Why Is Cocoa Butter So Good For Your Skin?

Thousands of years ago, the ancient Aztecs and Mayans used cocoa as medicine to treat various ailments like fatigue, dysentery, angina, dental problems, and hemorrhoids. These ancient Mexicans even went as far as using cocoa as their currency.

Recently, studies have shown that cocoa has fantastic benefits for your skin. Several pieces of research conducted have shown that cocoa has compounds known as phytochemicals, and it is these chemicals that are responsible for your healthy skin. Read on to discover why you should have cocoa butter as part of your beauty regimen for flawless skin.

What Is Cocoa Butter?

Cocoa butter is a type of vegetable fat extracted from the cocoa tree, a plant originally cultivated by the Mayans. Today, cocoa trees are distributed in various locations all over the world. They can be found in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

For many years, cocoa beans were used to make chocolate, and it only recently that their benefits for skin were discovered.

How Is Cocoa Butter Extracted From Cocoa Beans?

To extract the butter from the cocoa beans, the cocoa bean pods are open, and then the beans are removed. The beans are then crushed and pressed to remove the butter. To make the process of removing the butter easier, the seeds can be placed into sacks and stored in a warm room. The natural heat will then make it easier to extract the butter, and no artificial heat is necessary. The heat pulls out the cocoa butter making it easier to collect it. Once collected, the cocoa butter is cooled and stored in a semi-solid form.

Difference between Cacao and Cocoa

The two terms can be confusing, and most people may use them interchangeably. However, cocoa and cacao are not the same things. Cacao beans are the raw forms of cocoa beans. Cacao beans are typically found inside the oval-shaped pods that are still on the cocoa tree. Once ready, cacao beans are harvested, fermented, and then dried.

To transform them into cocoa beans, cacao beans are roasted and processed. It is the cocoa beans that are then used to make the cocoa butter. The hydraulic machine is used to extract the butter from the cocoa beans.

Once the butter is removed from the cocoa beans, the remaining parts of the grain are then used to make the cocoa powder, which is used to make chocolate.

Cocoa butter is ivory or off-white and has fats that make it resistant to oxidation. Thus, cocoa butter can stay for longer without needing preservatives. It is these special fats that make cocoa butter beneficial for the skin, hair, and other uses.

Benefits of Cocoa Butter for Your Skin

Helps Reduce Scars and Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are the long and narrow strips that appear on the surface of the skin. They vary from person to person. Hence, they can be flat and pale or red and raised. These marks appear when the skin has been stretched too rapidly, and both men and women can have stretch marks.

Fortunately, with the regular use of cocoa butter, you can diminish the appearance of the unsightly skin marks. Besides softening stretch marks, cocoa butter can help prevent them if applied on time. For instance, expectant mothers who use cocoa butter from the first month, throughout their pregnancy and even after delivery can prevent stretch marks from forming on their skin.

Cocoa butter is also useful in reducing the appearance of scars. Whether it’s an acne scar or an injury scar, scars are unsightly. Moreover, scars significantly affect your self-esteem, especially when they are on your face. However, with the regular use of cocoa butter, you can reduce the appearance of the scars and stop being self-conscious of your skin.

Eliminates Wrinkles From The Face

Even though wrinkles are a sign of aging and may come at the right time, most of the time, they come early. You can avoid this unpleasant situation by regularly applying cocoa butter on your face. Cocoa butter for wrinkles is an excellent idea as the butter moisturizes the skin and slows down the rate of aging and leaves you with a clear skin free of wrinkles. If you have the fine lines already, cocoa butter can help minimize their appearance. Moreover, cocoa butter reignites your skin’s natural glow.

Acts As A Deep Moisturizer

Since it is high in fatty acids, cocoa butter profoundly moisturizes the skin, hence, making it look healthy. Due to this hydrating attribute of cocoa butter, the butter has become stable among various moisturizing body lotions and lip balms.

Due to its wonderful ingredients, which also include palmitic, oleic, and stearic acids, cocoa butter nourishes the skin giving it a vibrant glow in its natural form. Apply cocoa butter on the face before bed and enjoy beautiful skin.

Additionally, cocoa butter fastens the healing of cracked and dry skin. This is because the butter is quickly absorbed by the skin when applied on the dry or cracked skin.

For best and fast results, apply cocoa butter on damp skin after taking a shower. Do not completely dry off the skin. This helps the butter to be absorbed well and faster by the skin.

Makes Your Skin Healthy

People with sensitive skin often suffer from dermatitis. Dermatitis is a form of skin irritation that has symptoms like dry skin, rashes, or reddened skin. At times, dermatitis can cause the skin to flake off or crust, ooze, and blister. Generally, dermatitis is a skin condition that can make you self-conscious and even embarrassed, especially when flaking occurs.

People suffering from this skin condition can rely on the benefits of cocoa butter to minimize the symptoms.

The reason why cocoa butter is useful for managing dermatitis is that cocoa butter has ingredients known as polyphenols. It is these ingredients that help improve skin's elasticity and collagen production. With the improved elasticity and increased collagen production, your skin will improve, and the dryness will substantially reduce paving the way for better-looking and healthy skin.

Makes You Look Younger

Free radicals are the enemy of youthful-looking skin. These radicals are unstable atoms, which result from oxidation brought about by stress. When the oxidative stress is too much, the body loses its ability to fight the unstable atoms. When this happens, wrinkles begin to appear. Besides the wrinkles, the presence of the unstable atoms on the skin can also result in skin dullness and dark spots. Cocoa butter helps you get rid of these aging signs because it contains antioxidants, which are vital in stopping premature aging of the skin.

The antioxidants help repair the skin after the damage caused by the free radicals. Therefore, if you want to prevent premature aging and look your best, you have to use cocoa butter.

Helps Skin Heal Faster

Cocoa butter leaves your skin healthy and supple after moisturizing it. When applied on skin damaged by acne, cocoa butter soothes the infection, thereby leaving your skin ready to begin the process of repairing the skin cells.

Cocoa butter can help the skin heal faster when applied to the acne. Additionally, cocoa butter helps the faster healing of the dry skin left after the breakout. Since it is a deep moisturizer, cocoa butter can help the skin become soft and smooth again.

Extra Skin Care Tips

Besides using cocoa butter, there are some skincare rules that you should follow. For more tips on how to get that flawless skin you have always wanted, observe the following.

Manage Stress

One of the leading causes of problem skin is stress. Stress can cause skin issues like acne and dryness. It also makes your skin over sensitive hence triggering these skin problems.

It is impossible to avoid stress, but you can manage it and prevent its adverse effects on your skin. Things that you can do to manage stress include yoga and taking walks.

Have An Effective Bedtime Routine

If you discover that you always wake up with dry skin, then it is time to change your bedroom routine. Instead of changing your morning routine, fix the night time routine, and you will see a significant change.

Have Sufficient Sleep

Our minds act as computers that need rebooting every night for them to continue working correctly and be able to process every single detail. Getting a good night's sleep will help your skin rejuvenate and become healthy. Typically, seven to eight hours of sleep is sufficient for your body, including your skin to rejuvenate.

Use A Good Cleanser

Cleansers are critical for beautiful skin as they get rid of the dirt from the surface of the skin. However, the wrong cleanser can cause adverse results. For instance, a foaming cleanser can strip the skin of its oil, thereby leaving it dry, tight, and more prone to acne.

Furthermore, the foaming cleanser can lead to premature aging of the skin and a general sensitivity to the environment.

Instead of using the foaming cleanser, opt for a non-foaming one. A non-foaming cleanser thoroughly cleans the skin without stripping the skin’s natural oil.

To get the most out of cocoa butter, use the butter in its natural form. If you can't find natural cocoa butter, then go for products that have cocoa butter in its organic form.