Unless you just discovered the world of beauty yesterday (in which case, hey, welcome, it’s warm in here), you already know that shea butter is in basically every damn hair care product, from deep conditioners to curl creams to co-washes. But it’s not just some one-off ingredient added for fun: Shea butter is the MVP for moisturizing all dry hair types – especially curly and coily types – because not only does it help seal in hydration and smooth out rough cuticles to reduce tangles and flyaways, but it also makes your hair look super shiny and healthy. Basically, shea butter for hair = a tiny (dry hair) miracle worker.
Interest piqued? Exactly. That’s why I chatted with two experts, trichologist Shab Reslan and cosmetic chemist Krupa Koestline, about why shea butter for hair is so great, and all the ways you can harness its power to create your softest hair.
Shea butter fast facts.
What it is.
A solid oil from the shea tree nut that moisturizes and softens hair and skin.
Shea butter benefits for hair.
Deeply moisturizes hair (and skin!)
Forms a closed barrier on skin and hair to prevent moisture loss
Leaves hair and skin feeling softer and smoother
Has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects on the skin and may help repair the skin barrier helping the skin and scalp to react less to irritants
What is Shea Butter?
Shea butter is a fat extracted from the nuts of the shea tree and is native to West Africa (where most shea butter still comes from today). It is essentially a curing oil, so in its original form it has a thick semi-hard consistency, similar to coconut oil or cocoa butter, that emulsifies when you rub it between your hands or when it gets hot. It’s not a new or trendy thing – shea butter has been a staple in traditional African food, skin, hair and medicinal recipes dating back more than 1,000 years, and remains a mainstay around the world, especially in curly – hair communities.
Shea butter is rich in a host of all-star skin and hair ingredients such as fatty acids (stearic, linoleic, oleic and palm fatty acids); vitamins A, D and E; triglycerides; and allantoin, which is why it is often added to air conditioners, body lotions, facial oils and of course hair care products. This brings us to ……
Is shea butter good for hair?
Well, yes, shea butter is great for hair. While butter-anything sounds like a greasy mess, remember that shea butter is actually an oil (even though it is naturally solid) and oils can be divided into two categories: moisturizing and sealing. Moisturizing oils like sunflower oil, babassu oil and almond oil have small enough molecular sizes to penetrate the hair and hydrate it from within. However, sealing oils – such as jojoba, hemp seed and rice bran oils – have too large a molecular size, which means it can only cover the surface of the chain to seal in existing hydration and prevent it from escaping.
There are also some amazing oils that do both, such as coconut oil, argan oil and olive oil, and, yes, shea butter. Shea butter both moisturizes and seals, so it moisturizes the cortex of the hair cuticle and then locks the moisture in. But not only does its oil-like properties make it perfect for hair – it’s also rich in (1) fatty acids, which help “bind” the keratin in hair to keep it strong; (2) vitamin E, an antioxidant which helps prevent damage caused by free radicals; and (3) triglycerides, a fatty acid that helps condition hair. fatty acids. tl;Dr. Results? Smoother, healthier, softer hair.
Which hair types should use shea butter?
Whether your hair type loves or hates shea butter actually depends on your porosity, which is your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. On low porosity hair, or just thin, fine hair types, shea butter can leave your hair feeling greasy and will soften at high doses because it is so rich. But for high porosity hair, or just drier, coarser, damaged hair, shea butter will be excellent at smoothing and moisturizing, Reslan says.
Remember: Rinse-off products aren’t as “risky” as leave-in products, so if you’re not sure how your hair will react to shea butter, look for a shea butter deep conditioner to test. If it makes your hair feel sticky, then a shea butter-rich formula may not be right for you. But if your hair feels normal – or, ideally, great – try switching to styling products, conditioners and masks made with shea butter.
Does shea butter help with hair growth?
Womp, no, shea butter won’t make your hair grow faster (or make it thicker, tbh). But it does promote a healthy, moisturized scalp, which is the first step to getting longer hair. “Shea butter is known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and they’re great for calming and soothing an inflamed scalp,” says Reslan. The naturally occurring fatty acids and vitamin E in shea butter also help soothe the scalp. Essentially, shea butter can help create ideal conditions for healthy hair growth.
How to use shea butter for hair care.
You can use shea butter alone or mix it with a few other ingredients to make a DIY hair mask (see recipe below). But if you’re not into science experiments, you can also just use Shea butter leave-in conditioner, curl cream, mousse, or head oil, focusing only on the ends (if your hair is fine or low porosity), or apply from root to tip (if your hair is high porosity or 4c coarse). These are a few of my favorites.
How to DIY a Churned Shea Butter Mask
Listen, there’s nothing wrong with using pure shea butter on your hair. The only thing? It turns into pure oil when heated and can be messy to apply. So for me, I like to churn my shea butter first for easier application, storage and customization. Here is a simple tutorial for.
✨Ingredients✨：
- 2 ounces shea butter
- 1 Tablespoon. Coconut oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or whatever hair oil you have on hand
How to：
Cut the shea butter into cubes and place in a heatproof bowl. Boil a pot of water, then place the bowl in the boiling water and allow the shea butter to melt evenly to make a double broiler. Once melted, remove the bowl from the boiling water and stir in a tablespoon of your favorite natural oil (coconut, jojoba, grapeseed, etc.). Then, using a hand or stand mixer, stir the mixture for up to 20 minutes until it becomes light and fluffy. Scoop out and store in a glass jar until ready to use as a DIY hair mask, or mix with a deep conditioner, or as a body butter-any way that works.
How do I remove shea butter from my hair?
Because shea butter is a very rich moisturizer, it can build up on finer or less porous hair types if you don’t actually use shampoo regularly. If your usual cleansing routine doesn’t work, Koestline recommends massaging your shampoo through dry (!) hair in the shower before turning on the water and rinsing it out. Reslan also “strongly” recommends using a weekly scalp scrub “to prevent scalp clogging for people who regularly use heavy butter on their hair.”
To prevent this buildup from happening in the first place, apply most of the shea butter to medium length hair and ends, not the scalp, where product residue and buildup can leave your hair feeling heavy, greasy and crap.
What does Shea Butter do for my skin?
Thankfully, shea butter is as moisturizing and softening on your skin as it is on your hair, says Koestline, and acts as a sealant to help prevent transcutaneous water loss (or TEWL, as the ~experts~ call it.) TEWL is the amount of water that naturally evaporates from the skin, and excessive water loss can lead to dehydration, dullness, and an irritated skin barrier. However, shea butter helps lock in moisture and prevents it from escaping the skin, so with moisturizers (such as hyaluronic acid serum) the water is absorbed into the skin in the first place.
Takeaway.
See why I said shea butter for hair is GOAT now? Shea butter can benefit all hair types, depending on how often and where you use it, but for those with curly, frizzy, thick or coarse hair types, it’s an absolute dream because it not only moisturizes your strands, but also helps lock in moisture (in your hair and on your skin.) Brb, just order another tub of shea butter on Amazon.
Meet the experts：
- Shabrisland is a trichologist and hair health expert in New York, NY, and is an expert in hair extensions, hair care procedures and haircuts. She is also the host of Hair Like Her, a hair health podcast.
- Krupa Koestline is a biologist and organic chemist specializing in cosmetic chemistry. She is the founder of KKT Consulting where she helps small and medium-sized beauty brands develop new formulations.
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Beth Gillette is Cosmopolitan’s beauty editor with four years of experience researching, writing and editing hair care stories ranging from the best conditioners for curly hair to the best products for curly hair. She’s an authority on all hair categories, but after interviewing dozens of cosmetic chemists over the years, she’s an expert on shea butter. She regularly tests and analyzes the efficacy of hair care products while working with the industry’s top hair stylists and trichologists to evaluate new formulas and brands.
