I love cocoa butter! I mean, what’s not to love? Fresh out of the package it smells like chocolatey goodness and I just want to eat it (but I refrain, of course)! As far as skincare goes, again, what’s not to love? It melts at 93 degrees F (34C) or just below body temperature so it’s great to just rub it all over your body!
When I get my organic cocoa butter it comes in a big chunk that needs to be broken up into smaller pieces so that it can be weighed and melted more easily.
Photo By David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
Did you know?
Manteca De Cacao was first cultivated by the Mayans in Central America around 400AD and was even used as currency long before the western world commercialized Cacao for skincare and food.
Cocoa beans were first discovered by Europeans in 1502 by Columbus. The beans were being used as currency by the natives of ‘New Spain’. At one time it had the nickname of ‘Thobroma’ which means “Food of the Gods”! I can’t disagree!
Found in pods on the cacao tree in West Africa, Central, and South America, and in the Caribbean, the pods are harvested and then fermented to make primarily chocolate and items for skin care uses.
Today, I use it in some soaps (check out that Coffee Scrub Bar!), all of our conditioner bars, and lotions/lotion bars. I’m in the process of formulating a lotion bar with cocoa butter that you can take on a plane with you that will leave your skin just delightfully moisturized, but it won’t be in liquid form.
Cocoa butter is soooo good for your skin and hair because of all of the different fatty goodness in it. Yes, fat can be good for some things! It also has natural antioxidants in it which help your skin to repair itself and can correct visible damage. Remember the Old Wife’s Tale about using cocoa butter to get rid of stretch marks?!
Cocoa butter is a perfect pick for dry aging skin. It helps to prevent fine lines, penetrates your skin deeply, and locks in moisture. It’s the perfect ingredient for any skin type! It’s so moisturizing that it can even lock in moisture in your hair! 😊
I look forward to hearing how YOU use cocoa butter and to sharing more goodies with cocoa butter in them with you really soon! Stay tuned for MORE!