Have you ever bought a skincare product or lip balm and looked at the ingredient deck to see that beeswax was part of the product formula? And did you ever wonder what exactly that beeswax did? Turns out, beeswax has many benefits for your skin and can play an important role in product formulas. So what exactly are these benefits, and how does beeswax compare to Shea butter when it comes to skincare?
For starts, beeswax is a wax while Shea butter is an oil. In fact, beeswax is actually secreted from the glands on the sides of honeybees, where it then hardens along the honeycomb hive walls. Shea butter is pressed from the nuts of the Shea, or Karite tree, where low heat is then used to soften the butter and filter out any solid debris. Both are helpful in keeping the skin moisturized and hydrated. What’s interesting about beeswax is that it is also a humectant, meaning it attracts water from the atmosphere to itself, similar to Hyaluronic Acid. Shea butter, on the other hand, is rich with skin cell building essential fatty acids that keep your cellular membranes healthy and flexible, which in turn prevents cellular water loss.
Both beeswax and Shea butter also have antibacterial properties that make them extra useful when used in skincare because on top of being hydrating, they also help to keep skin infections and even potential irritations at bay. Additionally, both Shea butter and beeswax help with wound healing because of their skin protectant qualities and their antibacterial properties.
Raw African Shea butter and beeswax are also used in the skincare world as product thickeners, so if you are someone who enjoys making your own skincare then the two ingredients would work beautifully. And because they are so similar in so many ways, yet have their slight differences, using them together in your homemade skincare is a great way to enhance both ingredients for effective and fun Shea butter skincare at home.
Nature is a beautiful thing. There are so many wonderful substances we can use to take care of our skin. It’s why we love Shea butter so much, and why we have so much fun making skincare with it. Beeswax, though different, is a fun, effective and interesting skincare ingredient that can go a long way in your Shea butter skincare concoctions. Or at the very least, next time you compare two ingredient decks, you’ll have a better understanding of what Shea butter and beeswax do in the formulas.
If you're ready to try out the healing properties of shea butter for yourself, try our popular and versatile raw shea butter.