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Shea butter is luxurious and versatile and works incredibly well in various skincare products. Highly emollient and naturally rich in vitamins and antioxidants, it is an ingredient of choice in natural cosmetic products such as body lotions, body butter, creams, cleansers, lip balms, and even anti-ageing creams.
Yet, as much as I love working with it, its mild nutty aroma puts some people off. So what can you do if you’d like to incorporate it into your formulations? Well, you have three choices when working with shea butter.
a) You can opt for a refined version where the butter is melted, bleached, filtered and deodorised. However, be warned refined version often lacks many benefits of raw shea butter.
b) Substitute shea butter with mango butter, for instance.
c) Embrace the butter and use complementing essential oils.
If you landed on this page, I reckon you prefer to work with unrefined shea butter. In that case, here is a list of several essential oils that complement its nutty scent.
1. Bergamot Essential Oil FCF (Bergapten Free)
Naturally uplifting, bergamot essential oil has a fresh, sweet, floral aroma, making it an excellent ingredient for use in skincare. Abundant in alpha-pinene and limonene, the oil is also a perfect sensorial addition to your creams, lotions and other skincare products, as it generates a sense of calmness.
INCI Name: Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil
Fragrance: Fresh, sweet, uplifting floral aroma with balsamic undertones
Note: Middle to Top
Properties: Antiseptic, antibacterial, cicatrizant, balancing
Blends well with: This is a beautiful essential oil for use in blends with other citrus essential oils, such as lemongrass, sweet orange, or mandarin. It also works well with oriental notes like benzoin or floral fragrances like rose, jasmine or ylang-ylang.
Get yours at the Naissance Store.
2. Blue Tansy Essential Oil
Another great essential oil with a sweet, warm herbal fragrance, blue tansy essential oil, is used for its calming, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and anti-histamine effect. From an aromatherapy perspective, you can add it to your creams, body oil or lotions to soothe a troubled mind and promote relaxation.
INCI Name: Tanacetum Annuum (Blue Tansy) Flower Oil
Properties: Anti-inflammatory, anti-histamine, and calming effect
Fragrance: Sweet, warm herbal fragrance
Note: Top to Middle
Blends well with: This sweet herbal fragrance blends well with most floral, citrus and herbal essential oils such as geranium, chamomile, petitgrain, frankincense and ylang-ylang.
Get yours at the Aroma Labs Store.
3. Ginger Essential Oil
This sweet and spicy essential oil is both warming and refreshing. Abundant in antioxidants, the oil prevents free radical damage and protects against ageing. It also improves elasticity and evens skin tone. Ginger essential oil is an excellent choice for massage oils and other products designed to support warmth, reduce redness, and restore radiance to the skin.
INCI Name: Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil
Properties: Antioxidant
Fragrance: Sweet, spicy, warm scent with a sweet undertone
Note: Middle to base
Blends well with: It works particularly well with essential oils from citrus oils like lemongrass and sweet orange or spice oils like cinnamon, clove or nutmeg. You can create beautifully scented body scrubs and butter by blending shea butter with ginger and lemongrass.
Get yours at the Naissance Store.
4. Grapefruit Essential Oil
Grapefruit oil is another highly refreshing citrusy essential oil. The fresh scent of grapefruit essential oil works well with shea butter. On top of being a delightful fragrance, grapefruit oil also have an uplifting effect on mood. Together, they can help make your skincare products feel light and fresh.
INCI Name: Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Oil
Properties: Grapefruit oil has an astringent, antibacterial, antimicrobial and uplifting effect.
Fragrance: Fresh, light, citrusy smell
Note: Top
Blends well with: It blends well with oils from all fragrance groups. You can use it on its own or combined with bergamot, sweet orange, jasmine or ylang-ylang.
Get yours at the Aroma Labs Store.
5. Jasmine Absolute Oil
Also known as jasmine essential oil (although there is no such thing as jasmine essential oil), this sweet and sensual floral oil holds numerous benefits. In skincare, it can help tone dry and sensitive skin,
promote wound healing, and even assist with stretch marks, making it popular among new moms. From a sensual perspective, jasmine oil has a calming effect and helps improve restlessness and irritability.
INCI Name: Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Absolute
Properties: Anti-depressant, antiseptic, cicatrising, anti-inflammatory, sedative.
Fragrance: Intensely floral, rich aroma
Note: Middle to base
Blends well with: This sweet floral scent blends well with sweet orange, mandarin, bergamot, and ylang-ylang, among others.
Get yours at the Naissance Store.
6. Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender essential oil is a popular essential oil commonly found in soaps, body scrubs or creams due to its vast array of properties. Traditionally used for its calming and relaxing effect, lavender oil is also highly beneficial in skincare. It balances sebum production and aids wound healing, repairs damaged skin, and fight off infection, among many other uses.
INCI Name: Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Oil
Properties: Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, cicatrising and balancing, among others.
Fragrance: Fresh, sweet floral, herbaceous aroma scent.
Note: Middle to top
Blends well with: Lavender oil blends well with almost anything. The light, sweet, floral scent of lavender oil makes an excellent companion to floral oils like jasmine and rose. But it also works with woody notes like cedarwood or sandalwood and in combination with herbaceous essential oils like marjoram or basil.
Get yours at the Naissance Store.
7. Lemongrass Essential Oil
The fresh, fragrant, and uplifting scent of lemongrass is one of my favourites. I have been using it for a while now and reach out for it whenever I feel down or need a boost. Lemongrass is also beneficial in treating various skin conditions, such as acne and ringworm. Still, it also helps with aching muscles.
INCI Name: Cymbopogon Flexuosus (Lemongrass) Leaf Oil
Properties: Astringent, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant.
Fragrance: Fresh, fragrant, lemon-like scent
Note: Top to middle
It blends well with other essential oils from the citrus family, such as sweet orange and grapefruit. It also works well with woody scents such as patchouli or sandalwood and herbaceous families such as peppermint and rosemary. Please note lemongrass is strong and can easily overpower other scents; a little goes a long way.
Get yours at the Naissance Store.
8. Rose Geranium Essential Oil
Popular among skincare formulators, rose geranium essential oils offer a sweet rosy scent that soothes anxiety, offers pain relief and nurtures feelings of calmness. It is believed to be helpful in the treatment of anxiety.
INCI Name: Pelargonium Roseum (Rose Geranium) Oil
Properties: It is believed to have an antioxidant, antifungal, antiviral, anti-anxiety, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and balancing effect.
Fragrance: Sweet, rosy scent
Note: Middle to Top
Blends well: Sweet floral rose scent blends well with other florals like jasmine, orange blossom, violet or ylang-ylang but also works well with black pepper, lemon or sandalwood.
Get yours at the Naissance Store.
9. Vanilla Oleoresin/ Absolute/ CO2/ Infused Oil
The sweet, warm, creamy scent of vanilla is one of the most loved smells in the world. Usually associated with comfort, this essential oil has a radiating effect. Vanilla can’t be steam distilled to produce essential oils. So if you’d like to incorporate its soothing aroma into skincare products, you can choose between vanilla oleoresin, vanilla absolute, vanilla CO2 extract or vanilla infused oil.
Properties: Soothing and uplifting
Fragrance: Sweet, rich and warm
Note: Base note
Blends well with other sweet, foody scents such as coffee oil, citrus oils such as lemongrass, sweet orange, and spicy ginger.
Get your Vanilla oleoresin and Vanilla CO2 extract.
10. Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil
Ylang-ylang essential oil is one of the bestsellers among essential oils. It is a natural beautifying oil that has been used for centuries to balance sebum production in all age groups. A highly feminine and soothing scent makes it a good choice for aromatherapy. Mildly sedative, ylang-ylang essential oil can help relieve stress and depression.
INCI Name: Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil
Properties: Antiseptic, antidepressant, and sedative
Fragrance: Sweet, heady, fruity-floral aroma with a soft, woody undertone.
Note: Middle to base
Blends well with: A little goes a long way when it comes to ylang-ylang. It blends well with citrus essential oil, especially lemon or orange. It also works well with floral scents such as jasmine and rose.
Get yours at the Naissance Store.
So there you have it—a list of my favourite essential oils I use in combination with shea butter. I hope you have found a scent that tickles your fancy and will inspire you to create unique skincare products.
Leave a comment below and let me know what essential oils you have been using in your skincare recipes! I would love to hear from you.
