Shea butter for hair: properties and recommendations for use

Any girl who wants to possess a shock of beautiful and thick hair should turn her attention to shea butter, or shea. This natural component copes with many problems and does not bring any harm to the body due to the lack of chemical components in the composition.

Shea butter for hair is sometimes called shea butter. It should be noted immediately that its use is not limited solely to hair care - the product very successfully affects the skin of the face and body and therefore is often used to prepare creams. The oil itself, according to a long and rather difficult technology, is extracted from the seeds of the fruits of the same tree from the African continent. The resulting substance is very oily and saturated with useful substances. If you store it according to the instructions, that is, in the cold, the consistency of shea butter will be solid. When heated, it gradually softens, and at a temperature of 27 degrees it melts. By the way, storage of shea is allowed at room temperature, but in a tightly sealed container.

The color of shea butter can be different depending on the region where the tree grew, as well as the method of obtaining the product. Usually shades range from white to slightly yellowish. The smell of shea butter is nutty with a touch of coconut.

Typically, its shelf life is twenty-four months from the date of manufacture.

About 80 percent of shea butter is triglycerides.The remaining 20 are a combination of several acids, including linoleic and oleic, vitamin E, squalene and carotene. In much smaller volumes, other beneficial substances are also present. Each component has useful properties, for example, squalene saturates the hair follicles with oxygen, carotene is responsible for the metabolism of cells, and vitamin E deals with damage. Such a rich composition provides the main functions of the product - emollient, protective and regeneration.

If we talk only about hair, then it is definitely worth highlighting such properties of shea butter as nutrition, hydration and protection. The substance strengthens the roots and generally improves the structure, and also has a beneficial effect on the condition of the scalp. Oil helps to cure numerous diseases, such as dandruff and eczema. It is able to restore weakened hair, deteriorated after dyeing and heat treatment, as well as come to the rescue in a situation of heavy loss.

If you systematize the beneficial effects of consuming shea butter, then, firstly, it helps protect the hairline from any thermal effects, including a hair dryer. It also restores moisture inside the hair. Secondly, it protects from the sun, which is especially important in the summer months, when ultraviolet rays dehydrate and bleach curls. Thirdly, oil helps to cope with other negative manifestations of the environment, for example, dust and exhaust gases. The product prevents the development of fungi and microbial diseases, and in case of their occurrence it successfully cures. Shea butter copes with dandruff without clogging the pores and activates hair growth.

The main contraindication for the use of this substance is individual intolerance to nuts, manifested in various allergic reactions. In order to find out whether such a danger exists, it is worth applying a small portion of the substance to the bend of the elbow and wait a few hours. If after the specified time neither redness nor peeling appears, then it should also be used for masks. In addition, there is a recommendation for owners of oily and even combination hair - they will have to use shea butter both regularly and not in their pure form. It is better to give preference to masks, which will contain components with a drying effect.

Shea butter is purchased in pharmacies, organic shops, online stores, and sometimes establishments for needlewomen.

In addition, it is worthwhile to study the reviews and give preference only to trusted manufacturers. For example, many girls praise Spivak brand oil - it successfully manifests itself both in masks and when added to purchased shampoos.

When the oil is sold in a branded jar, it is best to choose one that is unrefined and labeled “A”. It is as effective and beneficial as possible. However, this oil has a short shelf life, so you need to use it quite quickly. The best producing country is, of course, Africa. A product made by the hands of local residents is most appreciated by cosmetologists. A slight smell must be present - its absence indicates the presence of extraneous components or an expired shelf life.

Although it is quite simple to find balms and shampoos in the store that include shea butter in the composition, it is much better to prepare home care products or even use the substance in its purest form. The use of the substance is possible only after a little preparation - it needs to be melted in a water bath or just in a warm place. So beneficial substances will begin to reach the surface of the head or hair faster.If the finished mask or balm is enriched with shea, it is important to mix all the components until complete homogeneity is achieved. As soon as the composition is applied to the hair, it is better to cover them with polyethylene, and wrap a thick towel on top. The time of use will depend on the function of the cosmetic product.

When shea butter is used as a mask, it is recommended to apply it on dry, just washed hair along its entire length. If the ends are split or look lifeless, then the amount of usable mass in this zone should be increased. The surface of the head is slightly massaged, after which it is wrapped in polyethylene and a towel. Such a mask will have to act from forty minutes to an hour. If you exceed the time period, then this is not scary - excessive use of the product will not bring harm. Some women even apply the mask at night, and rinse off in the morning, but in this case, oil hardening is likely, which is difficult to eliminate.

A mask with shea butter for dandruff is prepared as follows: the mass is melted and mixed with a few drops of essential oils, for example, tea tree or rosemary. Use this tool is twice a week for a period of from an hour to three hours. It is believed that in a month the problem with dandruff will disappear. In addition, if you enrich the composition with a tablespoon of olive oil, it will be possible to treat overdried hairs. Another kind of mask against this disease includes a teaspoon of shea butter, four drops of peppermint essential oil and one egg.

Beat the egg in a thick foam using a blender, and then combine with heated shea ether and mint. Apply this mask to wet clean hair, paying maximum attention to the roots and skin. Do not forget about the standard wrapping with polyethylene and a terry towel. Such a solution is aged for only thirty minutes, after which it is washed off with an ordinary shampoo. Equally useful is a nourishing mask, which includes 40 grams of shea butter, two tablespoons of flaxseed oil, one tablespoon of burdock oil and the same amount of liquid vitamin E.

Gently mixing the components, the substance must be applied over the entire length of the hair. Either before the start of the procedure, or after the end, it is recommended to carry out a light self-massage so that the beneficial substances are better absorbed. A nourishing mask is usually applied for three or four hours. In the event that the girl suffers from abundant “hair fall”, she will need to combine two tablespoons of shea butter with one tablespoon of castor oil and a couple of drops of rosemary essential oil. The finished mask is applied and held on the hair for two to four hours.

Water should be at an average comfortable temperature, but shampoo will have to be used twice. If at the end of the procedure there is no feeling of a clean head, then you can rinse your hair with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, dissolved in a liter of water. The traditional number of procedures is fifteen, and they should take place no more than once every four days.

Shea butter is recommended to combine with coconut, slightly heating both components. In addition, a combination with cocoa butter, which gives shine, provides additional nutrition and strengthens the root, will be successful. The split ends are solved by a mixture of two tablespoons of almond essential oil, one egg and two tablespoons of shea butter. In this case, by the way, only the yolk is used, and the mask itself is applied for at least three and a half hours.

Greasy hair will be pleased with a mask from a tablespoon of shea butter, a tablespoon of avocado oil, three drops of vetiver oil and three drops of geranium essential oil. The mask is applied mainly to the roots, and then the hairbrush is distributed over the entire surface of the hair. Such a solution is left only for thirty minutes, after which it is washed off with the usual means.Damaged hair can be saved using a mixture whose ingredients include a teaspoon of shea butter, three tablespoons of kefir, three drops of ylang-ylang and three drops of orange essential oil. Having melted shea butter, it will need to be combined with kefir and let it brew for about ten minutes. After that, essential oils are added and everything is mixed. The finished mask is applied for 45 minutes.

A very effective mask is considered to be against hair loss. To prepare it, you need one onion, a teaspoon of shea butter, a tablespoon of kefir and three drops of lemon ether. The bulb is peeled, cut into four fragments and rubs on a grater. The resulting slurry is filtered through a sieve. Melted shea butter is mixed with onion juice, then heated and mixed with kefir at room temperature. At the last stage, lemon is added. Such a mask should be applied to a dirty head, and when a burning sensation appears, immediately wash off. Use it costs no more than half an hour under a plastic wrap.

See the video below for the properties and uses of shea butter.