“Caramel is a passing thing. Chocolate is what's constant." M. S. Hershey
Thousands of years ago, the Mayan people had a sacred tree with amazing brown fruits. The Mayans endowed the chocolate tree with magical properties; from its fruits they extracted an oily liquid, a universal balm that healed wounds and gave women of ancient tribes unfading beauty. The benefits of cocoa butter for the face have survived to this day - it is used in aromatherapy and cosmetology.
Beneficial features
It is made in several complex stages. As a result of unique hot pressing, two products are produced: cocoa powder and butter itself, which has a rich supply of useful substances: fatty acids (stearic, oleic, palmitic, linoleic), biologically active substances (campesterols, tocopherols, beta-sitosterols).
Thanks to this composition, the oily substrate has an immediate softening effect, deeply moisturizes the dermis, improves the condition of the epidermis, helping it become more elastic, smooth and firm.
In addition to antioxidants, cocoa butter contains other benefits
- Oleic acid
This substance has a beneficial effect on tissues and the cardiovascular system, namely: it strengthens the walls of blood vessels, increases the elasticity of tissues and the strength of the epidermis, and cleanses the blood of cholesterol.
- Palmitic acid
This acid is responsible for the body's absorption of nutrients.
- Linoleic acid
An acid that prevents the body from losing moisture and even promotes weight loss.
- Vitamin F
Vitamin F improves overall skin tone and accelerates collagen production.
- Vitamin E
Vitamin E tightens the skin and gives rejuvenation.
- Polyphenols
Advantages
The chocolate butter itself is hard, with a brittle consistency. It melts at a temperature of 32°-35° C. And at a temperature of 40° C it becomes transparent. Its usual color ranges from creamy white to the entire range of brown. The oil does not oxidize (if it is included in cosmetic products, the latter retain their properties much longer). This product is completely non-toxic and non-allergenic. Using cocoa butter on the face gives the skin many benefits:
- Improved appearance, color restoration
- Deep nutrition, hydration of the dermis
- Excellent pore cleansing
- Elimination of pimples and blackheads
- Resisting the first signs of aging
- Soothing irritation and inflammation
- Whitening pigmentation
- Restoration of the epidermis, healing of minor wounds
- Regulating fat metabolism
- Increased production of hyaluronic acid, collagen
- Protecting your face from chapping and frostbite
Here are the benefits of using cocoa butter on your face
- Easily and painlessly eliminates or retouches skin imperfections: deep and facial wrinkles, acne marks, scars from boils, age spots;
- Prevents the occurrence of wrinkles;
- Cream with cocoa extracts activates overall facial skin rejuvenation;
- Saturates skin cells with moisture;
- Prevents stretch marks;
- Promotes skin healing after burns, chapping or frostbite;
- Increases skin elasticity;
- Gives the face a pleasant, even, healthy color.
Which skin is best suited?
Natural cocoa butter for the face, which is used in cosmetology, has a higher degree of purification and contains absolutely no impurities or additional additives. This is the purest product that will become a reliable friend and assistant for:
- Dry flaky skin
- Problematic, with inflammation
- Gaunt pale skin
- Oily with gloss and enlarged pores
- Beginning to age (with the first age-related changes)
It is instantly absorbed into the epidermis without leaving an oily sheen. Its use in care is easy and convenient. And first of all, it is very effective.
Benefits of cocoa butter for facial skin
Since extracting oil from cocoa beans is a long and painstaking process, it is considered one of the most valuable vegetable oils. Thanks to its high omega-3 acid content, cocoa butter replaces many cosmetic products, leaving the skin velvety and radiant. Due to the high concentration of other essential acids - oleic, palmitic, stearic and linoleic - cocoa butter can perform many functions.
High-quality cocoa butter has a neutral odor and melts quickly in your hands
For example, it perfectly fights free radicals, restores the cellular structure of the skin, disinfects the upper layers of the epidermis and strengthens the walls of capillaries. It is precisely because of its antioxidant properties that the oil is useful for skin that is rapidly losing elasticity and moisture, i.e. tired and aged. Among other beneficial substances of cocoa butter, vitamins and microelements occupy a special place:
- Vitamin A. Restores the deep layers of the skin and gently renews the upper layer of the epidermis.
- Vitamin E. Protects the skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation and stimulates the healing of wounds and irritations.
- Vitamin K. Eliminates inflammatory processes in skin cells.
- Tannin. Tones the skin and improves complexion.
Cocoa butter ideally moisturizes facial skin, eliminates fine lines and wrinkles and fights premature aging characteristic of dry skin types. In summer, cocoa butter serves as a protective agent against sunburn, and in winter it protects the skin from chapping and freezing. The oil is so versatile that you can even use it on your lips and eyelids! It also resolves acne marks and heals acne.
True, the oil is not very suitable for oily skin, since it can cause excessive oiliness, but it works ideally as a spot wound healing agent. Cocoa butter is quickly absorbed and penetrates deep into the epidermis, saturating it with moisture - even hypersensitive skin becomes soft and elastic without weighing down or irritating. And with a sallow and unhealthy complexion, cocoa butter will help you achieve a healthy glow.
Best Recipes
In its purest form
This is an excellent anti-aging treatment. It can be used instead of any usual cream for the face, eye area and lips.
- Thoroughly free your face from makeup;
- Hold a stick of butter in your hands until it melts slightly;
- Apply to skin (better in the evening)
If your face is peeling, replace your day cream with oil (under makeup). It will also help your lips get rid of wounds, jams, and crusts. There are periods when eyebrows and eyelashes simply need care (after the extension procedure, or during the period of vitamin deficiency). Lubricate your delicate hairs with this magical product, preferably before going to bed. In the eye area, cocoa butter will refresh the skin color in the lower part of the eyelids (remove gray, yellow spots under the eyes).
In the form of a cream
This cream is an ideal way to combat the dryness of the aging dermis. It can also be used in the eye area. The finished cream will preserve its healing power in the refrigerator if you place it in a glass jar.
Method 1 . Using a water bath, melt a mixture of oils: cocoa (25 g), jojoba (5 ml), olive (30 ml). Mix well and place the container in chilled water. Continue stirring until cool. Then add two drops of sandalwood essential oil. The cream is ready.
Method 2 . In a container, mix cocoa butter (25 g), lanolin and paraffin (5 ml each), petroleum jelly (15 g). Place the mixture in a water bath. Stir it constantly. After all the ingredients have melted, add warmed rose, non-alcoholic water (45 ml). Knead thoroughly, then beat the mixture with a mixer until it cools completely. Ready.
How is it useful?
The benefits of cocoa butter in cosmetology are widely known - it is added to various facial care products. Valuable properties for the skin are represented by the following effects:
- Softening.
- Moisturizing.
- Nutritious.
- Rejuvenating.
The fatty acids that make up the oil are perfect for the epithelium, restoring its lipid layer, thereby protecting it from harmful environmental factors (wind, frost). Polyunsaturated components and tocopherol have antioxidant properties, which protects the skin from the negative effects of oxygen radicals involved in the aging process.
Due to the content of methylxanthines, microcirculatory processes are improved and the supply of oxygen to tissues is improved. This leads to increased tone, narrowing of pores, and evening out the color tone. Tannins, having astringent properties and inhibiting the development of microbes, help combat the imperfections of problem skin and accelerate the healing of damage.
By softening and moisturizing the skin, cocoa butter makes it pleasant to the touch and helps smooth out wrinkles. The severity of scar changes is reduced, the overall relief of the face is leveled. The dermis is saturated with nutritional ingredients that stimulate the synthesis of the intercellular matrix and collagen fibers.
Cocoa butter is a valuable product that has a versatile effect on the skin.
What is this product
Do not confuse cocoa butter with chocolate substance.
In its pure form it is white, light yellow or brownish. Has a pleasant chocolate aroma. At a temperature of 16 degrees it becomes hard and brittle. The melting point of the product is 32°C, i.e. upon contact with the skin, it turns into a liquid mass. When heated to 40 °C it becomes transparent and resembles melted butter.
The product consists of 70% oleic and stearic acids. The remaining 30% are palmitic and lauric acids, as well as linoleic and arachidic acid in small quantities.
Use of cocoa butter in cosmetology
Cocoa butter is also known to be used in cosmetology. It is often the main component of home cosmetics. As a result of using such products, the skin becomes resistant to sun, frost and other adverse environmental influences. In addition, cocoa butter promotes rejuvenation, elimination of spider veins, softening, elasticity and hydration.
Mask for the face
To eliminate wrinkles and restore skin tone, you can use this mask. A teaspoon of melted cocoa butter needs to be combined with 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley. This mixture must be applied, rubbing, onto cleansed facial skin and left for 15-20 minutes. After this, rinse with warm water and wipe your face with a piece of ice.
Using cocoa butter for the skin around the eyes
The oil will also help you care for the skin around the eyes. It is worth making an oil compress. Fold the gauze several times (about 5-7 times). Soak in butter melted in a steam bath. The oil should be warm and pleasant in temperature for the skin. Apply to face. Place dry gauze or cotton wool on top, and then a terry or waffle towel. Leave the mask on for about half an hour. Wash off the mask with contrast water.
Make a decoction of parsley for ice: pour 200 ml of boiling water over 30 g (2 tablespoons) of parsley. Make ice cubes and wipe your face with them after the mask.
We often experience puffiness around the eyes or dark circles. Soak several sponges in melted butter and place on problem areas. Leave for half an hour. Remove the mask with a napkin or waffle towel, and then wipe with ice.
Clay mask
Three spoons of natural cocoa should be mixed with two spoons of clay and the same volume of natural yogurt. Then add a teaspoon of coconut oil and lemon juice to the mixture. This mask perfectly moisturizes the skin and is suitable for all skin types.
Nourishing and revitalizing mask
A mask based on cocoa butter is relevant in the cold season, when the skin peels off from frost, wind, turns red and becomes rough to the touch. To restore healthy elasticity to the skin
prepare a mixture of the following ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon cocoa
- egg yolk
- spoon of freshly squeezed carrot juice
- spoon of natural honey
Mix everything in an enamel bowl, after melting the butter in it in a water bath. Apply the mixture thoroughly mixed until smooth, using circular massaging movements on your face. There will still be quite a lot of mixture left in the cup - you will need it later. Wait for the first applied layer to dry, and carefully apply the second, do the same with the third and subsequent layers - until the mass in the cup runs out. 10 minutes after the last layer has dried, thoroughly rinse off the mask and self-massage your face on active points.
Anti-wrinkle remedy
Grind a teaspoon of cocoa butter (pre-melted) with chicken yolk, add 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of carrot juice. Then add 6-8 drops of lemon juice.
Mask for any skin type - life-giving
To prepare it you will need more unusual ingredients.
Condensed milk - 1 tsp.
Cocoa butter - 1 tsp.
Fruit or vegetable juice - 1 tsp.
Mix everything and apply to the face for 10-15 minutes. After use, rinse with cool water.
Mastering the art of making facial products from cocoa butter
The effectiveness of any cosmetic product is largely determined by the correct preparation and use of it, and cocoa butter in this case is no exception. A few simple rules will help you master this simple science and set up a real beauty salon at home.
— When purchasing, pay attention to the fact that the product is natural, without any additives.
— Melt a stick of butter in a water bath over low heat until it turns into liquid. In some cases, it is enough to hold it in your palms.
- Pre-test the “gift of Aphrodite” on the skin of your wrist, which will show you if you are allergic to it.
— It’s better to mix the ingredients with a blender to avoid lumps.
— The prepared products are applied to the skin immediately so that the oil does not harden and complicate its further use.
— Before a home rejuvenating procedure, it is better to steam the skin so that the pores open as much as possible, and clean it with a scrub.
— They need to be applied with light circular movements, along massage lines.
— It is recommended to use different products for the eyes, lips and facial skin in general.
— The duration of action of cocoa butter masks is no more than 20 minutes.
— It is better to remove products with a cotton pad or soft cloth soaked in milk at room temperature. After wiping with milk and removing any remaining oil, you can blot your face with a paper napkin.
— It is not recommended to wash your face after this procedure.
— The full course of treatment should be no more than 10 procedures, since the skin will need to rest for a couple of months from the friendly onslaught of fatty acids in the oil.
By wisely using and applying cocoa butter to rejuvenate and moisturize your skin, you can quickly make sure that this is one of the best gifts nature has prepared for women. The variety of recipes with its participation is amazing, but the easier it is to choose exactly the product that will best solve all the most complex skin problems that modern beauties may have
