Is Shea Butter Good For Hair | Top Benefits And How To Use For Hair Growth

Learn more about the benefits and uses of shea butter for hair. This article also answers the question is shea butter good or hair!

In This Article:

1. Is Shea Butter Good For Hair
2. Benefits of Using Shea Butter on Hair
3. How to use shea butter on your hair?
4. Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shea Butter Good For Hair

Shea butter has a rich and creamy texture that can be easily applied to your hair and scalp. 

It is even better to apply whipped shea butter. If this process is too fussy and time-consuming for you, you can simply use a hair product like shampoos, conditioners, or hair masks that are infused with shea butter.

She butter is known for the numerous benefits it gives to the body. It is edible but people also use it externally on their skin because it helps in fixing a lot of skin issues like dryness, acne, burns, dandruff, eczema. (van Zuuren EJ, Fedorowicz Z, Christensen R, Lavrijsen A, Arents BWM. Emollients and moisturisers for eczema. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 Feb 6;2(2):CD012119. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012119.pub2. PMID: 28166390; PMCID: PMC6464068.)

But shea butter is also highly beneficial for the hair. The African American community uses a lot of ingredients with shea butter because it works like magic for the afro hair. 

If you would like to know more about this wonder ingredient, take a look at some of the benefits it provides for your hair. 

Benefits of Using Shea Butter on Hair

Moisturises the hair

Hydration is one of the biggest properties of shea butter. It is popularly used on the skin and hair for moisturization. 

Shea butter is rich in nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin E, and essential fatty acids. It has a high content of fatty acids and emollient properties which supply adequate moisture to your hair. 

These substances are easily absorbed into your hair and scalp to give you quick results. Shea butter creates a healthy moisture barrier around your hair which will lock in the moisture and protect your hair from dehydration. 

This is why it is a major ingredient in a lot of products for dry hair. It also helps to make your hair more manageable and shiny. 

Protects from heat damage

When we use heated hair tools like hair straightener, dryer, curling tongs, etc, exposure to extreme temperature can damage our hair. 

This strips the natural oils from the hair which leads to a lot of hair breakage and thinning. It is advised to use a heat protectant spray or a cream before using such tools to reduce the damage to an extent. 

You can also use shea butter to protect your hair from heat damage. It is a natural alternative to protect your hair. 

When shea butter is applied to your hair, it creates a protective coating around your strands. This acts as a barrier between your hair and the heat tools to relieve the damage. 

It does not make your hair look greasy or oily because the substance gets absorbed well into your hair.

Relieves dryness and scalp itching

Shea butter has been used since ancient times to reduce scalp inflammations and irritations. 

When your hair and scalp are dehydrated, you might face a lot of issues like itching, dryness, and flakiness. 

All of this points out towards the lack of moisture in your hair. It is a very effective way of getting rid of the annoying itchiness on your scalp. 

Shea butter has good anti-inflammatory properties that help in reducing such irritations. 

It also helps in relieving other scalp issues like dandruff and psoriasis which often leads to inflammations. 

Having a dry scalp can worsen your scalp issues so it is important to always keep it hydrated and shea butter is a great tool for that. 

Prevents breakage

Shea butter has high fatty acid contents which absorb well into your hair. 

This makes the hair stronger and reduces hair breakage. She butter also creates a protective layer around your hair which makes it immune to breakage and thinning. 

Shea butter also has a lot of nutrients including vitamins that are necessary for the hair. When your hair becomes healthy, it automatically reduces hair fall and breakage. 

Encourages the growth of new hair

Shea butter makes your hair healthy in so many ways. It helps to tackle hair inflammations and irritations, reduces hair fall, and supplies adequate hydration. 

A healthy hair and scalp create a good environment for hair growth. Massaging shea butter on your scalp helps in stimulating the scalp and improving blood circulation. 

This encourages the growth of new hair. So if you are looking to grow new hair, you should massage your scalp using shea butter. 

Softens hair

If you have coarse and brittle hair, shea butter will help in changing this. Most of the time, coarse hair texture is caused by a lack of moisture in the hair. 

Dehydrated hair can also be really difficult to manage. If you want to make your hair more manageable and soft, use shea butter regularly and you will notice a good difference. 

This is especially useful for people with color-treated hair or chemically- treated hair who have lost the softness and moisture from their hair over a period of time.

Reduced split ends

Most people resort to chopping off the ends of their hair when they have split ends. 

You can not reverse the split ends that are but applying shea butter on your split ends can help in preventing further damage caused by split ends. It reduces the dryness at the ends and makes your hair look smoother and healthier.

Related: Is Sulphur Good For Hair Growth

How to use shea butter on your hair?

If you are planning to use shea butter on your hair, you should first understand your hair texture. 

Shea butter acts differently on different hair textures so you have to make sure that you make the most of the product. 

Here are some of how you can use shea butter on your hair to get the best results. 

Curly hair

Shea butter is a great ingredient for people with curly hair. If you would like to incorporate this ingredient into your hair care routine, you can use a shampoo or conditioner with shea butter in it.

Make sure to use a hair product that is free of harmful ingredients like sulfates and parabens. 

Fine hair

If you have fine hair, shea butter may weigh it down and make it greasy. So it is not recommended to apply it directly to your hair. You can apply products infused with shea butter on fine hair to reap the benefits. 

The best way to apply shea butter on fine hair is by whipping the shea butter. This changes the consistency of shea butter and makes it light and fluffy.

You can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oil before applying it to your hair. Some of the best products with shea butter for fine hair are:

Dry hair

The best way to apply shea butter to dry hair is by applying a deep conditioning hair mask. This gives you quick results that will make your hair moisturized and nourished.

You can buy a hair mask infused with shea butter or make a DIY hair mask with shea butter in it. One of my favorite DIY recipes for shea butter hair mask is:

• Coconut oil- 2 tablespoon
• Shea butter- 1 tablespoon
• Argan oil- 1 tablespoon
• A few drops of essential oil

Melt the coconut and shea butter together in a microwave or a double boiler and let it cool. 

Combine the argan oil and blend the concoction using a hand blender for over 3 to 5 minutes.

Add a few drops of essential oil and mix well. Apply this all over your scalp and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Afro hair is usually difficult to maintain because of its coarse and rough texture. They tend to be fragile and prone to damage. 

Shea butter has moisturizing properties that make it an ideal ingredient for hair. 

There are several ways you can use shea butter for your tresses, including making DIY hair products and using other shea butter-based products like sprays, shampoos, creams, and more!

I hoped this article helped you find the best way you can use shea butter for your hair. 

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