Shea Butter For Lips: Benefits, Tips & Other Favorite Ingredients

Shea butter is widely known for its ability to deeply hydrate even the driest of skin. You'll typically see it used in lotions and creams for the body, but have you ever thought to look for shea butter in your lip balm? This plant extract works wonders for dry lips, helping to create a soft, touchable surface. 

Whether you're looking to achieve a smooth canvas for lip color application or simply want some quality day-to-day hydration, shea butter may be the answer. We're going to give you the ultimate guide to shea butter for lip care including why it's beneficial, how to use it, and a few other ingredients to keep your eye out for. Let's dive in. 

Shea butter is made from the fat extracted from the nuts of the Shea tree, a plant native to West Africa. Historically, it's been used by the people of the region for ages—both topically and as a cooking butter (food-grade shea butter is still used for cooking today). And currently, it's most famous for its use in beauty, be it homemade options, hair care items, or skin care products. 

Here, a rundown of all the things we love most about the ingredient—and why it's a stellar ingredient for a lip balm:

If you're amazed by all of the benefits shea butter has for lips, you're not alone. This ingredient is impressive, to say the least, so let's chat about how you can use shea butter in your lip care regimen. 

Shea butter on its own at room temperature can be on the stiffer side, so it's often blended with softening oils and other ingredients to make it a bit more pillowy. If you're in the market for a new lip product, here are some of our favorites to keep an eye out for too. 

Many lip balms are made out of beeswax, which is great to help give them a thick texture. But if you shy away from products that leave a sticky residue or are vegan, then plant-based waxes may be a better alternative. 

This super botanical oil works wonders for dry lips. Moringa seed oil is packed with fatty acids and antioxidants, which work together to keep lips hydrated, ease irritated skin, and create a protective barrier. 

We said earlier that shea butter is extremely high in vitamin E, but this ingredient alone is a winner when it comes to lip balm inky lists. Not only is it super hydrating, but it also acts as a stabilizer for oil- and wax-based formulations. If the lip balm you're looking at doesn't have shea butter, be sure it's packed with this ingredient if you want hydrated and protected lips. 

Though it looks very similar, squalane is not the same thing as squalene. Both forms are great for skin care, but the previous is more suitable for use on the face (lips included). Squalane helps maintain a healthy moisture barrier but is formulated to be more gentle. This makes it perfect for delicate areas like the lips. You can read more about squalane here. 

You probably know that hyaluronic acid is a super hydrator when it comes to skin care. This is true for HA and its salt form, sodium hyaluronate. This form actually has a lower molecular weight, meaning it can get even deeper into the skin. This is a great ingredient to have in lip products because it helps to pull moisture deep into the skin and offers a plumping effect. 

It's not easy to find a lip balm you love, but making natural, hydrating ingredients like shea butter a nonnegotiable is a good place to start. This natural butter works wonders for dry lips by creating a protective barrier and speeding up wound healing. There are tons of other natural ingredients that are great for lip care as well, but we only had time to name a few. If you want to take the guesswork out of finding your next go-to lip balm, check out our top picks for clean and natural lip moisturizers.