Sharpen Your Skin Care Knowledge - Uses of Shea Butter?

Shea butter is an ivory-colored, fatty substance extracted from golf ball-sized nuts that grow on the Karite nut trees.  These trees grow naturally in the savannah regions of West and Central Africa. They have been the pride of African people for numerous centuries. Shea trees are commercial assets that provide African women with a daily bread for their families. In Africa, karite nut butter has been used to cure horrible skin diseases such as psoriasis and dermatitis. It has also been used to eliminate dandruff, stretch marks, acne scars and burns among other skin problems. In the past few years the word about the benefits of shea butter has spread beyond Africa. It is no longer rare to find skin and beauty products that contain karite butter in the United States. Just to enlighten you more, shea butter is classified among complex fats and it contains varied proportions of fatty acids like linolenic, oleic, linoleic and stearic among others.

The fatty acids found in the shea butter keep the skin moisturized, soft and beautiful. These fatty acids also enhance the skin elasticity, making the wrinkles and faint lines undetectable. Because of its high fat concentration, shea butter is used in the manufacture of bathing soaps, lotions, anti-wrinkle creams, lip balms, hair oils, massage oils and other beauty items. Many women love shea butter products because they simply melt into the skin. The skin that is protected with shea butter cannot be damaged by free radicals or other environmental triggers. This fatty substance is also known to contain essential vitamins such as Vitamin A, D and E. The three types of vitamins are found mainly in the unrefined shea butter. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant known to protect skin cells against damage.efined; grade D, lowest but uncontaminated; and grade E, contaminated.

All grades can be used to soothe and cure skin irritations like allergies, insect bites, sunburn marks, dry, peeling skin and acne blemishes. Prior to the purchase, you must know the kind of transformation you want from the karite butter beauty products. If you want shea butter for removal of stretch marks and wrinkles, the West Africa kind is the best because it contains high amounts of vitamin A.  If you want to boost the firmness of your skin muscles, you need to buy a product that contains vitamin E. To ensure that your skin receives enough vitamin D, without being burned by the sun rays, you should buy a sunscreen that contains adequate shea butter. Shopping shea butter does not have to be difficult now. The internet is a great shopping hub for unrefined and refined products.