Shea Butter: An alternative to Cocoa Butter

If you have problems in getting cocoa butter, you can try an alternative to cocoa butter – shea butter. Shea butter is something that is just as useful as cocoa butter. This article will explore on how shea butter can be a great alternative to cocoa butter in skincare, personal care and other applications.

Shea butter – An overview: Shea butter is a fat white or yellow in color and extracted from the seeds of shea tree in Africa. Shea nuts are roasted and boiled to extract oil. After making butter, shea oil is separated from solids and then, refined. Shea oil is a clear extract which is yellow or green in color with a nutty smell. Shea butter is used for cooking, cosmetics, skincare lotion, soaps and more. It is solid and melts instantly when applied to the skin.

Shea oil contains essential fatty acids which nourish and rejuvenate damaged skin. A natural moisturizer, shea oil contains cinnamic acid which is a natural sunscreen that protects the skin. Shea butter can also be used as a hair conditioner that restores health and beauty of your hair. Best for anti-aging, shea oil helps repair damaged or scarred skin, reduce stretch marks and premature aging marks caused by the sun and other harmful agents. Shea butter is harmless on the skin so much so that it can be applied to babies, especially to prevent rashes caused due to moisture.

Shea Butter – Benefits: Shea butter can be extracted in three different ways:

• Unrefined shea butter extracted with water: This is a cream grayish yellow in color.
• Refined shea butter:  This one is highly processed with its natural components.
• Highly refined: This is pure white in color. It increases yield with hexane.

Benefits of Shea Butter:

• Moisturizes your skin, face and body
• Relieves you from skin dryness
• Prevents dry scalp, irritation caused by dryness
• Reduces skin rashes and peeling
• Prevents skin blemishes & wrinkles
• Prevents from sun burns or tanning
• Heals small cracks and wounds
• Reduces stretch marks during/after pregnancy
• Protects from eczema and acne
• Gives skin elasticity and glow

Shea butter as an alternative to cocoa butter: Shea butter is a great dermatological antidote. Like cocoa butter, it is good on the skin and heals various kinds of skin allergies. But only difference between shea butter and cocoa butter is in the quality of content of fatty acids. Cocoa butter is a natural fat just like shea butter. But cocoa butter has various other benefits like its use in chocolate preparation. Also, cocoa butter is sweet in taste with an aromatic smell. It has natural antioxidants that protect it from losing its value quickly.