Premium quality shea butter packs a powerful nourishing punch for your skin and here are 10 reasons why.

The luxuriously creamy and ivory-colored butter penetrates the deep layers of your skin delivering moisture beyond compare and many other healing benefits.

Shea butter comes from the shea tree which is indigenous to West Africa, also known as the Vitellaria paradoxa tree. Shea butter is derived from the oil within the kernel of the shea tree's fruit. The seed of the fruit (aka shea nuts) is rich in oil and at cool room temperature, is firm in texture and off-white in colour.

Made up of 60% essential fatty acids, shea butter is a skin superfood. This is because shea butter is an emollient, which means the ingredient is absorbed quickly into the protective barrier of your skin to soften and seal in moisture. And unlike coconut oil or cocoa butter which may clog your pores, shea butter is non-comedogenic.

The Skincare Benefits of Shea Butter

Shea Butter is suitable for all skin types

Those with the most sensitive skin or acne-prone skin can feel at ease with rich shea butter. The natural ingredient in skin care products is proven effective for all skin types. No more skin irritations or side effects. Studies have found that even those with nut allergies are safe to topically apply shea butter without concern for reactions.

It is an intense moisturizer

Dry skin? Flaky skin? Itchy? I'd like to introduce to you shea butter - your new best friend. The skin-conditioning agent not only delivers intense moisture but also helps to retain it. This moisturizer benefit is tied to its fatty acid content, including oleic, linoleic, palmitic and stearic acids. When applied to the skin, these oils form a protective moisturizer barrier on the skin's surface to keep your skin hydrated and prevent water from evaporating.

The butter is ultra-soothing

Shea butter contains an abundance of nutrients, including fatty acids, essential oils along with Vitamin E and Vitamin A. This makes it ideal for soothing sensitive skin and skin irritations like eczema, dermatitis. The anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties can also help minimize acne scars, soothe diaper rashes on babies, and dry patches.

The body butter is anti-inflammatory

Say goodbye to chronic skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea. Unrefined shea butter is a powerhouse anti-inflammatory as it slows the production of cytokines and other inflammatory cells that cause irritated skin. A 2010 study found that shea butter contains cinnamic acid and lupeol cinnamate. These compounds are clinically proven to reduce skin inflammation. More so, the emollient effect of shea butter means that it penetrates the deep layers of the skin quickly to provide fast relief.

Shea butter is anti-aging

If you find your skin feeling more youthful and plump after your first application of shea butter, there's a reason why. Vitamin A and Vitamin E in the body butter helps to promote cell regeneration. This means a visible reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles - who doesn't want that?

It is an all-natural and powerful antioxidant

Shea butter helps to neutralize free radical damage caused by environmental toxins and harmful sun exposure. The strong antioxidant activity protects the sensitive skin barrier and helps to prevent premature ageing, like wrinkles and dull-looking skin.

Shea butter boosts collagen production

The shea butter benefits continue...it also boosts collagen production which helps return volume, firmness and plumpness back to the skin. Ultra-refined shea butter contains a naturally occurring chemical compound called triterpenes. This helps to stop collagen fibre destruction.

It's an essential oil that won't make skin oily and prevents acne

The high levels of linoleic acid, arachidic, and oleic acid in raw shea butter absorb deep into the skin cells rather than sit on the top layer. This means superior hydration without looking oily after application. Unlike coconut oil, shea butter restores a natural balance of oils in your skin without clogging pores. This can help clear your skin of excess oil (sebum) and stop acne before it starts.

Raw shea butter reduces the appearance of scarring and stretch marks

In addition to encouraging healthy cell growth and regeneration, shea butter is believed to stop keloid fibroblasts (scar tissue) from reproducing. In doing so, this may help skin heal quickly while also minimizing the appearance of scarring and stretch marks.

It promotes healthy skin and healthy hair

A 2017 study found that shea butter makes hair stronger and more resistant to breakage. They also found that moisturize hair promotes hair growth. More so, it restores moisture to a dry and irritated scalp to treat atopic dermatitis (dandruff).

Common Uses for Shea Butter

If you're curious about ways to incorporate this self-indulgent ingredient into your personal care routine, we have some tried-and-true recommendations for you. We suggest you look for raw unrefined shea butter or grade A to get the most healing properties.

Add it to your hair care. Shea butter brings lacklustre looking hair back to life. If you have a dry scalp and dandruff, use it to moisturize. Apply the butter as a leave-in conditioner to help strengthen hair and prevent split ends.
Use shea butter as an all-natural lip balm. Shea butter lip balm helps to protect and soothe the lips.
Moisturize your entire body with shea butter. This is the most common use for shea butter since it intensely nourishes and hydrates dry skin. A little goes a long way, so only a small amount is needed for an application. We certainly encourage you to moisturize during the dry winter months and especially after a shower.

Pascoe's Hyaluronic Face Cream

Pascoe's Hyaluronic Face cream is enriched with Hyaluronic acid, the unique synergy of eight healing herbs and premium quality shea butter, avocado and almond oil. Our daily face moisturizer leaves your skin luxuriously smoother, softer, and rejuvenated. Our advanced formulate penetrates the deep layers of your skin to: