Any girl seeking to possess a shock of beautiful and thick hair should turn her attention to shea butter, or shea. This natural component copes with numerous problems and does not cause any harm to the body due to the absence of chemical components in the composition.
Features
Shea butter for hair is sometimes called shea. It should be immediately noted 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 make creams. The oil itself is extracted through a long and rather difficult technology from the stone of the fruit of the same tree from the African continent. The resulting substance is very fatty and saturated with useful substances. If you store it according to the instructions, that is, in the cold, then 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, shi storage is permitted at room temperature, but in a tightly sealed container.
The color of shea butter may vary depending on the region where the tree was growing, as well as the method of obtaining the product. Usually shades range from white to slightly yellow. The smell of shea butter is nutty with light coconut splashes.
In order for the product to retain its beneficial properties, it is extremely important to isolate it from direct sunlight.
As a rule, its shelf life is twenty-four months from the date of production.
Composition
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. Other useful substances are also present in much smaller volumes. Each component has beneficial properties, for example, squalene nourishes hair follicles with oxygen, carotene is responsible for cell metabolism, and vitamin E deals with damage. Such a rich composition provides the main functions of the product - softening, protective and regeneration.
Benefit
If we talk only about hair, then it is worth to highlight such properties of shea butter as nutrition, moisturizing and protection. The substance strengthens the roots and generally improves the structure, as well as a beneficial effect on the scalp. The oil helps to cure numerous diseases, such as dandruff and eczema. It is able to restore weakened hair, spoiled after staining and heat treatment, and also come to the rescue in the situation of their abundant loss.
If you systematize the beneficial effects of shea butterthen, firstly, it helps to protect the hair from any heat exposure, including the hair dryer. It also restores the moisture content inside the hair. Secondly, it protects from the sun, which is especially important in the summer months, when ultraviolet rays dehydrate and discolor curls. Thirdly, the oil helps to cope with other negative manifestations of the environment, such as dust and exhaust gases. The product prevents the development of fungi and microbial diseases, and if they occur, it successfully cures. Shea butter copes with dandruff without clogging the pores, and activates hair growth.
Contraindications
The main contraindication to the use of this substance is the individual intolerance to nuts, manifested in various allergic reactions.In order to find out whether there is such a danger, it is necessary to put a small portion of the substance on the elbow bend and wait a few hours. If after a specified time does not show any redness or peeling, then it should be used for masks. In addition, there is a recommendation for owners of oily and even combined hair - they have to use shea butter not regularly and not in a pure form. It is better to give preference to masks, which include components with a drying effect.
How to choose?
Shea butter is purchased in pharmacies, organic shops, online stores and sometimes institutions for needlewomen.
At the time of purchase, you should definitely study the composition, because it should not contain hexane.
In addition, it is worth studying the reviews and give preference only to proven manufacturers. For example, many girls praise Spivak brand oil - it successfully shows itself in masks and when added to purchased shampoos.
When the oil is sold in a branded jar, it is better to choose the one that is unrefined and is labeled "A". It is the most effective and beneficial. However, this oil has a short shelf life, so you need to use it pretty quickly. The best producing country is, of course, Africa. The product made by the hands of local residents is most valued by cosmetologists. A slight smell must be present - its absence indicates the presence of foreign components or an expired shelf life.
How to use?
Although it is quite simple to find balsams and shampoos in the store that include shea butter in the composition, it is much better to prepare the care products at home or even use the substance in its pure 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 quickly reach the surface of the head or hair. If the finished mask or balm is enriched with shea, it is important to mix all the ingredients until complete homogeneity is achieved. As soon as the composition will be applied to the hair, it is better to cover them with polyethylene, and wrap them with a thick towel over them. The usage time will depend on the function of the cosmetic.
When shea butter is used as a mask, it is recommended to apply it on dry, freshly washed hair along its entire length. If the tips split or look lifeless, then the amount of useful mass in this zone should be increased. The surface of the head is slightly massaged, after which it is wrapped up in polyethylene and a towel. This mask will have to act from forty minutes to an hour. If you exceed the time interval, then it is not terrible - excessive use of the product will not harm. Some women even put on a mask for the night, and wash off in the morning, but in this case it is likely that the oil hardens, which is difficult to remove.
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 twice a week for the period from one hour to three hours. It is believed that after 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 over-dried hairs. Another type 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 warmed shea and mint. Apply this mask to wet clean hair, paying maximum attention to the roots and skin. We should not forget about the standard wrap with polyethylene and a towel. Aged such a solution for only thirty minutes, then washed off with regular shampoo.No less 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 should be applied to the entire length of the hair. Either before the beginning of the procedure, or after the end, it is recommended to have a light self-massage so that useful substances are better absorbed. A nourishing mask can be applied for three or four hours. In that case, when a girl suffers from abundant hairfall, 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.
By the way, it is easy to wash it off with the help of ordinary shampoo.
Water should be the 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 the 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 heated both components. In addition, the combination with cocoa butter, which adds shine, provides additional nutrition and strengthens the root, will be successful. The split ends problem is 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.
Oily hair will please the mask of 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 comb 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 with a mixture of ingredients that include a teaspoon of shea, three tablespoons of yogurt, three drops of ylang-ylang and three drops of orange essential oil. Having flooded shea butter, it will have 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.
Considered a very effective mask against hair loss. For its preparation you will need one onion, a teaspoon of shea, a tablespoon of kefir and three drops of lemon ether. The onion is peeled, cut into four fragments and grated. The resulting gruel is filtered through a sieve. Melted shea butter is mixed with onion juice, then warmed and mixed with kefir at room temperature. At the last stage lemon is added. This mask should be applied on a dirty head, and when a burning sensation appears, immediately wash it off. Use it worth no more than half an hour under plastic wrap.
On the properties and application of shea butter, see the video below.
