Most of you would have heard about using Shea butter for hair and skin. Shea butter is extracted from nuts of African Shea tree. It has natural soothing and moisturizing properties and is a superfood for hair and skin. Shea butter is full of nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin F which gives it its healing properties and aids in collagen production. It contains many fatty acids like stearic acid, oleic acid, palmitic and linolenic acids which moisturize hair and skin and provides soothing effect. Because of these power packed nutrients, it is used to cure many skin conditions like eczema, dermatitis, dry and itchy skin, and prevents stretch marks.
Benefits on hair
- Due to its ant-inflammatory property, it soothes dry and itchy scalp.
- It acts as a sealant for hair to lock the moisture inside the hair shaft when it is used after wash.
- It acts as a natural sun protectant so it protects hair from UV damage but it has low spf factor.
- Shea butter is an excellent moisturizer which helps dry hair and soften it.
Now that you know the different benefits of Shea butter on skin and hair, so let us talk about how to use it to make a homemade moisturizer that can be used on hair as well as on the body. First of all, you have to buy unrefined raw Shea butter. The color of Shea butter varies based on the source and it comes in white, yellow and ivory or grayish color. You can buy Shea butter online from amazon and ebay.
How to make whipped Shea butter moisturizer
Here are the ingredients that will go in the moisturizer. You can use any other oils based on the availability and your preference. Also you can reduce the quantity of other oils to make a bit more thicker consistency.
Below I have used measuring cups. If you want to use Shea butter by weight then use 100 gms Shea butter, 50 gms of coconut oil.
1/2 Cup raw, unrefined Shea butter
1/4 cup cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil
1 tbsp Jojoba oil
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp glycerin
You can buy Shea butter from from online retail stores. Here are some option to buy it from Amazon.in.
Melt Shea butter in double boiler
Step 1: In first step I melted Shea butter in warm water because I wanted to measure it (in cups) for the recipe. If you are using it by weight i.e 100 gms and you have kept it at room temperature then no need to melt it first. Add other ingredients to it and skip to step 3.
After mixture is solidified
Step 2: Once Shea butter has melted, add other oils and glycerin and keep it in the refrigerator to solidify the mixture again. It should be soft to touch, do not let it freeze and harden.
After emulsifying
Step 3: Emulsify the mixture using a hand mixer or hand blender until it becomes smooth and fluffy.
Homemade skin and hair moisturizer
Step 4: Store the mixture in a jar. You do not need to refrigerate it as we have not added any water to it. Just make a note that your hands are clean and all the utensils used is completely dry so that the products does not get contaminated.
Shea butter can be a bit heavy for fine hair and for hair that gets weighed down easily. So use the quantity that is suitable for your hair. A small quantity goes a long way so be light-handed when you use it. You can use it for moisturizing before you shampoo your hair. You can use a small amount as a sealant after wash to lock the moisture inside. Spread a small quantity over your palms and smooth it over on wet hair without disturbing the curls pattern. Do not rake-in or move fingers through your hair when you apply it over as it opens your curls. Also, you can use it to moisturize your 2nd and 3rd day hair.I will experiment with this over the next few days. I want to see how it affects the curl formation if used before applying the gel or after the gel and which one gives better clumped hair. So do not forget to subscribe and like the facebook page to get the updates!
Hi Asha.. Please tell me from where you got this shea butter..?
I bought it long back from ebay. There is one supplier called greenjunction. But now I see other suppliers as well.
nice
where do you get the glycerine from?
I buy it from my local grocery store. I think you can get it from medical stores also.
Hi,What about using kokum butter in place of shea butter.Can kokum butter be used on hair to make hair shine and soft.what could be the side effects?As kokum butter is available in india pl whrite on kokum for us.
Poonam, we can surely use it. I have not tried it yet but I think it would be a good idea to give it a try :). Please let us know also, if you try it yourself.
hey asha…at the outset want to congratulate you on the content that you have put together…i have recently started my journey to CG..
a quick clarification on the shea butter moisturizer…can i skip oils like avacado and jojoba? are they mandatory ingredients?
Thanks Amisha!! 🙂
You can skip these oils and replace it with coconut oil. I think it should work. Adding some oil is necessary to make Shea butter fluffy when you whip it. All the best for your CG journey.
Thanks Amisha!! 🙂
You can skip these oils and replace it with coconut oil. I think it should work. Adding some oil is necessary to make Shea butter fluffy when you whip it. All the best for your CG journey 🙂
Is this good to use daily after ma shower??
Yeah you can use it daily but it all depends on your hair. If you feel that your hair gets weighed down with this then you can reduce the frequency and quantity of usage. This butter can be a bit heavy for some hair.
Can we use this for deep conditioning curly hair?
Bhakti, you can add small amount of it in your deep conditioners or masks. As it is just oils so it would be heavier alone.
Can I replace glycerin with honey to get more curl definition or/and hold?
Tonia, you can try adding honey to a small amount first and see how it works instead of adding to the whole batch. I have not used honey in this recipe so can’t say. And dont add too much honey as it gives hold which someitme feels stiff even after SOTC.
I did try it with honey and I’m happy with the results. I use it as a last step to seal my curls and get extra hold. I have porous hair.
Thanks. Seems a good and cost effective recipe. Have you tried the various combinations you mentioned in the post? What has been your experience and results so far?
Do we need to refrigerate this blend? What is the shelf life of the ready batch? Stay in hot and humid Mumbai so what are your recommendations for usage and storage?
Thanks in advance.
This recipe is without any oils so ti should be fine to keep outside. But while making you should make sure your hands and utensils are very clean. I do not use this anymore and use a few drops of jojoba oils instead if I need to seal hair with oils.