Shea butter is a natural ingredient that can be used to moisturize and nourish hair. Here are some details on how to use shea butter on hair, as well as its positive and negative effects, and its ingredients:
How to use shea butter on hair:
- As a scalp treatment: Warm up shea butter between your hands and apply it to your scalp. This will allow it to seep into your pores and provide your scalp with calming nutrients and fats needed to maintain the skins health.
- As a leave-in conditioner: Apply a small amount of shea butter to towel-dried hair. Work it through your hair from ends up to roots. Do not rinse out, simply style your hair as usual.
- As a hair mask: Combine shea butter with other natural ingredients like honey or aloe vera, and apply it to your hair. Leave it on for at least 30 minutes or overnight before rinsing it out.
- As a hair wrap: Apply a generous amount of shea butter to your hair and leave it on for at least 30 minutes or overnight. The shea butter helps moisturize and repair damaged hair and can prevent hair loss.
- As a conditioner: Use a good all-natural shea butter shampoo and conditioner to get the most out of your leave-in shea butter conditioner. Incorporating shea butter benefits into your daily routine by shea butter shampoo and conditioner is simple. All you have to do is wash and condition your hair as usual and let the products do their magic.
Positive effects of shea butter on hair:
- Moisturizing: Shea butter is a strong emollient that functions as a natural moisturizer for your hair and scalp. It contains essential fatty acids and vitamin E that help to moisturize dry hair and skin.
- Nourishing: Shea butter is chock full of hair-nourishing substances, ranging from fatty acids to vitamins. It can help to strengthen hair and promote healthy growth.
- Protective: Shea butter can act as a defense mechanism against hair damage. It reduces friction to minimize split ends and hair breakage from mechanical forces like hair brushing, and enhances shine to improve the appearance of dead hair.
Negative effects of shea butter on hair:
- Sealing: Shea butter can behave like oils in the fact that they can be sealing to the hair cuticle. Encasing the hair strands and creating a barrier around the cuticles makes it so moisture within the hair strand cannot escape through the sealant. Therefore, it is imperative to apply Shea Butter to your hair while it is wet and properly moisturized. Failing to do so before applying Shea Butter, or any butter, would be counterproductive and could result in negative results like dryness and breakage.
Ingredients of shea butter:
Shea butter contains various ingredients that are beneficial for hair, including:
- Palmitic acid
- Stearic acid
- Oleic acid
- Linoleic acid
- Arachidic acid
- Carotene
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
- Calcium
