Discover the properties and benefits of shea butter for hair!
Most people use shea butter for skin and don’t really use it for their hair. However, in this post, I’ll show you how amazing Shea butter is for hair and why you should start using it in your natural hair care routine! Shea butter is a great natural hair boosting ingredient especially when used in the right amounts. Remember using too much of shea butter, or any oil/butter, will weigh the hair down and make it slick and greasy! Check out the different ways you can use shea butter for your natural hair by clicking the image below:
Properties of Shea Butter for Hair
• Rich in Hair Boosting Vitamins. The vitamins in Shea butter include vitamin E, vitamin A and vitamin K. These vitamins are known to boost beautiful hair by nourishing hair, promoting hair growth, protecting hair from free radicals, hydrating the hair and so much more.
• High Fatty Acid Content. Rich in oleic, linoleic, palmitic, stearic and other fatty acids, shea butter will help soothe the scalp and treat dry frizzy hair by lubricating.
• Anti oxidant. Vitamin E in shea butter is known to be a powerful anti oxidant. Anti oxidants ward off free radicals that steal oxygen from healthy cells, which leads to premature graying of hair.
• Anti inflammatory. The cinnamic acid esters in shea butter offer healing properties to skin by soothing & cooling skin irritation, redness and inflammation. This makes it great for calming an inflamed and itchy dry scalp.
• Anti bacterial. The polyphenols (catechins) found in shea butter give it it’s strong anti bacterial properties. The anti bacterial and anti fungal properties of shea butter can help protect the scalp from bacteria, fungi and germs that can cause itchiness in the scalps, dandruff, infection, scalp acne and inflammatory skin conditions like eczema which can spread to the scalp.
Where to Get Raw Shea Butter
I use Shea butter Nilotica which is so much softer and creamier (you do not need to melt it down) than West shea butter plus it has a pleasant nutty scent that I don’t need to mix it up with essential oils. I use it directly on my skin!
Benefits of Shea Butter for Hair
1. Seals in Moisture
Point to note: Shea butter is not really a moisturizer but more of a sealant which helps seal moisture in the hair strands. So the best way you’re going to want use shea butter as a moisturizer is by applying it to damp hair or better yet, just spritz some rose water on your hair then apply shea butter to lock in moisture and hydrate dry frizzy curls.
2. Deep Conditions Hair
Whipped shea butter is an amazing natural hair conditioner as it is rich in saturated fatty acids that lubricate hair and smooth out any frizziness. Applying whipped shea butter as a hair conditioner will also make it easier to detangle especially if you have long hair.
3. Promotes Hair Growth
I didn’t really of think of using shea butter for hair growth but a lot of people have said it actually does help promote long and thick hair! And considering how rich it is in nourishing nutrients like vitamins and fatty acids I’d have to agree with them. Massage a dollop of melted shea butter onto your scalp to stimulate the hair follicles and promote hair growth. Just give it a try!
4. Heals Scalp Inflammation
Shea butter, being loaded with the skin healing vitamin E and saturated fatty acids, is extremely soothing to inflamed scalps. Applying shea butter helps fight off dryness and also create a protective lipid layer which gently cools down the inflammation.
5. Prevents & Seals Split Ends
Again, the nutrients found in shea butter including fatty acids helps prevent hair breakage and damage as well as help seal up split ends. Mix a dime sized amount of shea butter with 1 tsp of almond oil and 1 tsp of coconut oil and rub it on yout hair ends, where split ends occur.
6. Nourishes Damaged Hair
Damaged hair tends to be extremely dehydrated and looks dull and lifeless. To treat damaged hair, you need products that are excellent emollients, such as mayonnaise, olive oil, avocado and shea butter. Shea butter is heavy and contains a lot of fats so its one of the best treatments for damaged hair. You can slather it on as is, or whip it with oils and then apply as an overnight shea butter hair treatment.
7. Tames Wild Frizzy Hair
I’ve seen many naturalistas using shea butter to tame their curls and smooth out any frizzes even after combing and tying up their hair. And its works perfectly at the job! All you need to do is scoop up shea butter (make sure you’re not working with hard shea butter which you have to dig out of the jar) and smooth it over any flyaway frizzes for neat looking hair.
8. Treats Itchy Scalp
Shea butter is good for treating skin rashes, insect bites, stings, burns – basically most itchy skin problems – so you can use it to soothe your itchy scalp too. Though there are many causes of itchy scalps, sometimes you can be fed up of looking for the culprit and just want relief once and for all. Here’s a simple recipe – Whip up 2 tbsp of whipped shea butter, 1 tbsp of coconut oil, 5 drops of tea tree essential oil, and 5 drops of peppermint essential oil. Slather this all over your scalp for a cooling relief. The excess can be stored for a second / third application or in the unlikely case of the itch cropping up again.
My Tips
Here just some tips on how you can use shea butter without making your hair look so greasy + smell nutty:
- Use only a little amount of shea butter when applying it alone esepcially if you have thin/fine hair.
- Be sure to rinse off very well after using a homemade shea butter hair product to prevent leaving an oily residue on your scalp & strands.
- Mix your shea butter with essential oils to mask the nutty smell of shea butter that some people find unpleasant.
My Favorite Tried & Tested Shea Butter Recipes Ebook
Do you love shea butter and want to make your own beauty products with it?! Check out this ebook “My Favorite Tried & Tested Shea Butter Recipes for Luscious Skin & Hair” for 30 awesome recipes, complete with step-by-step instructions, beautiful pictures and other valuable shea butter info!
