In my ongoing search for a scalp moisturizer, I have a new favorite: shea butter.
I had heard about shea butter about for years. I hadn't tried it because it cost a lot and seemed a kooky natural product of dubious merit and uncertain quality control. But dry skin and eczema on my scalp is now my primary problem. For several months I have been coating my head with Aveeno Daily Moisturizing lotion and feeling like I'm wearing a rubber bathing cap all day. It works OK but leaves something to be desired as a hair product. So I was up for trying new things.
Then, I found a jar of shea butter just sitting around on my four-year-old daughter's dresser. She has eczema and my wife must have bought the shea butter and tried it out without me knowing. (Cue the eye-rolling on my wife's part.) Anyway, the stuff was no longer in use, she informed me, so, having already paid for it, I was free to try it out.
The brand was True Blue Spa Too Shea, if you're interested. $17.50 for 3.5 oz.
It goes on like actual butter--it's hard at first, but you take a bit in your fingers and it warms up and melts a bit. Then you rub it on your scalp and once it's on, it stays melted.
It works for me because I buzz my head with a 1/2 inch clipper attachment. So I am not wasting too much of it on my actual hair.
The feeling is a little greasy but not terrible. Plus shea butter is actually used as a hair product. Would you believe I had a compliment on my hair earlier this week? The first in a very long time.
I looked into shea butter. It comes from the nuts of the shea tree in west and central Africa. It's a complex fat and apparently there is a wide range in quality. Someone named Samuel Hunter recently created the American Shea Butter Institute, which could well be a one-man operation for all I could determine, to certify various grades of shea butter depending on their oil content, melting profile, impurities and "rancidity values." Shea butter is edible, and therefore goes bad like real butter. (But no mention is made of refrigeration.)
I can't recommend one type or brand of shea butter to use, because it's not clear what would make one better than another. You just wouldn't want it to be rancid, evidently.
I don't search out natural products, because I don't think they're necessarily any better than manufactured moisturizers and so on, but shea butter is the best solution I've found so far for moisturizing my scalp.
I used to suffer from scalp issues, itching, scabbing and so on. After I started shaving it all off with a high quality electrical hair clipper at the lowest range (1 millimetre) the problem went away. Probably due to fresh air and sun being able to reach the scalp, while also preventing the scalp from being moist after showering for longer periods of time.
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Interesting concept, never thought that shaving it would actually help it moisturize better, yeah since I've shaved my head and used the shea butter no more dandruff.
ReplyDeleteMy head feels itch free too, I even use the stuff on my face, makes my complexion smoother, less acne, smoothed out the smile lines around my eyes. I'm a guy, so I'm not worried about those things, I was using the shea butter for psoriasis and dry skin, so I figured why not test it on my forehead and face to see if it will make that flakiness go away. Guess what? it helps, better than manufactured products.
DeleteI am very found to use skin care products. scalp moisturizer take care of my skin.
ReplyDeleteHello.
ReplyDeleteIs shea butter real a moisturier? Because i've read that is a sealant.
I have a really dry scalp. I've tried coconut oil but it seems to leave it even dryer with lot's of flakes! Thanks.
Hi everyone! My name is Nanette and over the last 11 years I have seen literally hundreds of varying cases of skin conditions on people ranging from newborns to seniors....some mild but most quite severe. Most of these people have been on countless steroid treatments and were either none the better, or their condition worsened once they stopped using the steroids and felt trapped into staying endlessly and hopelessly on them. I am not a medical person nor do I diagnose or prescribe anything but I am very much into natural remedies which I have studied over the last 30 years. I HAVE SEEN GREAT RESULTS USING NATURAL REMEDIES! Apologies for the caps but I really wanted to emphasize that. My own daughter suffered with eczema 11 years ago and it is now gone and just has not come back......so it is possible for natural ingredients to work amazingly with the skin. I know because I placed these ingredients together and have helped people around the globe with their skin issues. I'm not here to push my products only to encourage people to understand that the body/skin truly does respond to health building ingredients. Of course, healthy life style and stress control also play a large part in the health of your skin and that is certainly true about the health of your entire body. Anyway, I wanted to leave everyone with an encouraging sharing from one of my customers that to this day just thrills my heart when I read it. Thanks for reading this and I pray everyone gets the relief they are seeking! If anyone has a question I would be very happy to answer all! Thanks!
ReplyDelete(ps....I wish you could see the pictures this mom sent of her now happy daughter!!)
SHARING:
We have been battling with my daughters severe eczema for about 2 months. Her skin from chin down would be so inflamed and irritated she would wake up screaming and crying. We tried every lotion and cream on the market as well as hydrocortisone cream. After the steroids discolored and began to thicken her skin we stopped it and began our search for a more natural remedy! Your Hand & Body TheraCream has been our salvation! After 2 days of use she was sleeping 3-4 hrs at night and is just an all around happier baby! After a week of use her skin is rash free and baby smooth again! I am so thankful to have found this product. My husband has also been using this on his face for dermatitis and his skin has cleared fully in 3 days. Much to his dermatologists surprise! We had not seen my daughters smile in two weeks because she was so uncomfortable but now she is all smiles, all the time... Thank you! Whitney, CA
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ReplyDeleteShea Butter is an ideal beauty ingredient, to help nourish and protect skin and hair.Vitamin A in Shea Butter is important for improving a number of skins conditions, including blemishes wrinkles, eczema, and dermatitis. Shea Butter is becoming increasingly popular in the natural body care and cosmetic industry. Check African Shea Butter here.