What is shea butter?

Shea butter is derived from the nut found on the African shea tree. Taking the two oily kernels found within the seed, the oils are extracted, ground and boiled to create a solid ‘butter’ that’s off-white in colour and melts when it reaches body temperature. As it’s rich in a number of fatty acids and vitamins, there are many benefits of shea butter – hence why it has been used as a cosmetic ingredient in beauty routines for centuries. While it’s common knowledge that shea butter is a powerful moisturiser.

Top shea butter benefits as moisturiser on skin

Unblocking pores requires a dedicated and consistent skincare routine that focuses on cleansing, exfoliating and maintaining the skin's natural balance. Renowned for our gentle yet effective products, Liz Earle offers a range of skincare solutions perfect for maintaining a healthy-looking complexion.

1. It provides deep hydration
Due to the high content of fatty acids, shea butter is an excellent emollient, meaning it can help seal moisture into the skin. The blend of oils rapidly absorb into the skin and act as a ‘refatting’ agent – restoring the lipids in your skin and replenishing moisture.

2. It helps support your skin's moisture barrier
Another reason to choose a shea butter moisturiser is its ability to help support your skin’s delicate moisture barrier. It's rich texture traps moisture inside the skin, helping to protect from water loss and dryness which may be caused by environmental stressors such as pollution and harsh weather.

3. It’s rich in vitamins
Shea butter naturally contains vitamins A, E and F, which are all highly beneficial for your skin. Vitamin A can help promote surface skin cell turnover, whereas vitamin E helps keep skin feeling soft and supple. As for vitamin F, whilst not strictly a vitamin in the true sense of the word, this combination of two essential fatty acids can help restore skin’s suppleness and elasticity.

4. It helps soften skin
If you have some areas on the body that need a little extra hydration – think elbows, knees and heels – shea butter can work wonders at softening off any rough patches.

5. It naturally contains ingredients found in anti-ageing products
The fatty acids and vitamins found in shea butter can help improve skin’s elasticity – both of which can work to reduce premature signs of ageing like fine lines.

6. It’s suitable for all skin types
Despite its rich texture, shea butter is unlikely to irritate the skin or clog pores, meaning it’s suitable for all skin types, including acne-prone skin.

Find the right product with shea butter for your skin

Many beauty products contain shea butter, this means incorporating it into your skincare routine is simple. The benefits of shea butter mean it’s most suited to being used as an ingredient in moisturisers, but you might also find it included in some specialised treatments, such as masks.

Products containing shea butter can be used both morning and night, but some people prefer to use an alternative moisturiser before applying make up, as shea butter can take a little longer to absorb fully into the skin.

For up to 72 hours of balanced hydration, try Liz Earle Skin Repair Rich Cream. Enriched with shea butter & sourced in partnership with the Global Shea Alliance, it intensely replenishes and locks in moisture. Plus, with the addition of borage oil and avocado oil, the botanical ingredients help to smooth, soften and soothe.

If you’re looking to use shea butter moisturiser on your skin at night, opt for Superskin Nourishing Night Cream. Formulate with pomegranate flower and brightening Persian silk tree extract, the addition of shea butter makes for an intensely nourishing moisturiser that helps support skin’s overnight rejuvenation process.

If you’d like the benefits of shea butter in a treatment form, the Liz Earle Hydrating Cream Mask can be applied for 10 minutes to give an instant boost of moisture. With a luxuriously whipped texture, it also uses a blend of apricot kernel oil, which is rich in essential fatty acids, plus borage seed oil to really lock the hydration in.

It's not just your face that can benefit from shea butter, either. The Liz Earle Skin Replenishing Body Balm is packed full of naturally active ingredients, such as shea butter and rice bran oil, plus black oat seed extract to leave skin feeling soft and soothed. Simply apply to warm, exfoliated skin after showering or bathing.

Conclusion

Shea butter moisturisers are versatile, intensely nourishing and a great choice for all skin types, making them a perfect addition to your skincare routine. Use your favourite Liz Earle formula containing shea butter daily for healthy looking, hydrated skin.