Photo by Honey Yanibel Minaya Cruz on Unsplash
What Is Hair Butter? 10 Excellent Hair Butters for Hair Growth!
By Jacqueline Samaroo
What is hair butter? Well, for many naturalistas, hair butters are the holy grail ingredients in their natural hair care arsenal.
Most of us do the best we can for our hair, shampooing, conditioning, and sometimes even using nourishing hair masques. But, even all of that might not be enough at times to give our locks the shine and moisture we crave! What might be enough then? Well, the answer is hair butter!
Keep reading as we look at hair butters and their benefits for natural hair growth. Find out about 10 different types of hair butter for hair growth – some you are already familiar with and others probably not so much. Here’s a list of the butters we have lined up for you, feel free to jump to each one:
- Shea butter
- Mango butter
- Murumuru butter
- Cocoa butter
- Ucuuba butter
- Kokum butter
- Bacuri butter
- Tamanu butter
- Cupuaçu butter
- Tucuma butter
Be sure to click through to the related articles that come after each set of hair butters. They contain greater detail about each butter’s composition, uses, and benefits.
The articles also have helpful product suggestions for the raw version of each butter and natural hair care products it’s found in.
What is hair butter?
Hair butter is a mixture of organic, mostly untreated butter, and natural oil. Both of these are amazing sources of moisture, and a superfood for hair, once combined. Hair butter is great for everyone, especially for anyone suffering from dry, damaged hair. It’s a terrific source of hydration for thirsty strands and also really helps in reducing hair breakage.
Hair butters get their name because they tend to have the consistency of the kinds of butter used in cooking. Furthermore, many hair butters are actually edible, making them great for hair from the inside and outside. They have been used as food and medicine for centuries in the culture they originated in.
Hair butters are amazing, organic ingredients that are super-nourishing for most hair types. Plus, a little goes a long way so even a small tub of hair butter can last you quite a while.
Why is hair butter good for hair?
Hair butters are extremely soothing for damaged, brittle hair that has just about had enough torment. They are also very nourishing for almost all hair types. Of course, the benefits of each hair butter for hair growth vary depending on its specific makeup. However, hair butters do have a lot in common.
- Hair butters contain large quantities of beneficial fatty acids.
- They often function as antioxidants to protect and repair cells.
- Hair butters are emollient (softening and soothing) in nature.
- Many hair butters have anti-inflammatory properties.
- They have antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, as well.
- In general, hair butters boost the health and growth of hair follicles.
- They work very well for all hair types and are especially helpful for treating dry scalp, dandruff, psoriasis, and similar scalp conditions.
- Hair butters are a healthy way to give your hair that much-desired shine!
10 Types of hair butter for hair growth
There is a whole world out there if you want to explore hair butter. But the most common ones are shea, murumuru, mango, and cocoa, amongst others. Here are some of the most loved hair butter types:
1. Shea butter
Without a doubt, shea is the most well-known hair butter for hair growth. Sourced all the way from West Africa, from the Vitellaria paradoxa tree, shea nuts produce an excellent, thick, emollient-like butter when subjected to the production process.
Traditionally, shea butter has been used prolifically for hair, skin, in order to light lamps, and even for cooking in Africa. Shea butter has a warm, nutty fragrance and is very thick in texture, but is likely to melt when it comes in contact with body heat.
Sliced mango
2. Mango butter
Yep, the seed of those sweet, juicy mangoes we love to enjoy hold a not-so-secret secret for hair growth! Mango butter, as the name suggests, comes from mango seeds, precisely the oil from the seeds.
Mango butter has a very light fragrance, is antimicrobial and antibacterial in nature. It soothes itchy, dry scalps, adding luster to hair naturally. Mango butter has also gained popularity for its benefits on skin, from moisturizing to healing cracked heels.
3. Murumuru butter
Quite similar to cocoa butter in fatty acid composition, murumuru butter comes all the way from the lush Amazon rainforests. It is derived from the seeds of a palm tree biologically known as Astrocaryum murumuru. Murumuru butter has long been used in indigenous cooking and is now being considered a cooking alternative to coconut oil as well.
Murumuru butter has been enjoying a steady increase in popularity. That may be due to the fact that this butter moisturizes and detangles so well. That makes it a fabulous choice for caring for frizzy, coarse hair.
Related article: 3 Healthy Hair Butters for Natural Hair – Shea, Mango, and Murumuru
Opened cocoa pod
4. Cocoa butter
While most of us will be used to cocoa butter as an excellent skincare ingredient, it’s use for natural hair care is just beginning to catch on. Cocoa butter, an excellent natural conditioning agent, can be used directly on hair post-shampoo and rinsed off after an hour.
Also known as Theobroma (meaning food of the gods) oil, the light-yellow butter smells and tastes like cocoa itself-yummy! Cocoa butter comes from roasted cocoa beans, commonly used for skincare and haircare alike. It is known to fight scalp and skin conditions such as dermatitis.
5. Ucuuba butter
Ucuuba butter comes from South and Central America, from cold-pressing the seeds of the Ucuuba tree. The butter is commonly used to make all sorts of bath and body products from creams to rich bathing bars, due to its high moisturizing capacity, and is also used to make candles.
6. Kokum butter
Opened kokum fruit
Kokum butter comes from the seeds of the kokum, or Garcinia India tree in India. This yellow-white butter has a mild fragrance, is perfectly emollient, and isn’t a hassle to store because it’s solid at room temperature.
Kokum butter is also excellent for people with sensitive skin and scalp, as it won’t cause any irritation. It is popular among DIYers who choose to make their own hair products that won’t irritate their skin. It is used popularly as an ingredient in homemade scrubs, moisturizers, and on its own on the body and hair.
Related article: Is Butter Good for Hair? 3 Healthy Hair Butters for Natural Hair – Cocoa, Ucuuba, and Kokum
7. Bacuri butter
Coming from northern Brazil, bacuri butter comes from the bacuri tree, as the name suggests. This dark brown butter has a deep mossy fragrance and was traditionally applied on the skin to repel insects in the rainforest. Regular use of this butter can lighten scars and improve skin texture and is also great for hair and nail health.
8. Tamanu butter
Tamanu butter, or Foraha butter, comes primarily from Asia and Africa, from the Calophyllum Inophyllum tree. It has many medicinal properties and works wonders to reduce acne on the skin. It may be a lesser-known hair butter for hair growth but it has the ability to revive hair follicles, stimulate growth, and reduce hair fall.
Related article: Bacuri and Tamanu: 2 Wonderfully Healthy Hair Butters You (Probably) Haven’t Heard of!
9. Cupuaçu butter
Cupuaçu butter comes from the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. The fruit it is derived from is similar to cocoa, except that its pulp is used to make various food products like jams and juices. This butter is fantastic for dry, flaking skin as it can restore skin moisture and softness. The butter also contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, perfect for damaged or sensitive scalp and skin.
10. Tucuma butter
Tucuma butter originates in Brazil, produced from tucuma palm seeds. Similar to murumuru butter in quality and consistency, tucuma butter is also used extensively to style hair and to get shiny, beautiful locks. Tucuma butter has a woody fragrance to it that isn’t at all overpowering. Those with sensitive noses should find it quite tolerable in their homemade natural hair care products.
Related article: Natural Haircare 2 Healthy Hair Butters – Cupuaçu and Tucuma
Now that you know what is hair butter and all about the goodness it has for natural hair, which ones are you going to try?
How can I purchase some hair butter the mango hair butter