The Benefits of Natural Skin Care with Shea Butter
Many skin care users assume that natural skin care with shea butter is good for their skin, but they don’t know exactly why. Popular cosmetics stores such as The Body Shop have done a good job at promoting “shea butter” products that smell delicious, though the real benefit of shea butter lies much beyond the synthetic fragrances often added to it. As far as the therapeutic properties of natural skin care with shea butter, here are the straight goods:
Shea Butter
Shea butter contains high doses of vitamins A, E and F. Vitamin A is an excellent ingredient for soothing and treating skin conditions, while both A and E are antioxidant vitamins that are antiaging and rejuvenating. Vitamin F is an essential fatty acid that helps form membranes that protect skin cells and prevents the formation of scaly and dry skin. Natural skin care with shea butter contains higher than average (7-12%) “unsaponifiables”, which are plant sterolins that have superior moisturizing and healing properties. For this reason, natural skin care with shea butter can help to heal dry conditions like eczema, cracks or itchiness and can soothe rashes or inflammation.
Natural skin care with shea butter also contains cinnamic acid, a natural sunscreen with an SPF of 2-5%. While this is not enough SPF to protect skin from the sun’s rays during periods of prolongued exposure, it is a convenient to benefit to keep skin youthful looking. To a similar end, natural skin care with shea butter also increases skin’s elasticity, making it more resilient to wears of the elements and age. It provides a moisture barrier that is more effective than most, even while it absorbs easily into the skin. While shea butter is effective on its own, natural skin care with shea butter that includes other oils and extracts can provide a host of benefits to complement the many that shea butter offers.
