Choosing which natural skincare ingredient to use can be confusing. With so many skincare products claiming to make your skin healthy and beautiful, how do you even know what to buy?
The simple answer is to look for shea butter or coconut oil, two natural ingredients with proven benefits for your skin.
Coconut oil and shea butter are often used in natural skin care products, but they have a particular distinction. For example, shea butter has anti-inflammatory qualities, while coconut oil contains healing and antibacterial properties.
If you need help deciding which to choose, continue reading for a detailed comparison.
Understanding the Differences between Shea Butter and Coconut Oil
Shea butter and coconut oil provide amazing moisturizing effects and skincare benefits. However, choosing which one you should choose for your skin might be challenging, so here's a guide to know their difference.
Shea butter
Shea butter derives from the fat of the shea tree. It has an easy-to-apply creamy consistency and is ivory or off-white in color. Most shea butter is produced in West Africa.
Shea butter is a fantastic cosmetic ingredient for softening skin due to its high fatty acid and vitamin content. It also contains healing and anti-inflammatory effects. Moreover, it may condition, tone, and soothe your skin when applied to the body, particularly the face.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil originates from the extracted oil of fresh coconuts or dried coconut kernels. It contains medium-chain fatty acids with antibacterial qualities that can aid in warding off dangerous pathogens. In addition to being used in cooking, coconut oil can be used on the skin or hair.
Since many skin infections, such as acne, cellulitis, folliculitis, and athlete's foot, are brought on by bacteria or fungi, maintaining good skin health is highly crucial. Therefore, direct application of coconut oil to the skin might stop the development of these microorganisms.
Comparing the Nutritional Values of Shea Butter & Coconut Oil
You must have wondered whether shea butter would be better than coconut oil and vice versa. To help in your decision, look at this comparison of their nutritional values.
Shea butter
The amount of proteins in shea butter that can cause allergies is relatively minimal. Shea butter consists of components that balance the oils on your skin, such as oleic, palmitic, stearic, and linoleic fatty acids.
The antioxidant vitamins in shea butter support healthy skin cell growth and circulation. In addition, it also has triglycerides, the fatty component that feeds and moisturizes skin and cetyl esters that seal in moisture on the skin.
Coconut oil
Adding coconut oil to your diet and using it topically both have a variety of newly discovered health benefits. For example, it might promote fat burning, serve as a rapid energy source, and improve skin health.
Antioxidants found in this food have anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and brain-protective properties. However, research on coconut oil's advantages for heart health needs to be more consistent. Therefore, keeping your consumption to 10% of your total calorie intake is recommended.
Which is Harder, Shea Butter or Coconut Oil
The complexity of shea butter and coconut oil can change depending on the quality of the product and environmental factors. Generally, shea butter is harder than coconut oil due to its higher concentration of fatty acids, which makes it more solid at room temperature. In contrast, coconut oil has a lower melting point and is softer when compared to shea butter.
The hardness of these two ingredients can also depend on how they are processed and stored. For example, keeping shea butter in warm conditions can make them softer than coconut oil at cooler temperatures. Therefore, it is essential to consider all factors before deciding which one harder, shea butter or coconut oil.
What are the Benefits of Using Shea Butter & Coconut Oil for Skin Care?
Shea butter and coconut oil are excellent ingredients in the skincare industry. Here's the reason why:
Shea butter's power
Shea butter is frequently utilized in moisturizing skin. Diverse fatty acids are abundant in shea butter which aids in removing extra sebum from your skin. As a result, your skin's natural oil balance is restored, which could prevent acne from developing in the first place.
Triterpenes found in shea butter contribute to increased collagen synthesis. Moreover, its moisturizing and antioxidant characteristics support healthy cell regeneration in your skin.
Coconut oil's wonder
Coconut oil is frequently used as a cosmetic to enhance the health and texture of the skin. Coconut oil can increase the moisture level of dry skin. Additionally, it might make the skin work better by reducing water loss and shielding the skin from allergens, pollutants, and pathogenic agents.
According to a recent study, using six to eight drops of virgin coconut oil on your hands and letting them on overnight may alleviate dry skin. Additionally, it can lessen the severity of atopic dermatitis' mild to severe symptoms, a chronic skin condition marked by skin inflammation and deficiencies in skin barrier function.
How to Choose the Right Product for Your Skin Type
Choosing skincare products, which range from expensive serums to masks, can be intimidating, especially if you need help knowing where to begin. Start by utilizing these pointers:
Understand your skin type
Knowing your skin type and understanding it is the most important place to start when developing a skincare routine. Determine whether you have mixed, dry, sensitive, or oily skin. The objective is to supplement your program with items for your particular skin type.
Choose products that cater for your skin needs
Consider the requirements of your skin for a while. You may want to reduce the appearance of fine wrinkles, stubborn acne that won't go away with your usual regimen, or huge pores. The products you select must successfully solve the problems that worry you the most.
Conclusion
Shea butter and coconut oil provide amazing effects and benefits to your skin. Even in the kitchen, they serve nutritional values that you can't get with the other.
However, choosing between the two is challenging, with so many points to consider. So, know your skin type and listen to what it needs to alleviate and solve your problem.
