Benefits of Shea Butter For Your Hair

We 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 [Stylecraze]:

 

 

 

 

Unrefined shea butter offers some of the following benefits:

 

Vitamin F- Vitamin F (better know as linoleic acid) or Essential fatty acids (EFA). Deficiency of EFA causes hair loss, eczema … EFA Supplementation can thus be beneficial in the treatment of hair loss. [Natural Medicine Journal]

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. [Healthline]

 

 

 

 

 

Although unrefined shea butter contains many beneficial vitamins, it looks like unless you’re eating it, Unrefined Shea Butter, is simply a great sealant and emollient for your hair. It may 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 [Hair Information].

 

 

Being that unrefined shea butter is an oil and there isn’t much research about it’s benefits to the hair, little to nothing is known about whether it penetrates the hair shaft. So, as far as we can determine, it doesn’t have the ability to “repair” damaged hair. However, it can help fill in damaged spots. But, since we don’t know if it penetrates the shaft, It is believed that 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.

 

 

An emollient is any substance that softens the skin by slowing evaporation of water.[Encyclopedia Britannica] Thus, why your hair will feel soft after applying shea butter to wet hair or over a conditioner, it’s moisturized and shea butter keeps the moisture in! This explains the nice smooth twist outs & braid outs, the soft hair, the shine!