Plant butters are natural products derived, depending on the plant in question, from almonds, fruits or seeds. To harvest them, these plant organs can be pressed, just like vegetable oils, or simply removed from their envelope in order to recover the material that interests us. Vegetable butters have properties similar to vegetable oils: they are nourishing, repairing or even softening the skin and hair. How are they different in this case? It's all about texture. The little subtlety lies in the fact that they are solid at room temperature, hence their name butter! By heating them slightly, they become liquid to facilitate application to the skin. Pure or enriched with essential or vegetable oils, vegetable butters form balms and allow you to create complete treatments for skin or hair that tends to be dry or damaged. Although Shea butter is the best known, there are many others. Let yourself be guided by the softness of the butters... Vegetable, of course!
This article was updated on 04/08/2023The main vegetable butters
Hydration - healing - protection
Shea butter
The plant
The Shea tree is an emblematic tree of the African savannahs, where it grows in the wild. It is found from Senegal to Uganda, via Burkina Faso. His name means "butter tree" in Wolof (Senegal); in Mali, the Bambaras call it shi yiri, hence its English name shea tree.
Its nuts have been harvested for centuries by local populations to extract vegetable oil, which has the particularity of being solid at room temperature. This butter is used in cooking, cosmetics but also in traditional medicine.
An adult shea tree (i.e. over 30 years old!) will yield around 20 kg of fruit, which will produce 1 kg of butter.
Benefits of Shea butter
Moisturizer
Healing, softening
Skin protector
Shea, the best for...Make body butters and balms
Melt 50g of Shea butter in a bain-marie, add a few drops of EO or HV, leave to solidify for 1 hour in the refrigerator, it's ready!
Dry hands and lips
Apply a knob of butter to dry skin, massage in circles.
Tan extension
Apply a knob of butter, spread and rub into the tanned areas, once a day.
Dry hair - Mature skin - Cellulite
Cocoa butter
The plant
The cocoa tree, from which Cacao comes, is a tropical tree that can reach 12m high. Cocoa powder and cocoa butter are obtained by grinding the kernels of cocoa beans. These beans correspond to the seeds of the cocoa tree and are gathered in groups of thirty in the pods, the fruits of the cocoa tree. At the time, probably from the year 600, Cocoa was used as currency by the Mayans. By grinding the beans and adding artificials, they made a bitter drink called xocoatl. It was only at the time of the Spanish conquest that we discovered this drink. Very little appreciated, sugar was added to improve the taste: this is where the emergence of Cocoa began!
Benefits of Cocoa Butter
Antioxidant
Soothing
Lipolytic
Skin regenerating
Cocoa butter, useful for...Dry, damaged hair
Apply to the entire length of the hair or the ends, then leave on for between 30 minutes and overnight before rinsing.
Mature skin
Apply a hazelnut of butter to the skin and massage in with light massages.
Cellulite
Apply a knob of butter to the affected area and massage to penetrate.
Dry skin - Wrinkles - Frizzy hair
Mango butter
The plant
The Mango tree is a beautiful fruit tree native to India where it is a true symbol of well-being. It belongs to the Anacardiaceae family just like the cashew nut or the pistachio. Note that it can reach nearly 40 meters in height. It has long leaves with a color ranging from red to green growing downwards and giving off, after crushing between the hands, a particular smell of resin. In addition to an abundance of pretty white to orange flowers, the Mango tree offers the famous fruit known to all with a divine taste. The mango has juicy flesh but it is inside its stone that we find the almond that interests us so much. Cold pressed, it allows us to obtain a moisturizing butter with a very pleasant touch.
Benefits of Mango butter
Protective and soothing
Emollient
Softener, softener
Anti-oxidant
Mango butter useful for...Firming, anti-aging, anti-wrinkle treatment
Apply a knob of butter to the affected areas in the evening.
Dry skin and hair
Apply the butter and massage the dry area.
Dry lips
Apply the butter directly to the lips to moisturize them.
Some recipes using vegetable butters
Body butters
Body butter recipes
In winter or summer, under the sun, gray weather and pollution, the skin is badly mistreated. This barrier, which is supposed to protect us from external aggression, also needs to be pampered! And for that, it must be nourished and hydrated. Nothing better than vegetable butters. Properly oily, they will soften and soften the skin to give it a smooth and elastic appearance. No more crocodile skin!
Lip balms
Lip balm recipes
Lips should always feel soft and smooth. Back to reality: lips are far too often chapped, irritated, or simply dry! The skin is so thin in this area that it must be taken care of. For this, vegetable butters come to the rescue. Thanks to their nourishing properties, no more lips that make us suffer at the slightest smile.
Masks
Face mask recipes
When we see all the benefits of plant-based butters, we want to share them with our whole body! And the face should not be taken apart. Taking care of it is important, especially for its morale. So, dry, acne-prone, sun-damaged or mature faces, you will definitely feel targeted by one of these mask recipes with plant-based butters, plant-based and essential oils!
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