Shea Butter: The Secret to Hydrated, Natural Hair

May 22, 2024 Cayla Mandean

If you have curly hair, then you know the struggle to find a solution catered to your specific concern: tangled hair, split ends, breakage, dryness and frizz. The good news is that there are wonderful, natural oils and remedies to add shine, nourish hair and scalp, retain hair length, and generally have your curls cooperate with you!

The first step is to ensure that your hair is hydrated and moisturised. Shea butter, often hailed as a ‘holy grail’ for moisture seekers, has been used for centuries to hydrate skin and hair. It is suitable for all hair types, but if you have thick, curly, or coarse hair, it is safe to say it is curly girl-approved!

Shea butter is a root-to-tip solution:

Revitalises damaged and dull hair and prevents split ends while increasing shine and lessening frizz

Protects hair from mechanical and environmental damage by sealing in moisture.

Softens and smoothes the hair reducing tangling

Prevents itchy scalp and reduces inflammation—without clogging pores

Some things to consider:

You must consider your hair density, porosity, and texture to determine the amount of shea butter needed. To select the type of shea butter you would benefit from using, Refined or Unrefined, you can check out our in-depth analysis here.

Express Shea Butter Hair Mask

We’ve whipped up an easy, DIY hair treatment, for hair in need of a little moisture boost.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Shea Butter

1 tbsp Coconut Oil

1 tbsp Argan Oil

1 tbsp Flaxseed Oil

1 tbsp Castor Oil

5 drops Rosemary Essential Oil or your favourite essential oil (optional for fragrance)

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the shea butter and coconut oil in short intervals until it becomes soft and easily mixable. You can also use the double boiler method to melt them.

Add the Flaxseed, Argan and Castor Oil to the mixture. Mix well until all the ingredients are combined.

If desired, add a few drops of your preferred essential oil for a pleasant fragrance and added benefits. Mix thoroughly.

While the mixture is still warm, massage it into your scalp for 5 minutes. Then apply the rest to the lengths of your hair and wrap your hair in a warm towel or shower cap to create a heat-activated conditioning environment.

Let it sit for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you have a movie you want to watch, why not do it while the mask does its magic? You can have it on for as long as you’d like, but we recommend you don’t sleep with it on unless you protect your pillowcase!

Use it as a pre-poo conditioning treatment. wash and condition your hair as usual afterwards.

Magic Shea Butter Conditioner - Leave In Formulation

Ingredients:

        Phase     %w/w
                        input    Ingredient
A          22.80 Water
A          50.00   Rosemary hydrosol

A 10.00 Rose geranium hydrosol

B 5.00 Vegetable glycerin

B 0.70 Guar Gum

C 1.50 Hydra Hair

C 4.00 Montanov 68

C 2.00 Shea Butter

C 0.50 Argan Oil

C 0.50 Hemp Seed oil

D 0.90 Dehydroacetic acid, benzyl alcohol (Geogard 221)

D 1.00 Vitamin B5 (Panthenol)

D 1.00 Hydrolysed Wheat Protein

D 0.10 Tocopherols - mixed

q.s. pH Adjuster

Measure out phase A.

Heat phase A/B to 80⁰C. Combine phase C and to phase A/B under high shear stirring and mix until waxes are melted and a smooth, glossy, homogenous emulsion forms.

Allow mixture to cool under low shear stirring until <40⁰C. Add phase D and stir through under low shear until homogenous.

Allow to cool <25⁰C under low shear stirring. Check/adjust pH to 4.3 - 4.8. Full viscosity will be achieved the next day, do not evaluate on the day you make it. Cover and allow to set overnight and give a final stir the next day before storing in an air-tight container.

Store it cool, dark place in a glass or plastic container; the refrigerator is not recommended because it may become grainy.

After your usual shampoo and conditioning routine, apply to the lengths of your hair before styling.