 |
| DIY Hair Care Products on Etsy |
I talk a lot about using unrefined shea butter but, what exactly are the benefits of unrefined shea butter?
Unrefined Shea Butter contains vitamins A, E, and F. Vitamins A and E help to soothe, hydrate, and balance the skin. Vitamin F contains essential fatty acids, and helps protect and revitalize damaged skin and hair.
From The American Shea Butter Institute:
- Moisturizer for Dry Skin
- Eczema cream
- Blemish cream
- For Softer Smoother skin
- For Burns
- Wrinkle Reduction cream
- Moisturizer for Dry Hair
- Shaving cream
- Anti-itch cream
- Skin Abrasions
Vitamin F- Essential fatty acids (EFA) was previously called as vitamin F. Deficiency of EFA causes hair loss, eczema ... EFA Supplementation can thus be beneficial in the treatment of hair loss. [Source]
Vitamin E- Vitamin E can be used as a leave-on conditioner for dry and damaged hair. A small amount daily will treat dry hair and heal the hair shafts. [Source]
Unrefined Shea Butter, though it contains many beneficial vitamins, it looks like unless you're eating the shea butter, it simply is a great sealant and emollient for your hair. I am going to go on a hunch here and say it would also be beneficial in a rinse out conditioner, due to the fact that conditioners contain ingredients that are made to deposit minerals into weak areas of the hair shaft [Source].
Being that unrefined shea butter is an oil and their isn't much research about it's benefits to hair, little to nothing at all is known about whether it penetrates the hair shaft. So, it doesn't have to ability to "repair" damaged hair. It can help fill in damaged spots but, since we don't know if it penetrates the shaft, once you wash your hair, out goes the shea butter down the drain.Similar to the effects that silicone has, once you wash your hair the smoothness is gone because, the silicone is washed out.
Tweet
