Is Shea Butter Right For You?
By Qhemet Biologics
Shea butter is often touted as a beneficial hair dress, especially to naturals who struggle with chronic dryness and breakage, but is shea butter right for you? Most products for natural hair contain shea butter because of the one sized fits all industry approach to natural hair care. At Qhemet, we recognize the diversity in afro/coily hair and have chosen to create shea butter-free formulas that contain better healthy hair ingredients such as castor, olive, green tea and moringa oils and cocoa butter instead. Here's why:
Luster & Flexibility
Out of the range of plant butters available, many naturals choose shea because it's in almost all hair products now and many aren't aware that there are alternatives. Unfortunately for some naturals, shea butter can leave hair feeling stiff and greasy instead of soft and supple. Its heaviness can also weigh down hair, decreasing flexibility and causing the hair to feel coarse which can ultimately lead to dull, drab hair that's much more prone to brittleness and breakage.
Build-Up
Shea butter is a heavy, waxy butter that can build up quickly and leave a gunky residue on the hair and scalp. Removing product build-up necessitates more frequent shampooing which in turn leads to drier, duller hair and the use of harsher shampoos. Removing shea butter from your hair care routine will allow you to avoid the waxy build-up and make the switch to a gentler shampoo or co-wash possible.
While shea butter can be beneficial to the skin, naturals who use shea butter in their hair with disappointing results know that it can create an occlusive barrier that keeps water and nutrients out. Your hair may feel soft initially because of its oiliness but you'll notice that the softness doesn't last for long. Naturals who use shea butter often find themselves in a frustrating and repetitive cycle of reapplying products or spritzing their hair with water multiple times a day just to keep the dryness at bay. While some naturals can achieve healthy hair with shea butter, others cannot and find that it can actually cause more dryness, breakage and an inability to retain length in the long run.
The Solution
Qhemet products contain a balanced and effective combination of water, humectants, oils and butters that retain and draw moisture to the hair and lock it in, preventing moisture loss across several days. Qhemet is unique in that we recognize the diversity in afro/coily hair and have identified ways to keep it hydrated and healthy using nourishing ingredients that are more effective than shea butter and yield better short and long term results. So if you've ever wondered why shea based products give you stiff, waxy hair instead of the luscious mane you expected, you are not alone. Nature has gifted us with a myriad of other healthy hair butters and oils to choose from and we've carefully curated the most effective ones to use in our products!
