What Is Cocoa Butter?
Cocoa Butter can resemble decadent desserts like chocolate bars, puff pastry, and chocolate chip ice cream. However, this delicious ingredient is also present in skin creams and other health and beauty products. Unlike it in your sweet, the butter from your skincare routine won’t make you gain weight. But can it improve your appearance?
It is a type of fat obtained from cocoa beans. The beans are taken from a larger cocoa plant to make cocoa butter. Then they are fried, peeled, and pressed to separate the fat – cocoa butter. The leftovers are then administered into cocoa powder.
Cocoa has been used medicinally for about 3000 years. It was a desired ingredient of the earliest Aztecs and Mayans, who even used cocoa as currency. More recently, investigators have found that mixtures called phytochemicals in cocoa can help keep both your body and skin healthy.
Can it improve the appearance of your skin? Let’s take a look at the scientific evidence supporting claims about this sweet treat.
What Is The Use Of Cocoa Butter?
Cocoa butter is rich in fatty acids, so it is often touted to moisturize, nourish the skin and improve elasticity. The fat in it forms a protective barrier on the skin to retain moisture.
It is also rich in natural plant compounds called phytochemicals. These substances can improve blood flow to the skin and slow skin ageing while protecting against damage from harmful UV rays from the sun.
It smoothes scars, wrinkles, and other marks on the skin. And also, it treats rashes for conditions such as eczema and dermatitis. Many women use cocoa buttercreams and lotions during and after pregnancy to prevent and minimize the appearance of stretch marks.
How To Use Cocoa Butter?
You will often see cocoa butter in body lotions and creams. Because it is edible, it is also present in some lip balms. Many products contain sunscreen or vitamins. You can rub one of these products on your skin or lips daily as part of your skincare regimen.
Many cocoa butter lotions and other products contain only small cocoa butter and other ingredients and additives. If you’re looking for purity, buy it in sticks that are 100% cocoa butter. Or, if additives bother you, take a chunk of whole, unrefined cocoa butter and melt it in hot water to make your product.
Some home craftsmen have gone beyond simple creams and lotions. They have created their homemade cocoa butter skincare lines. Some people combine it with various oils, such as coconut oil or vitamin E, and use the mixture as a moisturizing shampoo. Others use it to make shaving lotion.
Health Benefits of Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter, also called the obroma butter, is a light yellow vegetable fat obtained from cocoa beans. Manufacturers ferment, dry, roast, grind, and press cocoa beans to extract them.
Cocoa beans are grown in tropical regions around the equator – the hot, humid climate is suitable for growing cocoa trees. Most of the world’s cocoa beans come from West Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast.
It is versatile. Not only is it a must-have component in U.S.-made chocolate, but it’s also a popular ingredient in skin creams, lotions, lip balms, and dessert recipes.
1. Get Vitamin E
Cocoa butter is a decent source of vitamin E that benefits your body in many ways. Vitamin E supports vision, reproductive function, and the health of your brain, skin, and blood.
2. Keep Your Skin Hydrated
Cocoa butter is high in fatty acids, so it works well as the main ingredient in skin creams. Fatty acids help moisturize the skin. The fat in it makes a defensive barrier that tricks moisture and prevents the skin from drying out.
3. Healing Properties Of The Skin
Cocoa butter is the main ingredient in many topical treatments for conditions such as eczema and dermatitis. Oil-based its rich moisture content and protective properties relieve itching and allow the skin to heal after flare-ups.
4. Sun Damage Protection
Exposure to UV radiation can cause changes in skin texture, damage skin cells, and even increase the risk of skin cancer. The phytochemicals in it can defend the skin from the damaging effects of UV rays and reduce the risk of skin disease.
5. Healthier Cholesterol Levels
High cholesterol is a risk factor for diseases such as heart disease. It can help accomplish this risk factor and reduce the likelihood of a heart attack. It contains stearic acid, which your liver can convert into a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid. Oleic acid lowers bad (LDL) cholesterol and raises good (HDL) cholesterol.
How Does Cocoa Butter Work With Other Moisturizers?
Due to its high-fat content, it is thicker and thicker to the touch than many other moisturizers. It is often compared to shea butter, obtained from the seeds of the shea tree found in West and Central Africa.
Shea butter is also rich in fatty acids, although it doesn’t smell as sweet as cocoa butter.
Unlike this, shea butter contains vitamins that help repair skin damage and speed up healing.
Cocoa Butter For Face
You can apply it to your skin one or more times a day. Using it can improve the overall condition and appearance of facial skin. Moisture, elasticity, and sun protection are all essential attributes to maintain healthy skin.
Since pure cocoa butter becomes oily when melted, it might be a good idea to try it as a natural makeup remover. Thicker close to room temperature can work well on dry lips.
Risks And Warnings
Cocoa butter is considered safe for the skin. Manufacturers of its creams say it is safe to use during pregnancy. For people who are sensitive to it or other ingredients in its products, this can cause a rash or different allergic reaction.
Some have questioned the effects of ingredients added to its products. A 2015 study found that one cocoa butter product was anti-estrogenic. It means that it reduces or blocks the results of the female hormone estrogen on the body.
Exposure to foods with antiestrogenic effects can affect adolescent development during puberty. However, this evidence is still new, and it does not influence the development of children.
The Essence
Many people use it because they like the way it feels on their skin, or they think it improves the appearance of their skin. There is nothing wrong with trying one of these foods unless you are sensitive to it.
You can find its formulas in supermarkets, drug stores, the Internet, and natural food stores. If supplements bother you, buy 100 per cent it and make your skincare products.
Remember, these products have not been proven effective in improving skin colour, reducing wrinkles, or reducing stretch marks. Most of the evidence supporting these claims is anecdotal.
If you are looking for a treatment for specific skincare, consult your doctor or dermatologist. They can help you design a skincare regimen that best suits your needs.
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