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3 Healthy Hair Butters for Natural Hair – Shea, Mango, and Murumuru

By Jacqueline Samaroo

You can do much more with butter than spread it on your toast! There are many natural seed and nut butters that are actually healthy hair butters. Of course, shea butter stands out as the most popular among them. Many natural hair care brands use it in their products.

This post looks at shea butter and the many wonderful shea butter hair benefits. We’ll also cover mango butter and murumuru butter – two other healthy hair butters surging in popularity thanks to their benefits for hair growth.

We’ve also included product examples for all three types of hair butter.

And, stay tuned! We’ll be covering lots of other healthy hair butters in the coming weeks!

1.      Healthy Hair Butters – Shea Butter

What is shea butter?

Shea butter is made from the nut of the African shea tree that grows naturally in the wild in more than 20 African countries across the middle of the continent. Raw shea butter is ivory in color and has a nutty, earthy scent. It is a popular ingredient in moisturizers, lotions, and ointments.

Shea butter is a complex fat that contains several beneficial fatty acids, including oleic acid, stearic acid, and linoleic acid. While shea butter is solid at room temperature, it will melt at body temperature, for example, when rubbed into the skin.

Shea butter health benefits

Shea butter can provide the skin (including the scalp) with fats it needs to remain healthy. It is a powerful moisturizer that binds to water molecules and helps to reduce moisture loss from the skin. It can be used to combat the itching and tightness that are symptoms of dry skin.

Shea butter has sunblocking and antimicrobial effects, too. It is also anti-inflammatory and is used in some countries for joint pain relief and as sunscreen.

Shea butter for hair growth

Shea butter boosts collagen production. Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body and plays a key role in strengthening your hair and preventing breakage.

Shea butter also:

• Promotes the growth of healthy, new hair cells.
• Helps to relieve the dryness and flakiness of dandruff.
• Can be used as a deep conditioner or in smaller quantities as a leave-in conditioner. Either way lets you take advantage of the many shea butter hair benefits.

Two Shea Butter Products for Natural Hair Care

Natural Cosmetics African Shea Butter

This is pure, raw (unrefined) shea butter produced in Ghana. It can be used all over your body. Natural Cosmetics African Shea Butter moisturizes and softens hair, aiding detangling. It is also an excellent moisturizer for your scalp.

 

Sheamoisture Deep Treatment Masque

This deep treatment masque comes from one of the best-known names is natural hair care for afro hair. It is made from raw shea butter along with sea kelp and argan oil. It is specifically formulated for curly hair that is dry and damaged.

 

 

2.      Healthy Hair Butters – Mango Butter

What is mango butter?

Mango butter is made from the seeds of mangoes. It has a pale yellow color and is semi-solid at room temperature. Mango butter readily melts on contact with your warm skin. It has a light fruity scent and is often used in balms, moisturizers, and many natural hair care products. It is also used in some food products, such as chocolate.

Mango butter contains several fatty acids, including stearic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, and arachidic acid.

Mango butter health benefits

Mango butter has been shown to boost collagen production. It is also able to hydrate and soften your skin. It is usually non-irritating to sensitive skin and can provide some UV protection to hair and skin. It can also be used as a substitute for cocoa butter in both food and beauty products.

Here are some other mango butter facts:

• It is antibacterial and antimicrobial.
• It contains plenty of mangiferin, an antioxidant that helps fight cell damage.
• Mango butter is also rich in vitamins A, C, and E, making it an effective hair growth butter.
• Other nutrients in mango butter include high levels of vitamins B6 and B9, as well as copper.

Mango butter for hair growth

Mango butter promotes scalp health and reduces both dryness and flakiness. It can also nourish your hair follicles with its many nutrients. Mango butter strengthens hair while adding shine to your strands.

Two Mango Butter Products for Natural Hair Care

Green Leaf Naturals Mango Butter

This is 100% pure, raw (unrefined) mango butter from Green Leaf Naturals. It provides all the mango butter for hair growth benefits. It is great for use in your own DIY mango butter hair care recipes and is a popular choice among naturalistas who like to make their own natural hair care products.

 

Not Your Mother’s Naturals Curl Defining Hair Care Set

This trio is made with Tahitian gardenia flower (the main component in monoi oil) and mango butter. All three products are specifically designed for curly hair. It contains shampoo, conditioner, and an excellent curl-defining cream.

 

 

3.      Healthy Hair Butters – Murumuru Butter

What is murumuru butter?

Murumuru butter is made from the seeds of the murumuru palm tree that grows in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. It has a white to yellowish color and has a nutty, earthy scent. It is often used as a moisturizer and shine enhancer. It can be found in some natural hair care products, conditioners, lip balm, and soaps.

Murumuru butter is rich in fatty acids, particularly oleic acid. It also contains plenty of lauric acid and myristic acid. It can be used in place of cocoa butter in chocolate making.

Murumuru butter health benefits

Murumuru butter is rich in vitamins A and C.  It protects the skin by forming a lipid-rich layer on the skin but will not clog your pores.

Murumuru butter for hair growth

Murumuru butter softens and protects the hair. It also:

• Keeps scalp and hair hydrated and moisturized.
• Helps to prevent frizziness.
• Restores hair elasticity, giving curls back their bounce.

Murumuru butter can provide natural sun and heat protection to your strands. It can also be used as a deep conditioner or as an overnight leave-in conditioner.

Murumuru butter is quite gentle and can be used by most persons with sensitive skin.

Two Murumuru Butter Products for Natural Hair Care

3CayG Murumuru Butter

This is 100% cold-pressed, raw (unrefined) murumuru butter. It has a luxuriously smooth and creamy texture. It works very well as a moisturizer for both hair and skin.

It has a distinctive nutty scent that might be a bit strong for some persons. You can tone the scent down a bit by adding small amounts of this butter to one or more of your other healthy hair butters.

OGX Anti-Frizz Leave-in Conditioner

This anti-frizz leave-in conditioner from OGX hydrates hair and scalp while defining your curls. It also softens hair, adding slip to aid easy detangling. It contains murumuru butter along with pracaxi oil which is rich in oleic, linoleic, and behenic acid fatty acids.

 

 

Do you use natural butters as a part of your natural hair care routine? Tell us about it!

* This article was originally published here