Cocoa Butter – A Healthy Solution!
Cocoa butter is that tasty ingredient you find in booth chocolate and cosmetics. This vegetable fat is made out of cocoa beans and it can do wonders to your skin, hair, lips and even your heart!
The Deal with Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter looks like any kind of butter, with a pale-yellow color and a creamy consistency. You can get it from both cocoa beans and cocoa (chocolate) liquor. This product is very high in calories, so if you’re on a diet, it is not recommended to consume it in large quantities. Being rich in antioxidants, it’s a miracle ingredient that can be used in skin care and other health benefits.
Here are some of the reasons why cocoa butter is so great.
- It promotes a healthy skin
Cocoa butter is excellent when it comes to hydrating and moisturizing your skin. It’s rich in antioxidants which protect your skin and reduce inflammation. Studies have also shown that cocoa butter can also increase collagen density which will improve your skin elasticity.
You can also make a body lotion out of cocoa butter, almond oil and coconut oil which will do wonders to your skin. Cocoa butter can be used to heal stretch marks, minor burns, dry and chapped lips or any skin related problem.
- It calms your frizzy and dry hair
Just as it can moisturize your skin, it can do the same thing for your hair. Its moisturizing and antioxidant properties can help restore the health of your hair without giving it any unnecessary weight. Cocoa oil can also be used as a hot-oil treatment to calm down frizzy hair caused by unsupportive weather.
Melt a small quantity of cocoa butter until it turns into a liquid, and use it on your hair before you wash it with shampoo and conditioner. Leaving it for more than 20 minutes will make it harder to wash out, so stick to the minimum. Mixed with coconut oil, it will be a miracle treatment for your hair.
- It helps with chronic fatigue and heart diseases
Symptoms of chronic fatigue include extreme tiredness which will leave the person unable to perform even the simplest of chores. The regular therapy for such a condition would be antidepressants, therapy, and exercise. Still, studies that were recently published show that consumption of cocoa liquor (without making an excess of it) can improve the body condition and relieve the fatigue.
Cocoa butter can also help improve the functioning of the heart and protect you from cardiovascular diseases, due to its anti-inflammatory properties. It contains polyphenols, which can prevent atherosclerosis. Moreover, if you eat dark chocolate with cocoa butter, it will protect your heart against attacks, as well as lower your cholesterol levels and blood pressure. By combining cocoa butter with cocoa powder, you will have a wide range of health benefits since they are both rich in polyphenols and antioxidants.
Improve your health by adding cocoa butter in your life, no matter if it is for a beauty ritual or an improvement of your diet.
