Damaged hydrolipidic skin barrier: What is it and how to deal with it?
2024-05-15
Returning to nature and opting for products with the simplest possible composition is a cosmetic trend that is gaining popularity. It is not surprising, given that the world of flora offers true treasures when it comes to face, body, and hair care. Unrefined mango butter is an example of such a product. It serves as a natural emollient, nourishes the skin and accelerates its regeneration, as well as improves the condition of even the most unruly or damaged hair.
What is mango butter, and how is it produced?
Mango, known for its sweet taste and intensely yellow flesh, typically evokes two associations: holidays in a distant corner of the world and the aromatic Indian cuisine. However, not everyone knows that this fruit is valued not only by lovers of exotic flavours but also by proponents of natural cosmetics. Hidden within its interior is a large seed, from which mango butter is extracted – a unique substance ideal for body and hair care.
How is mango butter produced? First, oil is extracted from dried fruit seeds. It is then solidified, which allows it to maintain a solid, dense, creamy consistency at room temperature. It's crucial to note that during the oil production process, mango oil may undergo refining, a process resulting in refined mango butter. If we skip this step, we will get unrefined mango butter. Both products are highly esteemed in cosmetics, but they differ in appearance and nutritional content.
Refinement - what you should know about it?
In simple terms, refinement involves removing all impurities, odours, and colours from raw mango butter. As a result, it acquires an almost perfectly white colour, a velvety consistency, and a milder scent. Unfortunately, during the process of bleaching, evaporating, and filtering, the butter also loses many nutrients, such as vitamins and antioxidants, which translates into lower nutritional and regenerative properties of the product.
Unrefined mango butter, on the other hand, has a darker colour and a more intense scent – closer to the real fruit. Therefore, it is a much more natural product that retains more valuable properties. Its use brings more benefits to the skin and hair than mango butter subjected to refinement. Primarily, this involves stronger support for the skin regeneration processes, soothing irritations, or speeding up the healing of burning and itching wounds, characteristic, for example, of atopic dermatitis (eczema).
Unrefined butter - why use it?
Mango butter, in its consistency, resembles the well-known and loved shea butter, while its composition is similar to cocoa butter. It stands out with a high content of oleic acid (making up to 50% of its content), which has strong moisturizing properties, and stearic acid (35-45% content), known for its stabilizing properties. Additionally, it contains vitamins A, C, E, K, B, antioxidants, beta-carotene, as well as potassium, calcium, magnesium, and copper.
Thanks to this blend of ingredients, unrefined mango butter:
- Excellently moisturizes, nourishes, and regenerates the skin,
- Protects the skin from harmful effects of external factors,
- Supports healing of wounds and minor cuts,
- Alleviates skin changes caused by atopic dermatitis, eczema, or psoriasis,
- Prevents skin dryness and the formation of wrinkles,
- Brightens discolorations and evens out the skin tone,
- Helps combat stretch marks,
- Protects against UV radiation, so it can complement traditional sunscreens,
- Strengthens hair and stimulates its growth,
- Improves the elasticity of the hair and prevents breakage.
Unrefined mango butter - relief for atopic and sensitive skin
Due to its natural origin, unique regenerative and moisturizing properties, as well as the absence of artificial additives or fragrances, unrefined mango butter is particularly recommended for sensitive and atopic skin. Why? Because it accelerates the rebuilding process of the damaged lipid layer of the skin (e.g., irritation from scratching or cracks in the skin folds of fingers or elbows), alleviates itching, and has anti-inflammatory effects. It offers exactly what individuals dealing with atopic dermatitis expect from an emollient.
It is worth noting that we can enhance the activity spectrum of even such an exceptional product as unrefined mango butter by enriching it with several additional ingredients. This includes, for example, black seed oil, which is well-known for its anti-allergic properties, ceramides which support the protective barrier of the skin, or a prebiotic complex that activates and strengthens the activity of vitamin D. Therefore, individuals looking for high-quality cosmetics for children or adults with atopic dermatitis or other dermatological issues should reach for balms and creams such as Mangomica - based on unrefined mango butter, with no silicones or paraffin, but supplemented with valuable, natural additives.
Unrefined mango butter is an ideal choice for those who prefer natural and minimally processed cosmetics. It works well for dry, tired, and mature skin, as well as skin prone to irritations or dealing with various imperfections and allergies. It is worth noting that unrefined mango butter can be successfully used by pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and even small children. This makes it an incredibly versatile product, so it is worth keeping in your home cosmetic cabinet and using it as a body balm, face cream, or hair conditioner.
