Shea butter can soothe dry, itchy, and irritated scalp, keep your hair soft, moisturized, and nourished. This may help minimize frizz and breakage. If you are keen to give it a try, scroll down to learn how shea butter may benefit your hair and ways to use it for your hair.
What Is Shea Butter?
Shea butter is derived from the shea tree nut kernels. The tree is native to the tropical East and West Africa, and the butter derived from the nuts has versatile usage. Shea butter is used in the food and is a common ingredient in skincare, cosmetics, and hair care products. Shea butter is a natural moisturizer and has anti-inflammatory properties (1). It is used as a base for medicinal ointments. Shea butter’s hair benefits are not extensively studied. However, its moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties may help keep the scalp and hair healthy. In the following section, let us understand the benefits of shea butter for hair more closely.
Benefits Of Shea Butter For The Hair
1. Protects The Hair Against Heat Damage
Shea butter has moisturizing properties. It can work as a sealant and shield your hair from heat styling tools. Shea butter is rich in vitamin E (3). This can help minimize hair damage and nourish the strands. Apply a little amount of shea butter to your hair before blow-drying and straightening.
2. Soothes An Itchy Scalp
Shea butter contains phenols, tocopherols (vitamin E), sterols, and triterpenes. All these compounds are responsible for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (4). It can help minimize itching and scalp irritation and maintain scalp health.
3. Prevents Hair Breakage
Natural hair tends to be dry and is breakage-prone. The natural fats and vitamins in shea butter can nourish and hydrate your curls to minimize dryness, damage, and breakage. Applying shea butter to curly hair helps control frizz and improves manageability. Tariro, a hair, beauty, and lifestyle blogger, expresses the transformative impact of shea butter on her hair. According to her, “I feel it locks in moisture, my hair gets that springy effect and doesn’t break as much as it used to especially after spritzing water and when I am going for a neat fro (i).” Although shea butter has multiple benefits, keep a few things in mind before using shea butter on your hair.
Things To Consider Before Applying Shea Butter
The Type Of Shea Butter
Shea butter extracts are available in different forms, and not all have the same efficacy as a hair care product. Raw, unrefined shea butter is of the highest quality. At room temperature, shea butter has a semi-solid consistency and is easily absorbed by the skin and hair. Refined shea butter may not be as beneficial.
Your Hair Texture
Shea butter acts differently on different hair textures. It leaves a protective coating on your hair and is good for taming thick and coarse curls. However, it may weigh fine hair down and make it greasy. But can you use shea butter to speed up hair growth? Find out in the next section.
Can Shea Butter Speed Up Hair Growth?
There is no scientific evidence proving that shea butter can promote hair growth. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that regularly massaging your scalp with warm shea butter reduces inflammation, rejuvenates the hair follicles, and promotes hair growth. Using shea butter on the hair also prevents split ends and reduces breakage. However, shea butter may cause side effects if you are allergic to it. Check out the next section for the steps to use the butter for stronger and shinier tresses.
How To Use Shea Butter For Your Hair
Here are a few simple steps to use it on your hair:
Shea Butter Side Effects
Shea butter is generally considered safe to use. However, if you have a nut allergy, it may cause:
Breakouts Hives Itchy skin and rashes Nausea
If you experience an allergic reaction after using shea butter, contact your doctor immediately. There are a lot of products that contain shea butter. You may buy any of them as per your hair type and texture.
Shea Butter Hair Products
While using unrefined shea butter is best for the hair, you may also try products like shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioning hair masks, oils, and serums for your hair. If you have rough, dry, damaged, and curly hair, use a deep conditioning mask can help. You can also try DIY shea butter recipes for your hair.
How To Store Shea Butter
Store shea butter in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight and heat. Keep it tightly sealed in a container to prevent air exposure in order to preserve its natural properties and extend its shelf life. What happens if you leave shea butter in your hair? Shea butter has great benefits for your hair and scalp, and there are adverse effects of leaving it in your hair unless you are allergic to it. There are many ways to use it to moisturize your hair. You can apply a shea butter mask, leave it on for 20-30 minutes, and then rinse it off. If your hair is exceptionally dry, you may leave shea butter in your hair overnight and wash it off in the morning. How often should you put shea butter in your hair? Use shea butter on your hair once or twice a week after washing your hair. Do not use it every day as it can make your hair and scalp greasy. How do you wash shea butter out of your hair? Use a mild shampoo and lukewarm water to wash shea butter out of your hair. Shea butter from the African shea tree kernel boasts of anti-inflammatory and soothing effects, serving as a versatile ingredient for skincare and haircare. Discover its diverse uses in prescription products and personal care routines in this video below.
