Five Great Uses of Shea Butter

Whether you prefer to use it pure or you choose to use a product that includes it, shea butter is an amazing moisturizer. For those of you who worry about such things, it is a plant-based butter. It even has a slight SPF to it (but not enough to count as your sun protection alone. I tend to buy the pure product for myself. Although there are dozens of uses, here are just a few of my favorite:

Lip Balm
As a nighttime lip treatment, it’s terrific. I like to use a lip scrub first and then slather shea butter on including the areas just outside my lip line.

Stretch Mark Prevention
There is quite a bit of anecdotal data that suggests shea butter can help prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.

Spot Treatment
Dab it directly on those flaky spots or dry cracked cuticles. It absorbs nicely after a few minutes, and I like the slight sheen it gives my nails. I also keep it handy during cold season to help my poor little nose if I have been using a lot of tissues.

Makeup
Not many would consider shea butter to have makeup applications, but it makes a wonderful eyebrow tamer. It also works wonders under some of the long-lasting lipsticks that tend to dry out the lips. Just make sure to let it absorb fully before applying the long-wearing lipstick.

Hair Tamer
Since shea butter is usually pretty thick in texture, start with a tiny amount. But it can help nourish the drier ends of your hair and can help fight frizz and flyaways.

If you aren’t ready to use it straight by itself, try selecting a product or two that includes shea butter as a primary ingredient.