging capacity of any product. So the comedogenic rating of shea butter is actually ZERO! That means it won’t clog your pores and cause breakouts! As for the greasing up your face part, if you have oily skin it’s a no-brainer that you have to use only a teeny tiny bit of moisturizer on your face after cleansing it. For more about shea butter on oily skin, go to this more detailed post.

Acne-Prone Skin – You can use shea butter on acne prone skin without fearing more breakouts because it has zero pore-clogging abilities. Another reason it’s okay and actually good to use on your face if you have acne is because it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. It soothes red and inflamed acne and pimples, thereby minimizing their appearance! Shea butter also has good antibacterial and antimicrobial properties which makes it good for warding off acne causing bacteria.

Rosacea Skin – Instant relief can be given to painfully dry rosacea using shea butter. If you want to know how and why, you can go to this post where I talk about it in detail.

Combination Skin – This skin type is a mix of oily and dry skin. Mostly the T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) is said to be oily while the cheeks dry but it can also be the opposite. If you have such skin, then you can still use shea butter to moisturize but use a dot on your oily areas and a more liberal amount on the drier areas.

Aging Skin – One thing I know about aging skin is that it craves moisturization! Dry skin leads to premature wrinkles so always moisturize your face to keep it smooth soft and supple. Rich in nourishing nutrients and essential fatty acids, shea butter is your go-to facial moisturizer for youthful skin. Of course, to make it a more powerful anti-aging moisturizer, try mixing skin healing and firming ingredients such as essential oils, aloe vera, etc! If you want a potent and luscious anti-aging face cream recipe, please check out mine in this post!

What Shea Butter Does for Your Face

So to answer the general question, “Can I put shea butter on my face?,” The answer is yes, you can! If you want to know the benefits of using shea butter for your face, no matter the skin type, check them out below:

• Reduces inflammation
• Soothes irritation
• Helps fade acne scars, after-marks of warts and blemishes.
• Provides intense moisturization
• Protects skin from germs
• Acts as a mild sunscreen (SPF 6)
• Prevents premature wrinkles and fine lines
• Helps even out skin discoloration
• Gradually gets rid of dark spots and black marks
• Treats pimples

♥ So now that you know that shea butter can be used on your face, will you actually try it out?! Please answer in the comments below! ♥