Shea butter is an unappreciated masterpiece from nature’s best formulation when it comes to skin and hair care products. Native to West Africa, one of its distinct feature is the enormous amount of nutrients packed within it natural goodness, which are mostly under-appreciated when it comes to skin and hair care. Have you ever wondered what these nutrients individually contribute to the natural richness of shea butter, and their essential roles? Join us today as we explore one of the many lesser-known nutrient in shea butter, known as Stearic acid.
Stearic Acid
Stearic acid is obliquely mentioned as part of the nutritional value of shea butter when it is in perspective. However, only a small percentage of skin care enthusiast have an idea of what this undervalued nutrient brings to the table with respect to the natural richness of shea butter.
Stearic acid is one of the unsaturated fatty acids found in shea butter, aside from palmitic and oleic acid.
Generally, unsaturated fats are reputed to reduce heart disease and stroke inside the body. Its anti-inflammatory properties, cell health and vitamins absorption is also well-recognized. What many people aren't familiar with when it comes to unsaturated fatty acid such as stearic acid is the vital roles it plays when it comes to skin care.
Skin care roles of Stearic acid
The skin as a sensitive organ is made up of two layers of fat (lipid bilayer) that offers a lot of safeguarding properties.
Here are some of the vital functions that stearic acid found in unrefined shea butter plays in relation to skin care:
1. Emollient properties: Stearic acid act as a natural emollient when applied to the skin. It does this by filling skin cell's space like mortar around bricks (skin cells). This function of stearic acid occurs naturally when shea butter is applied to the skin, making the skin feel smooth and soft.
2. Protective barrier: Stearic acid also plays a very important role in protecting the skin from environmental damage by forming a protective-film. Environmental damages on the other hand includes dry weather, chemical pollutants or irritants, among many others. Especially in this modern world plagued with the harsh reality of climate change, you would need to take advantage all the benefits of stearic acid found in natural shea butter can offer.
3. UV light protection: This is one of the controversial functions of stearic acid abundant in unrefined shea butter. Although stearic acid is not a sunscreen, it has been known to provide some level of protection for the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, known to cause skin cancer.
4. Hydration: As part of augmenting the skin’s protective barrier, stearic acid found in shea butter in this process is known to trap moisture in between the skin and the protective film it forms. This moisture trapped helps the skin maintain it natural moisture balance, thus making shea butter ideal for preventing dry skin. This moisture trapping effects of stearic acid in shea butter also helps avert electrolyte loss in the long run, especially since electrolytes are loss along with fluids loss.
5. Skin barrier maintenance: Stearic in natural shea butter act as a refatting agent, particularly after skin cleansing. This restores the skin’s natural lipid layer and is often beneficial for people with dry, dehydrated or damaged skin when shea butter is applied.
6. Acne prevention: Acne is formed by the clogging of the skin’s pores. Stearic acid in shea butter plays an underrated and controversial function when it comes to acne prevention. It prevents the over-production of sebum, oil produced by the skin, which is a significant factor in the formation of acne among people with dryer skin.
7. Keloids or scar anti-proliferation: Another under-appreciated role of stearic acid in unrefined shea butter is its curative capacity to prevent or slow the growth of keloids. Keloids are formed as a result of overactive or uncontrolled fibroblast, which are tissues in the body that glues other tissues together. In the case of stearic acid in shea butter, it retards the proliferation of keloids by inducing natural cell programmed death, which is medically known as apoptosis for keloid-forming cells. This improves the cosmetic value of your skin naturally.
When choosing skin care product
When faced with the choice of making a decision for the best skin care product, always ensure that you select the best of nature’s formulation with a vast array of unsung heroic nourishing qualities, affordable and also environmentally friendly. Trust that the natural unrefined shea butter from Fescoms Natural, always has your back when it comes to your skin care needs. For the simple reason being that the unrefined shea butter from Fescom Natural protects, restores, moisturizers and prevent dry skin, acne, and keloids proliferation as a result of its nutrient-rich composition of stearic acid.