Kokum fruit, which is from the Garcinia Indica Tree is popular as the ripe fruit whose pulp is used to add sourness as a substitute for tamarind in many recipes. The kokum kernels are rich in essential fatty acids and are used to extract a rich butter known as kokum butter. It has a mild to non-existent fragrance and looks a lot like shea or cocoa butter. Kokum Butter has excellent emollient properties and very high oxidative stability. These properties help kokum butter make its way into many formulations like lip balms, lotions, and soaps. Let us find out more about Kokum butter and its benefits for the skin and hair.
About Kokum Butter
Kokum is mainly grown in the western ghat region of India, which is known as the Konkan Region. The butter extracted from the fruit kernels is rich in antioxidants, vitamin E, citric acid, and essential fatty acids. Kokum Butter is used extensively in dry skin therapies, hair conditioners, inflamed skin treatments, and in many skincare and beauty products.
Benefits of Kokum Butter for Hair
1. Kokum Butter is non-comedogenic. It does not clog pores. So you can apply it all over your scalp to feed your hair the rich essential oils in the butter without any worry of clogged hair follicles. It helps cells oxygenation and makes the nutrients more readily available to the hair, thereby promoting hair growth.
2. Kokum Butter can also be used as a hair conditioner. Rub some between your fingers and smooth it on your hair after your final rinse to get softer and more manageable hair.
3. Applying Kokum Butter mixed with oils during an oil massage strengthens the hair from the roots and wards off hair breakage.
4. If you have very frizzy hair, you can rub some Kokum Butter on your hair to make it softer and manageable.
Benefits of Kokum Butter for the Skin
1. The excellent emollient properties of Kokum Butter make it one of the best candidates for dry skin treatment. Apply a pea-sized amount on your dry skin, and you will find the dryness vanish in a matter of seconds since the butter gets absorbed into the skin fast.
2. It works very well as a lip balm to prevent chapped and dry lips.
3. The antioxidants in the butter helps in the regeneration of cells, and regular use helps prevent wrinkles.
Kokum Butter is used in the formulation of many body lotions and creams. Rather than buying a commercial cream that has other chemicals and artificial perfumes in it, you can use pure kokum butter to pamper your skin. It can be used both on the face and the body since it is non-comedogenic.
4. Kokum Butter helps heal cracks and dryness in your feet. Apply some on the cracks every night and find them disappear in a matter of a week.
5. It gets quickly absorbed by the skin and does not leave any greasy feeling, making it ideal for daytime use.
It can be applied directly to cuts and wounds as a medicine.
Natural and raw kokum butter is harmless and can be directly applied to the skin and hair. Make sure you source its purest form and enjoy the benefits of Kokum Butter.
Also Read – Pamper your skin with Homemade Body Butter
