Shea Butter Recipes

Obtained from the seeds of the wild Shea tree found mainly in Africa, Shea butter is a very recent discovery of the world of cosmetology. Renowned for its healing and moisturizing properties, Shea butter is a main ingredient in many body care products made of naturally found ingredients. While many of the Shea butter products that are available to us are made from refined Shea butter, recipes using unrefined Shea butter are the ones that help us make products that has higher healing properties. While this is widely known, most Shea butter products are refined in the process of being exported out of Africa. In order to obtain the most benefits of Shea butter, you can use the following recipes for hair and skin care which you can make from raw Shea butter.

Recipes Using Shea Butter for Skin

Shea Butter Recipe for Body Bar

Things you Need

• Shea butter, 2 ounces
• Beeswax, 1 ounce
• Coconut oil, ½ ounce
• Patchouli essential oil, ¼ teaspoon
• Ylang ylang essential oil, 4 drops
• Blood orange essential oil, ¼ teaspoon
• Rose essential oil, 4 drops

Instructions

• Take the Shea butter that you have in a measuring cup and then add the beeswax and coconut oil to it. Next place the measuring cup into a water bath which contains water at boiling temperature.
• Allow the wax to melt completely after which you can remove the cup from the water and stir the mixture gently. Set it aside and let it cool.
• Now add the essential oils to the mix and stir the mixture for sometime.
• Now take some molds of your choice and pour the mixture into the molds. Let them cool and then remove them from the molds.

Once you have the body bars ready, you can use them by warming the bar between your palms to melt them a bit and absorb the oils, and then massage your skin with the oils, to moisturize.

Whipped Shea Butter Recipe for Body Butter

Things you Need

• Shea butter, 1⅓ cups
• Olive oil, ½ cup
• Vitamin E oil, 1 teaspoon
• Lavender oil, few drops

Instructions

• Take the Shea butter in a sauce pan and melt it until it is liquid-like in consistency.
• Now add the olive oil and then allow the mixture to rest for at least 40 minutes. Do not let it completely solidify though. Now add in vitamin E oil and the essential oil.
• Take a blender and then whip the mixture, till the texture of the mixture becomes soft and mousse like.

Once you have blended it to achieve the required consistency, scoop this whipped Shea butter recipe for body butter into containers and use it as and when you want to.

Recipes Using Shea Butter for Hair

Shea Butter Recipe for Hair Cream

Things you Need

• Shea butter, 4 tablespoons
• Cocoa butter, 2 tablespoons
• Extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons
• Ylang ylang essential oil, few drops

Instructions

• Take a water bath or a double boiler and melt the Shea butter and cocoa butter in it.
• Next add the olive oil to the melted butters and then add the essential oil for fragrance.
• Now remove the mixture from the water bath and place it in another bowl filled with ice. This will allow the mixture you have prepared to cool properly and set.
• Now whisk it thoroughly and then put into a container.

The cream is a very good moisturizer and is the perfect shea butter for hair recipe. It works especially well on hair that has undergone chemical treatment or has been relaxed.

Shea Butter Recipe for Hair Conditioner

Things you Need

• Shea butter, 1 tablespoon
• Conditioner, 1 tablespoon
• Oil, ½ tablespoon
• Essential oil, few drops (according to preference)

Instructions

• Take the Shea butter in a water bath and soften it. Let it not melt.
• Now add all the other ingredients into the Shea butter and stir vigorously.
• Now pour the mixture into a bottle or any other container that can be closed tightly.

This is one of the recipes that work excellently as a hair conditioner. Shea butter is a multipurpose natural moisturizer that according to the recipe used, can be applied to any part of the body. While we are more used to using Shea butter for its many moisturizing properties, there are many other benefits. It can be used as an anti-inflammatory agent in case of arthritis patients. It is also used to heal the area around the belly button in babies after the umbilical cord has been just cut. In many parts of Africa, it is used as cooking oil and also fuel for lamps. Shea butter recipes for skin care and hair care are one of the many uses that this wonderful natural resource can be put to.