Mango butter is extracted from the fruit kernels of the mango tree. Yes, that means it’s extracted from the huge tough bit that you have to dig out of the center of mango when preparing one to eat.
The mango tree grows in tropical climates such as India and Burma and the extracted butter from its fruit kernels has been used there for centuries for cooking, and for hair and skincare.
The resulting extracted butter is almost odorless, maybe a little sweet-smelling, but it definitely will not make you smell like a mango.
Mango butter contains the following key ingredients:
- Antioxidants
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Oleic acid
- Stearic acid
- Palmitic acid
- Linoleic acid
- Arainidic acid
Mango Butter: Benefits For Hair and Scalp Health
Mango butter has emollient properties, which makes it brilliant as a hair and scalp conditioner. So hair can be kept healthy and strong by reducing dryness and breakages.
On top of that, it can protect your hair and scalp from sun damage because it has a natural ability to protect you from UV rays.
As we have already said, mango butter is packed full of minerals and vitamins, which can help to keep the hair, and especially the scalp, healthy.
One of the big triggers of hair loss is when the hair follicles start to become problematic. They can become inflamed and start to close up, eventually choking off the hair.
Mango butter sinks into the scalp quickly, keeping it soft and helping to prevent moisture loss. It also has a natural ability to reduce inflammation, which helps to minimize the ongoing problem with inflammation of the scalp which can be a key part of pattern baldness.
And it can also help with another aspect of what causes baldness, and that’s where reduced blood flow starts to starve the follicles of blood and nutrients. Because mango butter contains so many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and acids, it can help to nourish the follicles.
Mango butter helps to nourish the follicles and has great moisturizing properties which reduce dryness and breakage.
Hair Benefits Using Mango Butter Are Backed Up By Science
As we have seen, Mango butter has the following key benefits when used on your hair and scalp:
- Protects the hair from sun damage
- Protects the scalp from UV exposure
- Softens skin on the scalp
- Softens and conditions hair
- Packed with vitamins and acids that can benefit the scalp
- Can reduce inflammation of the scalp and follicles
This is quite a list of positive benefits, and the great news is that there is scientific evidence that these benefits are real.
For example, a 2008 scientific study using a sample group, tested if mango butter produced positive results generally on human skin, and found that it did.
Mango butter has also been proven to boost the production of collagen, which helps to keep the skin soft and supple. So in terms of hair follicles and the scalp, it can generally condition the skin to be stronger and healthier.
At the heart of the benefits of using Mango butter on the hair and scalp, appears to be its high percentage of fatty acids. These acids are great for our hair and scalp because they provide moisture, and as we have said can penetrate and nourish the hair follicles.
And because of the natural antibacterial/fungal properties, it helps to reduce reasons for the scalp to become inflamed, which can be a key part of how hair loss begins.
By the way, mango butter has also numerous benefits for the skin. Have a look at the following article to find out more.
Here’s A Simple Mango Butter Hair Recipe
When it comes to applying Mango butter and your hair and scalp, you can simply warm it up and apply it directly and on its own, it will melt very quickly and sink in leaving a luxurious soft feel. The beauty of this simple method of application is that you don’t need to wash it out, it will naturally nourish and sink into your hair and scalp.
But some people like to make more advanced nourishing Mango butter hair treatments. They use a variety of ingredients, and here is an example of a very popular one.
You will need the following ingredients and proportions:
- A cup of mango butter
- A cup of sunflower seed oil
- A cup of Macadamia nut oil
- A quarter cup of hemp seed oil
- An eighth of a cup of avocado oil
- An eighth of a cup of jojoba oil
To make this head treatment, gently melt the ingredients in a bowl over a saucepan containing water. Bring the water to the boil then down to simmer, place the bowl over the top, and when it is warm put the ingredients in. Leave them to heat gently for about 10 minutes, then mix them together to form a beautifully rich and nourishing paste.
Then all you need to do is gently massage the mango butterhead treatment into your hair and scalp, running your fingers through your hair to make sure that the butter is gently worked into the scalp.
Leave it in place for about 20 minutes, and then shampoo as normal, making sure no trace of the residue is left in your hair.
Where Can I Buy Mango Butter?
You can buy mango butter for hair use from many reputable online suppliers.
Wherever you buy mango butter from, you should buy it in its pure form. That means looking for unrefined raw Mango butter and avoiding mango butter that has been refined or has had things added to it.
You will also be amazed to know that with all the potential benefits of Mango butter, it’s very affordable. On Amazon for example, you can buy 16oz of pure unrefined butter for about $13.