Tap to Read ➤

Shea Butter Soap

Pragya T
Shea butter products like soaps have become very popular. Read on, to learn what it is, its benefits, and how to make one at home.
Today, at the skin care aisle at shopping malls you must have observed products that contain shea butter. So, why all of a sudden this hype about this body butter? Traditionally, in Africa, shea butter has been used for many purposes. It has been used as a cooking oil, as a waterproofing wax, for candle making, for hairdressing, and as a medicinal ointment.
Now, it has become very popular in the skin care industry, because of its excellent moisturizing properties. One of the most popular product made with this butter is the soap.

Buying the Best Soap

There are many brands saying that their shea butter soaps are the best. However, while selecting this soap it is important that you pick the best quality soap, to gain maximum skin benefits.
Try to get your hands on 100% natural, pure, unrefined shea butter containing soaps. These soaps will cost you more than other soaps, however you will be getting the best-quality soap. When this butter is refined, the natural scent and color is removed.
This leads to loss of many effective agents in the soap. So, try to get an unrefined butter soap which retains all its healing and moisturizing qualities. Unrefined butter will have slightly gray, creamy look and will not have a perfect rectangular shape like most manufactured soap.
You can find unrefined, best-quality, shea butter skin moisturizing soaps online. So, try out different soap brands to figure out which works best for you. However, if you can't find a good-quality soap, then why not try making a homemade soap.

Soap Making Instructions

Things you will need for this recipe are:
  • Camellia oil - 100 grams
  • Coconut oil - 200 grams
  • Jojoba oil - 300 grams
  • Shea butter - 150 grams
  • Avocado oil - 100 grams
  • Lye - 120 grams
  • Distilled water - 50 grams
  • Coconut milk - 50 grams
  • Essential oil for fragrance (optional)
  • Dried herbs (optional)
Once you gather the ingredients, make a camellia oil soap base, for which you can use a simple melt and pour method. During this process do not mix coconut milk with the water and lye solution, use it till the soap batter has a thin trace.
Once this happens, add lukewarm coconut milk, then continue to blend the soap batter till a thick consistency is reached and then pour it in your soap mold. While making the soap base you can add few drops of essential oil and dried herbs to give texture and scent to your soap.

Benefits

By using shea butter products you can provide natural skin care to your body. As it has been proven to be useful for treating many skin ailments like psoriasis and eczema. It helps to heal cuts and burns without leaving any scars.
It also helps to restore the natural elasticity of the skin. Till now, cocoa butter was popular for minimizing stretch marks, however shea butter does an even better moisturizing job and so it is more useful for lightening up stretch marks.
It also offers natural sun protection to your skin and hair. It also works great for bumps and rashes. The most important benefit is that it is perfect for people who have extra dry skin, as this butter is one of the best moisturizer available today.