Shea Butter
AKA: Karite butter. This soft, thick butter comes from the fruit of the Shea Nut tree which grows wild throughout much of Central Africa. Please note that the following information is only accurate when using natural, unrefined Shea butter. Processed or refined Shea butter loses most of its beneficial properties.
This butter is a saturated fat that is packed full of vitamins A & E, as well as allantoin and catechins. This is really just a fancy way of saying this; Shea butter contains compounds that are known to be antioxidant, moisturizing, nourishing, healing and soothing. Vitamins A & E are believed to help with the appearance of fine line and wrinkles.
Shea butter is reported to be a natural moisturizer and emollient, as well as a competent cell regenerator. It is known to pull moisture from the air, which results in your skin maintaining that extra moisture throughout the day. This also provides your skin with added elasticity, which leads to younger-looking skin, as well as reducing the appearance of stretch marks, scars and other skin blemishes.
Shea butter is a natural anti-inflammatory, too, which makes it beneficial in cases of arthritis, rheumatism, and sore muscles.
Then, to round out this incredible natural product, it also has a natural SPF of up to 6!
The problem with some natural butters is that, while they work wonders on your skin, they often leave behind an oily residue that can leave you feeling heavy and greasy. Not so with Shea butter. This butter soaks into the skin quickly, carrying with it all of it’s benefits.
Shea butter is great for more than just skincare, though. It is also wonderful for restoring moisture, vitality and strength to dry, brittle, damaged hair.
One word of caution when using Shea Butter: It produces a natural latex. If you are allergic to latex, this is not the ingredient for you!
Mango Butter
Mango butter is another natural ingredient commonly used in my products because of its amazing benefits. It is cold-pressed from the seed kernel of the mango tree
It is more difficult to find reliable information concerning mango butter. However, years of searching, experimenting and digging for obscure bits of folklore, I’ve come up with the following information.
Mango butter is a natural emollient that is fantastic for softening, soothing, moisturizing and protecting the skin. It is reported to help with cell regeneration and wound healing, as well as helping to reduce fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging.
I’ve found this butter to be especially beneficial in treating ultra-dry skin, skin rashes and eczema and I often use it as one of the base ingredients for healing salves.
It is rich in beta-carotenes, as well as vitamins A & E and essential fatty acids.
While Mango butter provides many of the same benefits as Shea, Cocoa and Kokum, I’ve found that the blending of these butters produces a far more powerful effect than using them alone.
Both Mango and Shea butter are often found in high-end spa products around the world.