With all the natural oils and butters on the market, it's hard to decide which one is right for you. Natural butters tend to be more potent in healing properties, they can easily clog pores. However, the benefits of kokum butter make it my personal favorite way to get moisturized and rejuvenated skin. It's a natural emollient with extravagant healing properties, and while kokum butter may not be as well-known as its counterpart butters like mango, cocoa, and shea, but it's certainly popular in the healing department.
Like many natural butters, kokum naturally nourishes the skin and protects against dryness and the cruel signs of aging that speeds up during exposure to the sun and natural toxins. The kokum tree is native to India and the butter is extracted directly from the fruit bloomed for its healing properties that go far beyond the realm of beauty. It's been used to fight infections, unpleasant digestive disorders, and has even been used to relieve pain from arthritis. This butter has a long history of healing properties all over the world and it's no wonder that kokum butter has skin and hair benefits that are unique enough to make it stand out amongst its counterparts. I'm always looking for a hearty butter for my skin that won't encourage breakouts or blackheads and so far, kokum butter has made my hair and skin incredibly touchable this summer.
With the weather in my neck of the woods growing more humid and insufferable by the second, I've had to readjust some of my own natural beauty remedies. Cocoa butter can be a little too heavy in the summer months for a body that naturally produces more oil (like mine). Too many heavy oils in the summer heat can easily lead to blemishes on my back that I might not even realize are happening. According to sources at Natural Oils and Butters, kokum butter is an emollient that's easily absorbed into the skin while promoting healthy skin cells. Kokum butter has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties that make it ideal for damaged skin.
Kokum butter is especially a great alternative for those with sensitive skin. Its ability to rejuvenate damaged skin cells is a killer way to combat wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots. I've found that heavy butters and oils in the summer can make me feel hotter, which means more sweating off the products that are protecting me from free radicals, the harsh sun, and other toxins that lead to aging and pimples. Kokum butter seems to be pretty light with almost no fragrance and works extremely well with essential oils that have higher SPFs. That means kokum butter is going to be your new summer jam — so here are a couple ways to put it to good use.
Natural Scalp Treatment
Kokum butter is ideal for scalp treatments to promote strong roots and a nourishing atmosphere for all that new hair growth. The thing that makes this butter stand out is the fact that it isn't as greasy as cocoa butter and the light fragrance isn't as noticeable as shea butter. Kokum butter does not like to be heated, so liquefying works best in a blender. I like to blend my kokum butter with equal parts of camellia and coconut oil, then massage onto my scalp as a nightly treatment. This treatment is amazing for those suffering from hair loss due to chemical treatments because it's restorative in nature and will jumpstart those hair follicles.
Body Butter With SPF
With summertime in mind, you definitely don't want a layer of heavy body that's going to make you sweat any more than you already are. Kokum butter is light enough to work as a base for retaining moisture. Don't forget, just because you sweating like you just ran a 10k doesn't mean that your skin doesn't need to stay moisturized. In fact, it's even more important, since the moisture is literally leaving through your pores. In a blender, mix two ounces of kokum butter, one teaspoon of raspberry seed oil, and one tablespoon of apricot seed oil. This will provide protection from the sun's aging ways, which is always an important bonus in the summertime.
Image: Cyndy Sims Parr/Flickr; Giphy
