shea butter for hair

[doctorvkp1]

can we use the shea butter skin cream in hair masks..... One of my friend tried it out and says that the results are same as using one for hair.... I bought one.... Here are the ingredients.... Pls suggest if would be safe for my hair
Water,butyrospermium park ll(shea butter), cetearyl alcohol, petrolatum, glycerine, ceteareth-20, ethylhexyl isonanoate, stearic acid, cocao seed, mango seed butter, tocopheryl acetate, cyclopentasiloxane, octyldodecyl myristate, dimethicone, cetyl esters, mineral oil, DMDM hydantoin, sodium hydroxide, carbomer, methyl paraben, propyl paraben

[PrairieRose]

I use just plain Raw African Shea Butter. There is nothing else in it.

[Amber_Maiden]

I use just plain Raw African Shea Butter. There is nothing else in it.

I agree, I think the more pure the better.

I personally didn't like Shea Butter on my hair. Didn't turn out well.

[doctorvkp1]

should i give this one a try ???

[PrairieRose]

As sticky as shea butter is, I would don't know why it works for me. My hair is so fine, but it seems to work well. Go figure:rolleyes:

[doctorvkp1]

thank you.... I shall try it this sunday n keep you posted with the results

[PinkyCat]

I use raw African shea butter on my ends every day. First some coconut oil, then the shea butter. Awesome stuff.

[Aredhel77]

should i give this one a try ???

How were you planning on using it? Is it a body butter sort of consistency (a thick cream?) Maybe you could add a spoonful to your conditioner and see how well it mixes and use that as a mask/deep treatment conditioner. The other option is to put a little in your hair while it's dry, leave it for a while and then shampoo/condition it out. I wouldn't slap loads on the hair and try to rinse it out if it's a heavy/greasy consistency, I'd be sparing with it. The ingredients don't look too bad to me. There's a lot of mineral oil in it which can be heavy for hair, but that isn't always a bad thing, provided you can remove it OK. There's nothing in that ingredients list that screams "NO WAY!!" :scared: to me.

So in short, experiment and see (I'm always trying things like this LOL)

[doctorvkp1]

yup.... Thanks a lot.... I was much in a confused state....

[Aredhel77]

yup.... Thanks a lot.... I was much in a confused state....

I do agree with the others that the 'pure' shea butter would probably be best - but I often concoct recipes to use up stuff and think this probably would work - providing of course, that your hair does like the ingredients :D

[gothicchick]

does shea butter come as like a solid block? i was considering buying some or some coconut butter. I've heard it melts on contact with skin, so would it do the same for hair? and i've also heard of it setting solid again on hair and making it all hard.

how would i apply it if it's a solid block?

sorry if i sound stupid i just don't know much about it

[doctorvkp1]

it s a thick one... I am planning to mix it with some coconut milk and honey and use it as a pre shampoo hair mask

[Aredhel77]

does shea butter come as like a solid block? i was considering buying some or some coconut butter. I've heard it melts on contact with skin, so would it do the same for hair? and i've also heard of it setting solid again on hair and making it all hard.

how would i apply it if it's a solid block?

sorry if i sound stupid i just don't know much about it

Yes, it's a plant butter. It's slightly solid and melts to a thickish oil consistency on contact with skin. I bought some a while back that was heavily refined and looked like a block of white lard (LOL!) but, it still had a nice emollient effect on my hair. I applied it sparingly to the ends of my hair when it was slightly damp - or sometimes I mixed a bit in my hand with aloe vera gel. My hair liked it. A little goes a very long way, so if you buy some to try, just buy a small amount if possible.


it s a thick one... I am planning to mix it with some coconut milk and honey and use it as a pre shampoo hair mask

OK. That might be quite oily (is coconut milk 'oily/fatty'?) so I'd suggest applying lots of conditioner after shampooing, massaging it well into the hair and leaving the conditioner on for at least 10mins before rinsing. That way if it is super-oily, the conditioner will help to emulsify it and rinse out the excess. HTH

[UltraBella]

can we use the shea butter skin cream in hair masks..... One of my friend tried it out and says that the results are same as using one for hair.... I bought one.... Here are the ingredients.... Pls suggest if would be safe for my hair
Water,butyrospermium park ll(shea butter), cetearyl alcohol, petrolatum, glycerine, ceteareth-20, ethylhexyl isonanoate, stearic acid, cocao seed, mango seed butter, tocopheryl acetate, cyclopentasiloxane, octyldodecyl myristate, dimethicone, cetyl esters, mineral oil, DMDM hydantoin, sodium hydroxide, carbomer, methyl paraben, propyl paraben

There is NO WAY I would put this in my hair. Petrolatum is the 4th ingredient, which means this product is full of it. Have you ever tried to get Vaseline out of your hair ? Total nightmare. The mineral oil would bother me as well.

[doctorvkp1]

whoa... That sure is a matter of fact

[gothicchick]

Yes, it's a plant butter. It's slightly solid and melts to a thickish oil consistency on contact with skin. I bought some a while back that was heavily refined and looked like a block of white lard (LOL!) but, it still had a nice emollient effect on my hair. I applied it sparingly to the ends of my hair when it was slightly damp - or sometimes I mixed a bit in my hand with aloe vera gel. My hair liked it. A little goes a very long way, so if you buy some to try, just buy a small amount if possible.



OK. That might be quite oily (is coconut milk 'oily/fatty'?) so I'd suggest applying lots of conditioner after shampooing, massaging it well into the hair and leaving the conditioner on for at least 10mins before rinsing. That way if it is super-oily, the conditioner will help to emulsify it and rinse out the excess. HTH

i see, so it's best mixed with another substance? would jojoba oil work do you reckon?

[Aredhel77]

There is NO WAY I would put this in my hair. Petrolatum is the 4th ingredient, which means this product is full of it. Have you ever tried to get Vaseline out of your hair ? Total nightmare. The mineral oil would bother me as well.

But I'm sure I've seen conditioners that do contain these ingredients? I would think that if the OP is very sparing with it, it should be OK. And a bit mixed into another conditioner wouldn't be so bad?

I would try it, probably. I mean if for example I had a product like this and wanted to use it up, I'd consider adding a small bit to a conditioner :) but then I'm also a bit :wacko: LOL.

Personally I'm more in favour of the pure shea butter though.

[Aredhel77]

i see, so it's best mixed with another substance? would jojoba oil work do you reckon?

Some people do use it undiluted. Mixing it with a lighter oil would be fine. I just saw what you wrote about it hardening on hair - I think you'd need to use quite a large amount for that to be a problem. I think I may also have read that proper shea butter can build up on hair, I think because it contains a small amount of natural latex or something...just something to be aware of. I don't think it's anything that couldn't be removed by a clarifying shampoo though.

[doctorvkp1]

OK. That might be quite oily (is coconut milk 'oily/fatty'?) so I'd suggest applying lots of conditioner after shampooing, massaging it well into the hair and leaving the conditioner on for at least 10mins before rinsing. That way if it is super-oily, the conditioner will help to emulsify it and rinse out the excess. HTH[/QUOTE]

You have very innovative ideas

[wicked kisses]

One of the things I tried when desperate was 'Queen Helene Cocoa Butter Cream' which is cocoa butter, shea butter and some preservatives.
I got a very interesting effect.
I put it on right after toweling my hair, then let my hair air dry as usual. Nice curlies.
I'll probably do it again, especially since it's only $5 a 'jar' which is pretty big. I have very dry skin so I use it as a face cream/body butter. Love the smell.

[Aredhel77]

OK. That might be quite oily (is coconut milk 'oily/fatty'?) so I'd suggest applying lots of conditioner after shampooing, massaging it well into the hair and leaving the conditioner on for at least 10mins before rinsing. That way if it is super-oily, the conditioner will help to emulsify it and rinse out the excess. HTH

You have very innovative ideas[/QUOTE]

I do think outside the box a bit. Oh, I see what you mean - no the conditioner thing is a method a few people here use to get rid of excess oil. I didn't make that one up, just repeating what I've learned :D

:LOL: one of my innovations though, here thanks to what I've learned at LHC is an SMT (Snowymoons' Moisture Treatment - she's a member here) - for the face!! LOL

Like I said, a bit :wacko:

[Aredhel77]

One of the things I tried when desperate was 'Queen Helene Cocoa Butter Cream' which is cocoa butter, shea butter and some preservatives.
I got a very interesting effect.
I put it on right after toweling my hair, then let my hair air dry as usual. Nice curlies.
I'll probably do it again, especially since it's only $5 a 'jar' which is pretty big. I have very dry skin so I use it as a face cream/body butter. Love the smell.

Is that a body cream then...? :D

Some members here use another LHC-member-originated recipe: Fox's Shea Butter Cream which is intended for the hair - on their skin. It contains shea butter and HAIR CONDITIONER!! Occasionally formulations are interchangeable, and yield impressive results!

Lovin' LHC - the 'think outside the box' Community!

[UltraBella]

But I'm sure I've seen conditioners that do contain these ingredients? I would think that if the OP is very sparing with it, it should be OK. And a bit mixed into another conditioner wouldn't be so bad?

I would try it, probably. I mean if for example I had a product like this and wanted to use it up, I'd consider adding a small bit to a conditioner :) but then I'm also a bit :wacko: LOL.

Personally I'm more in favour of the pure shea butter though.

I have never seen a conditioner that has petrolatum in it, but if I found one I would not use it. Especially not with it that high on the ingredients list.

The worst hair disaster we have ever had to deal with in the salon was a little girl who took her mother's tub of Vaseline and rubbed it all over her head. We seriously could not get it out. We didn't have a clarifying shampoo strong enough. It was awful.

Petrolatum is fine for the skin, but it's NOT recommended for hair. The barrier petrolatum creates upon the hair shaft keeps additional, needed moisture from entering the shaft. Petrolatum/Vaseline-based products will cause the hair to shine, but will not allow the hair to be effectively moisturized. People tend to mistake the artificial shine it gives for healthy moisture. As you add more and more petrolatum-based product to the hair, the drier the hair will get. True moisture cannot get into the shaft when coated with products of this nature. Because they repel moisture, petrolatum-based products can even lead to dryness and breakage.

[gothicchick]

Some people do use it undiluted. Mixing it with a lighter oil would be fine. I just saw what you wrote about it hardening on hair - I think you'd need to use quite a large amount for that to be a problem. I think I may also have read that proper shea butter can build up on hair, I think because it contains a small amount of natural latex or something...just something to be aware of. I don't think it's anything that couldn't be removed by a clarifying shampoo though.

i see, i think i'll buy some :)

[ktani]

Have you tried the cream on your skin? If not try some on your hands then try to wash if off with a bit of your shampoo.

Yes, petrolatum can be greasy. However, the cream does not look all that bad to me. There are emulsifiers in it.

Mineral oil does NOT prevent all moisture from accessing hair.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17520153
"Although treating the hair samples with oil reduced moisture pickup, a considerable amount of moisture vapor was still able to penetrate into hair fibers."

Petrolatum is not the evil ingredient that will damage hair either. Too much of it in a product is not a great idea though.

Conditioners with too many waxes can be almost as difficult to get out of the hair as any other ingredient, barring too much of a drying oil.

Click on the Mayo Clinic link, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=225

Fox's Shea Butter Cream
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1916238&postcount=44

[ktani]

Removing full strength vaseline from hair
http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Petroleum-Jelly-from-Hair-Using-Olive-Oil-and-Detergent

And not for the weak of stomach - pumice?
http://www.creativehomemaking.com/cleaning/removing-vaseline-from-hair.shtml

Spidermom successfully used full strength Dawn diswashing detergent, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1844470&postcount=7

ETA: And http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/articles.php?f=tip959.htm

Petrolatum is often found in African American hair care products. ETA:2 It is not used on its own.

[Kyla]

I often use LHC member Euphony's Too Shea! shea butter mix on the ends of my hair, and it works fantastically for sealing in moisture and creating non-greasy shine. However, I did use it once in a mixture for a hair mask, and I had a bit of a hard time getting it out.

[ktani]

Walnut and hemp oils were no thrill to remove either. Click on the word "repeatedly", http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=190