Shea Butter, moisturizer or sealant?..... Again

Hello Ladies, I asked this question before about whether or not shea butter is a moisturizer or a sealant, and the impression I got was that shea butter is a sealant. However I was on another forum and one of the ladies was adamant about shea butter being a moisturizer and I also looked at a few sites, either they did not answer my question or they stated that shea butter can be used as a moisturizer. So ladies please weigh in, Moisturizer or Sealant?

Also I would think MOISTure equals water or water-based....

In my opinion shea butter is a sealant because it does not penetrate the hair shaft. I think that it gets confused with being a moisturizer because it can do a great job with masking dryness - but once it's gone, the dryness returns. I consider moisturizers to be products that penetrate the hair shaft and give you more than a temporary feeling of proper moisture. In my experience shea butter has never done anything to address the dryness issues I used to have. My hair does favor shea butter and now that I use it as a sealant I have gotten way better results.

But like I said....this is just my opinion.

Good question, I just started using unrefined shea butter and have the impression it is a moisturizer, although I use it to seal too. At first I hated the smell but love it now. I rub it on my hands at night too.
The back of my hands have really improved since I started using it.

so i just assumed it was a moisturizer. Ms.Fenty, what is your experience?

tiashauntee wrote:In my opinion shea butter is a sealant because it does not penetrate the hair shaft. I think that it gets confused with being a moisturizer because it can do a great job with masking dryness - but once it's gone, the dryness returns. I consider moisturizers to be products that penetrate the hair shaft and give you more than a temporary feeling of proper moisture. In my experience shea butter has never done anything to address the dryness issues I used to have. My hair does favor shea butter and now that I use it as a sealant I have gotten way better results.

But like I said....this is just my opinion.

I couldn't have said it better. I agree in that I think its a sealant because it doesn't absorb into my hair. I usually use a light leave in then seal with shea butter on top... Hope this helps!

jlowman1 wrote:

tiashauntee wrote:In my opinion shea butter is a sealant because it does not penetrate the hair shaft. I think that it gets confused with being a moisturizer because it can do a great job with masking dryness - but once it's gone, the dryness returns. I consider moisturizers to be products that penetrate the hair shaft and give you more than a temporary feeling of proper moisture. In my experience shea butter has never done anything to address the dryness issues I used to have. My hair does favor shea butter and now that I use it as a sealant I have gotten way better results.

But like I said....this is just my opinion.

I couldn't have said it better. I agree in that I think its a sealant because it doesn't absorb into my hair. I usually use a light leave in then seal with shea butter on top... Hope this helps!

I completely agree ladies. I'm a natural newbie who was completely mislead by people (or websites) telling me to use shea butter as a "moisturizer" for my dry hair. So I did just that and the result was soft touchable hair for the moment, then dry brittle/crunchy hair just hours later. As I began doing more of my own research I learned that oils and particularly butters are best used as sealants AFTER the application of a water-based moisturizer. FINALLY! The answer to my dry hair dilemma! All of the information out there can really get confusing! Looks like you've done your research so just do what works best for your hair and most importantly, listen to what your hair is telling you it needs- best piece of advice I ever got!

@swoodward I used it briefly as a moisturizer for my new growth, but it didn't seem to work for that purpose, my hair (and skin) felt dry shortly after. I have been using it as a sealant (even on my relaxed hair), and it seems to be working. I just want to be sure, I was trying to help someone else and I don't want to give her the wrong info...

I'm glad someone else addressed this. I think I've read too much information too quickly and get easily confused by what to put on my hair and in which order. This helps a lot. Thanks!

Mmm. Well, now that i think about it, shea butter is the last thing I put on my hair and so it probably is sealing the water based moisturizers I use. I haven't used it by itself and won't try now.

I hadn't weighed in here because I wasn't sure. But today I happened to be looking at my Oyin Whipped Shea and Whipped Pudding to re-read the ingredients and went onto the oyinhandmade.com website. And for the Whipped Shea it says:

This is a different product than our Whipped Pudding, which is a cream blend of oils & butters mixed with aloe vera gel and spring water. Whipped Shea is a butter with no water soluble ingredients.

I was like [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] aaaah, okay, now I see what they were talking about with the shea butter as a moisturizer or sealant. It's a sealant since there are not moisture (water based) providing ingredients in it. I hope that's right. When I realized this it helped me think about how I was using shea on my hair....all wrong. I was using it as a moisturizer instead of sealant. I got it now though.

Great topic.

Shea butter, any butters, oils are just that...oils. I used to get so irritated reading website info that referred to oils/butters as moisturizers. Oil can not moisturized the hair...water (based ingredients) can. During my transition (5 years ago) I figured this out and adjusted my regy accordingly. In fact back then I developed a lil acronym (M.O.P.S. = moisturize, oils, protect, stimulate (scalp). My hair started growing outta control!!

Please don't confuse an oil/butter type ingredient as a moisturizer because it can surely cause dry hair problems down the road...which will lead brittle hair = breakage.

When you all use shea butter as a sealant are you doing it on wet or dry hair? I ask because when I use any type of butters/creamy oil blends (i.e. oyin burnt sugar pomade) on wet hair my hair is white from the product, so I was wondering how others use these and avoid that (if it's even possible). TIA!

Sealant.

Oh came back...I forgot to answer the question...I use shea butter as a sealant!

Peachtree wrote:In fact back then I developed a lil acronym (M.O.P.S. = moisturize, oils, protect, stimulate (scalp).

Cute...good way to help understand/remember products to use.

im still confused so when you all say sealant you mean the ends of hair when u twist?? im new also, i dont get what you all mean when you say sealant over moisturizer? i guess what are the steps u use to most and then seal...

thanks

great information..thanks for clearing up my fog!

@ naturalchic- You use water or water based moisturizer, then seal in the moisture with a sealant (oil/butter of your choice). Some women do it from root to tip or from the ends up close to the root. You should probably do this daily regardless of your style. Some women use shea butter on their twists/braids/etc. because it provides some hold as well.
(At least this is the impression I've gotten from my research so far)

Ms.Fenty wrote:@ naturalchic- You use water or water based moisturizer, then seal in the moisture with a sealant (oil/butter of your choice). Some women do it from root to tip or from the ends up close to the root. You should probably do this daily regardless of your style. Some women use shea butter on their twists/braids/etc. because it provides some hold as well.
(At least this is the impression I've gotten from my research so far)

Thank you Ms. Fenty,

That makes more sense. im gonna try that water based first then seal with oil or butter. thanks this really is a learning process, but i feel more knowledgeable about my hair care or what products i put in my hair.

About moisturizing and sealing....

I'm transitioning. After I am done washing hair, I seal in the water with coconut oil. I let it be sopping wet at this point, and oil my scalp. I oil the ends and hair a bit too.

The next week, the scalp still feels oily from coconut oil. every day, I add water (just plain water) to my scalp and new growth. Is this water I add actually moisturizing my hair? can it get through the coconut oil, to the scalp? Is there a better routine to have strong, moist hair?

Are people aware of the leave in conditioner that kimmay uses-it has both a moisturizer(kknt) leave in conditioner Aloe Vera Juice(ph balancer) and TWO leave in oils jojoba and castor all mixed together. How do u guys feel about that? is that fine putting a sealant and moisturizer together like that?

I agree with what Tiashauntee said as well. Any oils are considered sealants (except for jojoba and evoo and I think avocado oils because they penetrate the shaft). Any other oil or butter is used as a sealant to seal in whatever moisture you put on your hair!

I

Ishe wrote:Are people aware of the leave in conditioner that kimmay uses-it has both a moisturizer(kknt) leave in conditioner Aloe Vera Juice(ph balancer) and TWO leave in oils jojoba and castor all mixed together. How do u guys feel about that? is that fine putting a sealant and moisturizer together like that?

It's my understanding that adding aloe vera to the mix causes it to be a moisturizer. The same is true with some of our shea butter mixes. I would suggest doing some research on making your own moisture. Also you'll see some of our favorite products have sealants in them, but they are considered moisturizers because of their other ingredients.

This was mentioned in a fee posts above your question.

On my skin Shea does feel very moisturising though, and is the only body cream that lasts for a couple days, even though I use it on dry skin. I guess it's an illusion!

Edit - or is it possible that it is able to penetrate skin (and thus moisturise), but not hair?

Shea butter is a very big part of my hair regime and i use it as a sealant on wash day i use a leave in on damp hair than shea butter mix , on regular day i damp my hair than i seal with shea butter mix and oil my scalp with jojoba once and the blue

SisterBoyd has touched on the very thing I was thinking. I'm still learning myself, but was the original question about pure unrefined shea without any additives? Because what about all the specialty items everyone raves about such as Oyin whipped pudding and Afroveda's shea amla and all the many others that boast such great moisture? Is is that after the oils and aloe and all the other stuff is added, that it is now a moisturizer and a sealant? Some of those butters are loaded with all sorts of stuff, other butters, oils and ayurvedic ingredients aloe gel/juice and yes even water. Are these all in ones, and require no water based leave in first. I finally understand that you have to apply something after a water based product, but what if that product first ingredient is water, then followed by a ton of oils and butters in it, such as Oyin, Afroveda, Myhoneyschild and many others? (I'm just not fully understanding this) And I agree with the others that report their hands are in fact improving since working with Shea. I'm just really trying to get an understanding. thx