Shea butter recipes heal our hair and skin that have been dried and damaged by the various pollutants they are exposed to. Use these recipes to make products that will pamper your skin and hair.
Obtained from the seeds of the wild Shea tree found mainly in Africa, Shea butter is a very recent discovery in the world of cosmetology. Renowned for its healing and moisturizing properties, Shea butter is the main component in many body care products made of natural ingredients.
Many of the products available to us are made from refined Shea butter but recipes using unrefined Shea butter are the ones that help us make products with higher healing properties. Most Shea butter products are refined in the process of being exported out of Africa. To obtain the most out of Shea butter, use the following recipes for hair and skin care.
Shea Butter Recipe for Body Bar
Things you Need
Shea butter, 2 ounces
Beeswax, 1 ounce
Coconut oil, ½ ounce
Patchouli essential oil, ¼ teaspoon
Blood orange essential oil, ¼ teaspoon
Ylang ylang essential oil, 4 drops
Rose essential oil, 4 drops
Instructions
» Take the Shea butter in a measuring cup, and add the beeswax and coconut oil to it. Next, place the measuring cup into a water bath containing water at boiling temperature.
» Allow the wax to melt completely, after which you can remove the cup from the water and stir the mixture gently. Set it aside and let it cool.
» Add the essential oils to the mix and stir it for some time.
» Take some molds of your choice and pour the mixture into them. Let them cool, and then remove them from the molds.
Once the body bars are ready, use them by warming the bar between your palms to melt them a bit and absorb the oils and then massage your skin with the oils to moisturize.
Whipped Shea Butter Recipe for Body Butter
Things you Need
Shea butter, 1⅓ cups
Olive oil, ½ cup
Vitamin E oil, 1 teaspoon
Lavender oil, few drops
Instructions
» Take the Shea butter in a sauce pan, and melt it until it is liquid-like in consistency.
» Add the olive oil and allow the mixture to rest for at least 40 minutes. Do not let it completely solidify though.
» Now, add the vitamin E oil and the essential oil.
» Take a blender and whip the mixture, till it becomes soft and mousse-like.
Once you have blended it to the required consistency, scoop this whipped Shea butter into containers and use it whenever you want.
Shea Butter Recipe for Hair Cream
Things you Need
Shea butter, 4 tablespoons
Extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons
Cocoa butter, 2 tablespoons
Ylang ylang essential oil, few drops
Instructions
» Take a water bath or a double boiler, and melt the Shea butter and cocoa butter in it.
» Add the olive oil to the melted butters, and then add the essential oil for fragrance.
» Remove the mixture from the water bath, and place it in another bowl filled with ice. This will allow the mixture to cool properly and set.
» Now, whisk it thoroughly and then put into a container.
The cream is a very good moisturizer and is very good for hair. It works especially well on hair that has undergone chemical treatment or has been relaxed.
Shea Butter Recipe for Hair Conditioner
Things you Need
Shea butter, 1 tablespoon
Conditioner, 1 tablespoon
Oil, ½ tablespoon
Essential oil, few drops (according to preference)
Instructions
» Take the Shea butter in a water bath and soften it. Do not let it melt.
» Add all the other ingredients into the Shea butter and stir vigorously.
» Pour the mixture into a bottle or any other container that can be closed tightly.
This is one of the recipes that work excellently as a hair conditioner.
Shea butter is a multipurpose natural moisturizer, that, according to the recipe used, can be applied to any part of the body. While we are more used to using it for its many moisturizing properties, there are many other benefits too.
Shea butter is also used to heal the area around the belly button in babies after the umbilical cord has been just cut. In many parts of Africa, it is used as cooking oil, and also as fuel for lamps. Using it for skin and hair care is just one of the many uses that this wonderful natural resource can be put to.