Shea butter is one of my favorite butters to use in lotion and soap making. I buy it in bulk, I like it that much! Some of my favorite premixed essential oil blends from Plant Therapy are Soft Skin and Bouquet. Soft Skin is full of oils that help to soften and renew skin, with wonderful anti-aging properties. Bouquet is a gorgeous floral scent. There are lots more beautiful blends, too. One study found that shea butter was better at reducing eczema symptoms than petroleum products, which doctors often recommend. This may be because shea butter contains linoleic acid, a fatty acid that’s in skin.

This lotion should last at least 6 months, however with the added optional essential oils and vitamin E, you might find yours lasting longer than that. What’s the difference between unrefined and refined shea butter? Shea butter is also an occlusive, so it creates a protective barrier on your skin and prevents moisture from departing. And of course, you can get creative and come up with your own blends! If you’re looking for some natural gift ideas, I share some essential oil gift ideas here. Nisbet, S. J. (2018). Skin acceptability of a cosmetic moisturizer formulation in female subjects with sensitive skin.

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Shea butter has a sun protection factor (SPF) of about three or four. It’s too small to prevent sun damage or sunburn on its own. Making homemade lotion and whipped body butter is so easy and doesn’t require any special equipment. It is as easy as melting a few ingredients together, allowing them to cool, whipping it up with a hand mixer, and transferring it to an airtight container. You can safely apply shea butter to your face, lips and body. Some body scrubs and hair conditioners also contain shea butter for its moisturizing effects.

To get away from all of this, you can buy better quality, truly clean products, or you can make your own. Ayankunle AA, et al. (2012). Antibacterialactivity and sub-chronic toxicity studies of Vitellaria paradoxa stembark extract. DOI: Did you know that shea butter is like food for the skin? It contains Vitamins A, E, and F. Each of these vitamins plays a pivotal role for your skin. Vitamin A helps skin remain healthy, all the three vitamins together help stave off facial lines and wrinkles, and vitamin F soothes chapped, dry or rough skin and helps skin heal.Really dry skin will benefit from the super-hydrating character, but all skin types could and should integrate it into their skincare regimen.

Megnanou, R.-M., et al. (2015). Improving the optimized shea butter quality: A great potential of utilization for common consumers and industrials. Lotion absorbs slowly and leaves a greasy feeling. Still a great product, better than store-bought stuff. But disappointing. For example, if you choose to add a 1/4 cup cocoa butterto the recipe, reduce the shea butterby 1/4 cup. Can you add beeswax to this homemade lotion recipe? Shea butterisfat that comes from the nuts of the shea (otherwise known as karite, nku, and bambuk) tree. Shea trees are found in the equatorial belt of central Africa in the area between Sudan and Gambia. Coconut oilis not the cure-all. Gasp,I know. That statement is practically heresy in the natural living community. Toothpaste?Coconut oil. Smoothies?Yep,coconut oil. A boo-boo?Morecoconut oil. We use it for everything! I’ve learned the magical oil isn’t alwayssuitable for everyneed.Unrefined shea butter has more beneficial nutrients compared to refined shea butter. If you don’t mind the stronger smell, unrefined is the best way to go, in my opinion. More DIY skincare recipes