Shea butter for the face: how to choose and use?

Natural oils are one of the most useful components of various cosmetics and medicines given to us by nature. The rich vitamin and mineral composition allows you to make any mask or cream much more effective. In addition, almost all of them are perfectly combined with each other and allow you to have a complex effect on the skin or hair. Shea butter is considered one of the most popular and most useful. With its help, the population of Africa for many centuries saved themselves from the negative effects of the scorching sun rays. Today, with its help, men and women around the world take care of themselves.

In its natural form, the product looks like a solid mass of yellowish butter. It smells like a walnut mixed with a small amount of coconut. Such a mass melts easily from body heat and becomes like a soft cream. Oil is produced from the fruits of the plant, which has several names.

The most common name given to the popular component of masks is the shea tree, and it is also called karite or kolo. Most similar to oak, this tree is often found in its natural environment in the savannas of Senegal or Nigeria. In Sudan and Mali, it is grown in special plots. The fruits of the shea tree are similar to small avocados, and it is from them that the healing oil is obtained using heat treatment.

There are two methods for obtaining a fatty solid mass, which is so necessary for most cosmetic companies.

• Manual way requires more time and effort. Shea fruit seeds are broken into small pieces in large mortars or millstones.A small amount of water is added to the resulting fraction and the mixture is ground into a brown paste. Such an action requires a lot of patience and considerable physical strength. The mass is rinsed in water until foam is obtained and boiled over high heat so that a layer similar to thick sour cream forms at the top. This top layer, stripped of the broth and chilled, is the famous butter. It is often brought as a souvenir from trips to the African continent, as it has a huge number of beneficial properties and is often used for skin and body care.
• Machine wayused in large industrial enterprises, in addition to the usual digestion of oil, also includes its filtration, deodorization with various fragrances and bleaching. That is why a product obtained industrially differs from a natural one in a lighter shade and in the absence of a specific aroma.

Such a high popularity of the oil, which allowed it to spread practically throughout the entire globe, is explained by its rich composition. It contains the following active ingredients.

• Fatty acid. Lauric and arachidic acids have a bactericidal and healing effect, while palmitic and hyaluronic acids nourish and moisturize epidermal cells. Linolenic acid contributes to the appearance and restoration of the natural defenses of skin cells, and oleic acid is essential for cell synthesis. Last but not least, myristic acid enhances the action of the previous ones and helps to maximize the effectiveness of the entire oil.
• Antioxidants slow down the aging process by searching for and neutralizing free radicals.
• A whole complex of vitamins: E, K, A, F and almost the entire group of vitamin B.
• Macro and microelementssuch as iron, calcium, fluorine and others.

Depending on the presence of impurities and the degree of purification, the amount of these components in shea butter can vary both upward and downward. Such a change is reflected on the packaging with a letter icon and divides the product into types:

• A - crude unprocessed oil;
• B - refined industrial;
• C - highly refined oil;
• D - means with the least amount of harmful impurities;
• E - oil that has undergone thermal treatment, but not refined from impurities.

Most often, shea butter is used in cosmetology, for home or industrial production of masks, creams, shampoos, soaps and many other cosmetic products. It softens and nourishes dry and aging skin, restores the natural levels of collagen in cells and smoothes fine lines, especially around the eyes. The product is often used in its pure form instead of a cream, which is designed to protect the skin from ultraviolet rays. This remedy is especially good for combating wrinkles with hypersensitive skin prone to flaking and allergies, since shea butter is a completely natural product.

Besides cosmetology, shea is often used for medical purposes. The anti-inflammatory and anti-edema effects are great for joint pain or sprains and muscle sprains. It is used for burns and redness, it treats chapped skin and small sores or wounds. Shea protects not only from the sun, but also from frostbite of the skin at subzero temperatures. The vasoconstrictor effect of this oil will help at the first sign of a cold and relieve nasal congestion.

The use of shea butter, both in home and commercial cosmetics, and in its pure form is considered completely safe. It is impossible to exceed its dose or overexpose such a remedy on the skin. Nevertheless, there are certain recommendations of experts, which are best to follow.

• Any person may have an individual intolerance to a particular product and shea butter in this case is no exception. Before you apply it as a mask or cream for the first time, you need to do a small test for an allergic reaction. To do this, it is enough to apply the product to a small area of ​​the palm or forearm. If there is no reaction within half an hour, you can safely apply it according to the instructions.
• Over the past decades, many scientific breakthroughs have been made and many useful components that make up natural oils have been discovered. At the same time, not a single cosmetologist will say that the properties of shea butter have been fully investigated. Experts do not recommend the frequent use of such active ingredients for people with sensitive skin and skin prone to oily and rashes.
• The oil and all the products that contain it must be stored properly. High temperatures and direct sunlight can change its composition and turn the healing substance into a poisonous mass. For the same reason, you should never use cosmetics that have expired.

In order for an expensive tool to be beneficial, not disappointing, it is necessary to carefully select a product, not only in terms of price, but also in terms of quality. The best way to do this is in specialized stores, pharmacies or points of sale. If it is not pure shea butter that is purchased, but a product with such a component in its composition, then it should also be correctly selected. It is worth choosing creams and shampoos for your skin and hair type. In order to choose the right one among all the products, you can read the reviews on the network or the recommendations of experienced cosmetologists.

When buying pure oil, the easiest way to determine its quality is simply by smelling the mass. A quality product has a light nutty aroma without impurities of perfume or chemicals. It is the ability to smell that is the reason to make a purchase in a regular store or pharmacy, and not order the product via the Internet. The products of a respectable manufacturer and seller will be well packaged; the composition and exporter of the oil will be indicated on the can or box. The main supplier of quality products is Africa.

It is better if the oil has a yellowish or milky hue. White and brown notes indicate excessive processing or a large amount of impurities. Some stores have one display sample, the properties of which can be studied in practice, without leaving the rack with the goods. The average price for 1 liter of shea butter is at least 2,500 rubles. If the oil is sold in bulk and its price is significantly lower, it is most likely a product of the lowest quality, which is undesirable to apply to the skin and even more so to take it internally.

Customer reviews for this product are overwhelmingly positive. Many people report an improvement in the appearance and internal condition of the skin. It is filled from the inside, and wrinkles are visually smoothed out. Some users prefer to use the product instead of a night cream, while others apply it only once or twice a month as an emergency mask.

There are several ways to use natural oil.It is useful not only for the skin of the face and body, but also for the strengthening and growth of eyelashes, eyebrows and hair. It can be used both in pure form and various home remedies can be made on its basis.

In its pure form, shea is useful as a massage oil for the face and body, especially if the skin lacks moisture and vitamins. Before use, you must cleanse, wash and lightly pat your face with a towel. Warm a small pea of ​​oil in the palms to a liquid state and massage all active areas of the face, on which redness or peeling appears more often than others. After that, distribute and rub the rest of the product into other areas. The excess can be blotted with a regular paper towel or towel.

If you add any solid particles to the oil, you get an excellent scrub for delicate and sensitive skin. This can be crushed oatmeal or bran, raspberries or crushed grape seeds, or regular ground coffee. The main thing is not to injure the most sensitive areas and not get irritated. For dry and damaged skin, a 1 tbsp scrub is perfect. tablespoons of oil and 1 tbsp. tablespoons of ground bran.

Homemade cream will be an excellent substitute for even the most expensive salon care. It is not difficult to prepare it, but, unfortunately, such a cream is stored for a short time - only 4-6 days in the refrigerator. In addition, once every 2-3 months, you need to take a break in application for at least 1 week.

Once every few days, you can do a nourishing or moisturizing mask, which will be especially good during bath procedures. The hot steam from the bath or sauna will open the pores and more nutrients will penetrate into the skin. For dry and normal skin, a nourishing sweet mask of 1 teaspoon of shea butter, 1 teaspoon of thick honey and 1 tbsp. tablespoons of fat sour cream. The product is applied to the skin for at least 15-20 minutes, after the specified time, the residues are washed off with warm water.

Shea helps not only soften and nourish the skin, but also faster healing of microcracks and wounds. Such properties make it one of the main competitors of hygienic lipstick in the fight for the attractiveness and health of lips. To make a small amount of balm, you need to take 1 teaspoon of melted beeswax, 1 teaspoon of apricot oil and 2 teaspoons of shea butter.

To make eyebrows thick and eyelashes long and shiny, like models from mascara advertisements, 1 tbsp is enough. Shea butter, 2 drops of lemon balm essential oil, 2 drops of pink and 2 drops of chamomile oil. A bottle and a brush from under the old mascara must be thoroughly washed with warm water and soap and dried. Pour the mixture into a container and store in a dry and dark place. It is best to use such a product before bedtime, after all the decorative cosmetics has been washed off. This should be done every 2-3 days.

The result of both the purchased product and the self-prepared product is not immediately visible. In order to experience the effects of using shea butter, at least 4-5 treatments are required. At the same time, the main thing in skin and hair care is regularity. A weekly face and body massage with shea butter will allow you to say goodbye to wrinkles in 2-3 months and restore youthfulness and elasticity to your skin.

For information on how to use shea butter, see the next video.