Updated October 2026
Shea butter is a rich, natural fat from the nuts of the shea tree, and it's one of the best all-purpose moisturizers for skin, hair, lips and nails. My favorite shea butter uses are softening dry skin, making lip balm, taming frizzy hair and whipping up homemade body butters with essential oils.
Below are 10 ways I use shea butter, plus five easy DIY recipes from my free guide and the essential oils that pair best with it. Jump to the recipes.
What Is Shea Butter?
Shea butter is the fat from the nuts of the African shea (karité) tree, Vitellaria paradoxa. It's rich in fatty acids like oleic and stearic acid and contains vitamin E.
It's solid at room temperature but melts as soon as you rub it between your hands. Unrefined shea has a mild, nutty scent, and a little goes a long way. If yours is rock hard, here's how to soften shea butter.
- Who can use it: most skin types, from sensitive to very dry. If you have a tree nut allergy, check with your doctor first.
- Comedogenic rating: 0 to 2, depending on the chart. Most people do well with it on the body. If you break out easily, try a small patch on your face first. See my comedogenic ratings chart.
- How it feels: rich, softening and protective, leaving a silky finish.
What Shea Butter Should I Buy?
Look for raw, unrefined, ivory to pale yellow shea butter with a light nutty scent. Refined shea is whiter and almost scentless, which some people prefer for perfumed recipes. Here's the one I like to use: raw unrefined shea butter (affiliate link).
Top 10 Shea Butter Uses
1. Shea Butter for Hair
Shea butter adds moisture to dry, frizzy hair, and it's traditionally used to soothe a dry, itchy scalp.
My shea butter hair mask with lavender and rosemary is in the recipes below.
2. Shea Butter for Skin
Shea butter softens dry skin and helps hold in moisture by leaving a light, protective layer. It's especially nice on rough elbows, knees and heels.
It's also lovely for a nose that's chapped from blowing it during cold and allergy season. Just apply a little plain shea butter around the outside of your nostrils.
After-sun care: once sun-exposed skin has fully cooled, plain shea butter is lovely for dryness. If you have a sunburn, cool it under running water first, use aloe vera gel, and skip shea and essential oils until the heat has settled.
3. Shea Butter for Lips
Shea butter makes a simple lip balm that helps keep lips from drying and cracking in wind and cold. Fill a small lip balm container with plain shea, or try my peppermint version in the recipes below.
4. Shea Butter for Face
Shea butter is a comforting choice for dry, tight or easily irritated facial skin, and many people find it helps calm the look of redness. Use a tiny amount at night. If you're prone to breakouts, a lighter oil may suit your face better, so patch test first.
5. Shea Butter for Nails and Cuticles
Rub a little shea butter into your nails and cuticles to soften dry skin and help brittle nails feel less dry. For a little pampering, massage shea into your hands, then wrap them in a warm, damp towel until it cools. One hand at a time is easiest. This works on feet too! For a lighter option, see rosehip oil for nails and cuticles.
6. Shea Butter for Beards
Coarse beard hair dries out easily, and the skin underneath can get flaky and itchy. A small amount of shea butter worked through the beard each day leaves it softer and more manageable. Want something lighter? Try my post on how to make beard oil.
7. Shea Butter for Stretch Marks
Stretch marks are very common, whether from pregnancy, growth spurts or weight changes. Massaging shea butter into the skin keeps it soft and supple and can help soften their appearance over time. During pregnancy, plain shea butter is a nice choice, and check with your doctor before adding essential oils.
8. Shea Butter Under the Eyes
Sometimes under-eye darkness is partly dry, dehydrated skin. A tiny dab of plain shea patted onto the bone below the eye can help the area look smoother and less tired. Keep it off your eyelids and out of your eyes. My frankincense eye cream is in the recipes below.
9. Shea Butter for Dry, Itchy Skin
Shea butter is a favorite for dry, rough, itchy patches because it softens and helps hold in moisture. If you have eczema or another skin condition, check with your doctor about what's right for your skin.
10. Shea Butter for Fine Lines
Dry skin makes fine lines look deeper. Shea butter's rich, protective layer helps skin hold moisture against wind and cold, which can help soften and smooth the look of fine lines.
Shea Butter Essential Oil Recipes
Get All 10 Recipes Free
- These five recipes are from my free Shea Butter Recipes Guide.
- The guide adds five more: a belly balm, a sun-kissed skin balm, a nourishing body butter, a candy cane body butter and basic whipped shea butter.
- It also has a printable dilution chart and safety tips.
Peppermint Shea Butter Lip Balm
Adults and kids 6+. For younger kids, use lavender or sweet orange.
- 1/4 oz lip balm container
- 1 ½ tsp shea butter
- 1 drop peppermint
Method: Fill the lip balm jar (or small jar) with shea butter, leaving a little room at the top. Add the drop of peppermint and mix in with a toothpick. For the outside of the lips only.
Substitution oils: lavender or sweet orange.
Frankincense Under-Eye Cream
Adults
- 1/4 oz lip balm container
- 1 ½ tsp shea butter
- 1 drop frankincense
Method: Fill the lip balm jar (or small jar) with shea butter, leaving a little room at the top. Add the frankincense and mix in with a toothpick (under 1%). Take a small dab on a clean fingertip and gently pat it onto the bone below the eye. Stay well away from the eye itself and the lids. If it stings, wipe it away with a little plain carrier oil, not water.
Substitution oils: lavender or helichrysum. See my full frankincense essential oil guide.
Overnight Cracked Heel Blend (2%)
Adults. Skip if pregnant or breastfeeding, or swap the myrrh for frankincense. Skip on deep or bleeding cracks.
- 3 Tbsp shea butter
- 1 Tbsp jojoba oil
- 16 drops lavender
- 8 drops myrrh
- 2 oz glass jar
Method: Combine the shea butter and jojoba in a bowl and whip with a hand mixer until smooth, then add the essential oils and mix again. Spoon into a clean jar. At bedtime, massage a small amount onto your heels and feet, slip on cotton socks and leave on overnight. Repeat nightly until your feet feel soft.
Ylang Ylang Body Butter
Adults. Skip or substitute if you have a nut allergy (contains sweet almond oil).
- 1/2 cup shea butter
- 1/4 cup sweet almond oil
- 24 drops ylang ylang
- Mason jar for storage
Method: Whip the shea butter and almond oil with a hand mixer for a few minutes until fluffy. Add the ylang ylang and whip again. Spoon into a jar. To use, take a small dab with clean, dry hands and massage into your skin. This works out to under 1%, which keeps ylang ylang within its safe skin limit. More tips in how to whip shea butter without heat.
Shea Butter Hair Mask
Adults and kids 6+ (contains rosemary)
- 1 Tbsp shea butter
- 1 tsp jojoba oil
- 2 drops lavender
- 2 drops rosemary
Method: Whip the shea butter and jojoba with a hand mixer until smooth, then mix in the essential oils. Apply a small amount from roots to tips and massage into your scalp with your fingertips. Leave on for 30 minutes under a shower cap, then rinse and shampoo. You may need to shampoo twice.
Best Essential Oils to Mix With Shea Butter
- Florals: lavender, geranium and jasmine for a soft, calming scent.
- Fresh: eucalyptus (adults and kids 10+) and peppermint (adults and kids 6+) for a cool, refreshing feel.
- Woods and earth: cedarwood, patchouli and sandalwood.
- Citrus: grapefruit and lemon smell wonderful, but cold-pressed citrus can make skin sensitive to the sun, so use them in nighttime products.
- Spice: cardamom and a little nutmeg. Use cinnamon only in very small amounts, since it can irritate skin.
- Vanilla: adds a sweet, cozy depth to body butters.
Keep body products at 2% or less (1% for the face and for kids) and patch test new blends. See more in what is the best essential oil to mix with shea butter?
Other Carrier Oils and Butters to Mix With Shea
- Jojoba or sweet almond oil: loosen shea into a softer, easier-to-spread butter.
- Mango butter: makes a firmer, less greasy blend. See can you mix shea butter and mango butter?
- Avocado or olive oil: extra rich for very dry body skin.
- Coconut oil or cocoa butter: lovely for body butters, but both rate a 4 on the comedogenic scale, so keep them off the face.
Shea Butter Storage Tips
- Keep shea and homemade butters somewhere cool and out of the sun.
- Scoop with clean, dry fingers or a spoon. Water in the jar can lead to spoilage.
- A grainy texture doesn't mean it's gone bad. It comes from shea cooling unevenly.
- Toss it if it smells sour, sharp or "off."
All My Shea Butter Posts
- DIY shea butter hand cream with rosehip and jasmine
- How to whip shea butter without heat
- How to soften shea butter: 3 ways to make it spreadable
- Best essential oil to mix with shea butter
- Can you mix shea butter and mango butter?
- Homemade shea butter bath melts
- Peppermint candy cane body butter
Shop my Aromatherapy Supply Kits and grab one of my free essential oil guides.
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Free Shea Butter Recipes Guide
Grab my free Shea Butter Recipes Guide for all 10 recipes, a printable dilution chart, safety tips and a shea butter FAQ.
Essential Oil Guide for Beginners - Getting Started
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