Key Takeaways:
Hooray for shea! This natural nut butter comes from the kernel of the shea tree (A.K.A. the mysterious-sounding Vitellaria paradoxa). It’s native to the savannah belt of West Africa, but makes its way into haircare products the world over. Why? Because it’s mega-moisturising and packed with benefits for hair. Here’s the lowdown on one of Nature’s greatest hair heroes.
The Benefits of Shea Butter for Hair
Thanks to its high content of fatty acids, shea butter is deeply moisturising, making it a wonderful balm for dry hair. It’s also an excellent emollient, meaning it can seal in hydration and keratin, smoothing cuticles and strands and helping to keep frizz at bay. These properties make shea butter especially popular with those who have naturally curly hair (more on that below).
Shea butter is known to have anti-inflammatory properties, meaning it may soothe a dry scalp. It also contains vitamins A and E, both of which are antioxidants and can help protect hair from free radicals. Overall, if you’ve got very dry and / or curly hair and you’re looking for something to help keep it nourished and shiny, shea butter is a very good shout.
Does Shea Butter Help with Hair Growth?
Sadly, shea butter isn’t going to magically make your hair grow faster or longer, but it will help keep your scalp moisturised and healthy. And, as we’ve said before, healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. Incorporating this nourishing butter into your haircare routine provides a good basis for gorgeous, glossy locks.
Shea Butter for Curly Hair
Shea butter appears on ingredients lists for all kinds of haircare products, but it’s especially common on those for curly hair. That’s because its benefits are particularly good for curls and coils. Curly hair is often dryer than straight hair because of the shape of the strands, which can make it difficult for the scalp’s natural oils to travel down to the hair itself. Not only does shea butter quench dry hair, it locks the hydration in, which can make curls stronger, softer and more manageable. Then there’s the protection from free radicals that shea butter’s vitamins can provide. It’s easy to see why people have been using this natural wonder on curly hair for centuries.
How to Use Shea Butter in Hair
For a weekly treatment, you can apply shea butter to hair and scalp, like a hair mask. Some people find that it is too solid for them in its natural form, and prefer to mix or whip it with other, liquid oils. When it comes to styling, a small amount of shea butter is an effective way to tame frizzy strands or smooth over split ends.
If handling natural fat or whipping and mixing sound too messy for you, consider hair products that already have shea butter in them. Using products with shea butter in their recipes is by far the easiest (and least messy!) way to build this hard-working ingredient into your haircare routine. Our Shea & Argan Shampoo and Shea & Argan Conditioner are free of silicones, parabens, SLS and SLES – and come with the added benefits of another natural haircare hero: argan oil. For an intensive treat for your tresses, try our Shea & Argan Nourishing Hair Mask or our Coconut & Shea Hydrating Hair Mask. Our Curly Hair Bundle contains our Shea & Argan Shampoo, Conditioner and Hair Mask. Want to cut down on your plastic consumption? Our Coconut & Shea Butter Shampoo Bar, and Shea & Argan Shampoo Bar let you incorporate shea butter into your haircare routine without any waste. All the products we’ve mentioned here are formulated with dry and / or curly hair in mind – and are made with ethically-traded shea butter.
