Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skin care routine.
Take The Skin Quiz
Shea butter is a fat obtained from the nuts of the African shea tree, which is indigenous to Africa. It is edible, and is used for cooking in some African countries. However, it has a range of skincare uses, due to which it’s used commonly in cosmetics and skincare products. To find out if shea butter would complement your skincare routine, take our specially designed skin quiz!
Shea butter can be used for a variety of skin-related issues. It can be used to add moisture to the skin, to balance oil levels, to reduce inflammation, provide antioxidants, to repair and rejuvenate skin, and to clear acne. However, that’s not all – not by far! Shea butter can also help reduce fine lines and wrinkles, diminish scars, help with cell regeneration, provide sun protection, reduce chapping, treat skin conditions such as eczema, and treat burns, insect bites and other wounds.
Shea butter is a wonderful, gentle ingredient that doesn’t have many side effects and has been used by millions of people for many generations. However, in some people usage on the face can lead to acne breakouts due to the fat content. In fact, if you’re sensitive to it, even using a product with a small percentage of shea butter in it may lead to a breakout.
A scar can form anywhere the skin is broken deeply enough to damage surrounding skin cells. With acne, most superficial blemishes will heal cleanly, leaving no visible evidence of prior breakouts. However, in the case of cystic acne, when a clogged pore leads to infection that travels deep into the dermis, ruptured cysts can break the follicle wall and cause the infection to damage surrounding skin cells. Collagen helps to repair the damage but leaves the skin more firm and tight than the rest of your skin. Some types of acne scarring leave a concave shape, called a pockmark. Contrary to some belief, not all acne scars are caused by picking or popping your blemishes. Some occur even if the acne is allowed to heal without picking.
To prevent sun damage from making acne scars more visible, it’s best to moisturize daily and wear sunscreen. Additionally, antioxidants protect the skin from free radicals that damage cells and speed up aging. Ingredients and nutrients like acai oil, alpha-lipoic acid, green tea extract, retinol/vitamin A, coenzyme Q10, caffeine, alpha-hydroxy acid and salicylic acid are all beneficial for preventing and reducing acne scarring. Jojoba oil is also good for reducing inflammation, fighting bacteria, and keeping in moisture for healthier skin.
Shea butter may be effective for acne scars, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
Next: Does Hydroxyacetophenone work on melasma ?