Body butter is amazing if you tend to have dry, flaky skin, or you notice that your skin feels hard, and it’s cracking. Body butter often contains natural plant oils, composed of carrier oils or butters.  These oils and butters contain nutrients that lubricate the skin, as well as nourish, heal and promote moisture retention. If you have especially dry areas on your body such as your elbows, knees, feet, hands then body butter is worth a try. When winter rolls around, those cold temperatures can make your skin feel the winter blues. It’s because the cold, dry air causes the moisture in your skin to evaporate quickly, leaving it dry, cracking, rough and dull. When you use body butter, you help restore moisture into your skin and, depending on the plant butter (and/or oils used), block too much moisture from escaping.

Most importantly, body butter allows you to spend less for high quality ingredients that revitalize your skin and improve your complexion.

Typically, body butters contain the following plant butters. This list is not exhaustive. You may be familiar with all or a few of these:

Shea Butter

Shea butter is a seed fat that comes from the shea tree found in Eastern and Western Africa.  It’s best known to soften, heal and nourish your skin and hair. It has great anti-inflammatory properties for skin conditions such as mild rashes, redness, eczema, and mild skin irritation.  Shea butter is a popular skin superfood for its ability to help alleviate a lot of these skin ailments, while providing deep nourishment to skin and also to hair. It’s safe enough to apply directly to skin and is one of the best butters to address your dry skin needs. Add it to your hair for increased nourishment and hair growth.

 Cocoa Butter

A popular staple, it comes from the seed of the cacao plant. The seeds are roasted, and the butter is extracted from these beans. It’s often referenced as one of the best butters to help reduce scars and stretch marks. Cocoa butter is high in fatty acids and known to be deeply hydrating to skin, thereby creating beautifully soft, younger-feeling skin. Because of its deeply hydrating properties, you can massage this butter into your scalp if it tends to get dry, itchy, and dandruff-prone. Add it to your hot oil treatments for softer hair, and healthier scalp!

Coconut Oil

Derived from cold pressing the “meat” of the coconut, coconut oil is rich in fatty acids, potassium, and iron. It provides great protection to your skin from environmental toxins, and harsh winter weather. It helps repair and protect your skin from dry, winter weather by restoring moisture to your skin. Coconut oil is known to create a protective barrier in your skin to keep moisture from escaping, thus softening your skin.  Notably, it’s a great post-shower moisturizer.  If you want a some extra shine to your hair, coat your hair with coconut oil. A little goes a long way!

Mango Butter

Mango butter comes from the fatty oils extracted from the seeds of the mango fruit. It is packed with vitamins A, E, and C and it helps lock-in moisture to your skin as well protect it against UV rays (although it should not replace the use of sunscreen). Moreover, it’s a light butter known to help relieve skin itchiness and flakiness. When used in hair it’s a great sealant to keep the moisture locked into your strands, thus helping to reduce breakage. Topically, mango butter proves to be highly emollient, nourishing your skin from the inside out, ensuring smooth, firm skin.

 Kokum Butter

Kokum butter comes from the seed of a tree called the Kokum tree, which originates from India. It’s known as an effective emollient; it deeply nourishes and softens your skin, and makes an excellent conditioner that helps make your hair feel like the softest cashmere. Among other benefits, kokum butter helps prevent the degeneration of skin cells that may lead to signs of aging. A light butter, it’s easily absorbed by the skin and is a great butter if your skin is sensitive. Its high source of Vitamin E ensures skin’s health, suppleness and a refreshing, youthful glow!

 Ucuuba Butter

A natural butter cold pressed from the Ucuuba tree, it’s native to Central and South America. It’s said to be ideal in treating acne, eczema, and dry, irritated skin. It’s a butter that is high in vitamin A and E, which help stimulate skin regeneration. Considered to have anti-aging properties, ucuuba butter can help moisturize dry and mature skin. This butter can be used as part of your hair clarifying routine, as it’s anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties help cleanse your scalp.

If you’ve never tried a body butter, we definitely recommend you pick up a jar and give it a try.

If you’ve tried body butter, what are some of your favourite plant butters that you use on your skin?

Recommended Product:

Our Cocoshea Body Butter is our best-selling body butter. It contains shea butter, coconut oil and cocoa butter -- ingredients that nourish, heal and improve your skin’s elasticity. Our formulation is non-greasy, and with consistent use, will beautify, and help eliminate the dry areas on your skin. If you want smooth, softer skin, grab this butter today! It’s perfect to use year-round; a little goes a long way.