Cocoa Butter is obtained from the cacao bean which is found inside the cocoa pod that grows on from the cacao tree. Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil or theobroma cacao, is a pale-yellow, pure, edible vegetable fat extracted from the cocoa bean. Cocoa beans are fermented, roasted, and then separated from their hulls. About 54% – 58% of the residue is cocoa butter. It is usually deodorized to remove its strong and undesirable taste. It is used to make chocolate, biscuits, and baked goods. It is also used in manufacturing some pharmaceuticals, ointments, and toiletries. It is adds flavor, scent, and smoothness to these products. It has a mild chocolate flavor and aroma.
Cocoa Butter is a natural moisturizer that melts at skin temperature, ideal for skin but it is rather hard at lower temperatures. Its health benefits come from its cocoa mass polyphenol.
Cocoa butter is widely used as a treatment for pregnancy stretch marks. With its A, B1, B2, B3, C, E, vitamins, it is excellent moisturizer for skin health.
Cocoa butter contains a large proportion of minerals including calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, copper and iron, all of which are in a highly bioavailable form that render them more effective than commercial vitamin supplements. Not only that, though, it also contains tryptophan, involved in the formation of serotonin, the ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter, and also dopamine and phenylethylamine, all good substances. It is brain food as well as food for your skin.
Benefits to Skin
- Antioxidants: Cocoa butter is high in antioxidants, which help fight off free radicals. Free radicals are causes of skin stresses and signs of aging.
- Stretch Mark Reducer: Cocoa butter is widely noted to help reduce stretch marks. There are no guarantees, but it seems like the secret tip is shared with every pregnant woman in the world. And many women claimed regular use of cocoa butter was what kept their stretch marks away. We’re not entire convinced anything can keep them away, but you’ll find many anti-stretch mark cocoa butter products to choose from. In fact Palmers, a line devoted to cocoa butter has a product just for stretch marks. People also say it has helped heal scars.
- Deep Hydration: Cocoa butter is high in fatty acids and hydrates the skin deeply.
- Sensitive Skin Healer: Again, no guarantees, but cocoa butter has been noted to help skin irritations such as eczema and dermatitis.
Refined vs. Unrefined Cocoa Butter
You can buy cocoa butter in two ways: refined or unrefined.
- Unrefined: Creamy yellow in color, unrefined cocoa butter is simply cocoa butter in its raw form. It’s easy to find organic raw unrefined cocoa butter and all of the above benefits naturally comes with the unrefined product. (compare prices) It smells pretty strongly of chocolate, which some cosmetics manufactures feel masks the scent of fragrance they are adding to their products. Many of them go with…
- Refined: Refined cocoa butter strips the cocoa butter of its scent and color, making it easier to fit into cosmetic recipes without standing out. There are claims that due to the processing to eliminate color and scent, the “good things” are also stripped
A few Cocoa butter Recipes
Splendor in the Grass Body Butter
.5 oz carnauba or beeswax
1 oz refined cocoa butter
.5 oz unrefined shea
1 oz unrefined hempseed oil
1 oz jojoba oil (or 2oz hempseed)
1 tsp natrasorb
a few drops vitamin e
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Bronze Goddess Body Butter
1oz Unrefined Cocoa Butter
.5oz shea butter
.5oz natural beeswax
2oz golden jojoba oil
3/4 tsp natrasorb
smidgen of bronze mica
a few drops vitamin e
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Golden Goddess Body Butter
1oz Refined Cocoa Butter
.5oz shea butter
.5oz white beeswax beads
2oz golden jojoba or kukui oil
a few drops vitamin e
3/4 tsp natrasorb (optional, gives a smoother less greasy feel)
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Pure Goddess Body Butter – You Glow Girl!
.8oz Refined Cocoa Butter
.5oz ultra refined shea
.4oz white beeswax beads
1.2oz virgin coconut de creme
1.1oz coconut nutri oil (or emu or fractionated coconut oil – any fairly emollient light coloured oil will do.)
a few drops vitamin e
3/4 tsp natrasorb (optional)