You might have heard of mango butter as being good for skin and hair health. But how exactly does mango butter benefits your hair? Read on to find out!
Everyone’s heard of the king of fruits, the mango! But do you know what mango butter is?
No, it’s not mango-flavored butter or butter infused with mango pieces or something.
It’s an ingredient that’s long been used as an emollient for skin and hair. It’s full of vitamins and minerals and can help in locking in moisture in your tresses.
If you take a look at the ingredients label on several hair creams or conditioners, you’ll find mango butter on them. Especially if said hair products are formulated for curly hair or African American hair types.
What is Mango Butter?
Mango butter is a substance extracted from the seeds of the mango fruit. As it’s a pale white, waxy substance that lacks any fragrance or taste.
It’s full of vitamin A, C, E, and several other nutrients. Mango butter is also stocked with oleic acid (omega-9 fatty acids), stearic acid, palmitic acid, and linoleic acid. As it’s light and creamy, mango butter is often used in DIY hair care and skincare recipes as an emollient.
Mango Butter Benefits For Hair
Mango butter benefits the hair in several ways. As it is an emollient it helps lock in moisture in the hair strands keeping them hydrated. This makes mango butter especially good for curly, coarse, and type 4c hair. Mango butter also has other benefits like boosting hair growth, controlling frizzy hair, reducing dandruff, repairing hair damage and protecting hair against UV damage.
Moisturizes Your Hair
Mango butter is filled with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Now, these make mango butter highly emollient, so it can penetrate the strands of your hair easily.
It doesn’t sit on the strands of the hair, so it’s a good choice of moisturizer even for low-porosity hair.
Now because of this property, mango butter prevents moisture loss from hair and seals the hair cuticle as well.
So mango butter is especially good for coily, 4c hair which is prone to dryness and dehydration. It’s a sought after ingredient for African American hair care.
Protects Against Sun Damage
One of the biggest ways mango butter benefits hair is by providing protection against the sun’s UV radiation.
Mango butter is rich in antioxidants like vitamin C and mangiferin that shields your tresses from UVA and UVB radiation when you step out into the sun.
Now this radiation can cause several hair problems like dryness, fading of hair color, etc. So mango butter protects your hair from all these issues.
Given below is one of my favorite mango butter brand from aamzon.com!
Repairs Split Ends
As I’ve mentioned before, mango butter is chock full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants like omega fatty acids. These penetrate your hair cuticle and help repair any damage.
If you have split ends, then using mango butter as a leave-in conditioner or “pre-poo” can help minimize damage and seal the hair shaft, reducing further breakage.
Since mango butter is a fantastic moisturizer it maintains hair elasticity, preventing dryness, tangled hair, and other factors that could lead to split ends.
Increases Longevity of Hair Color
If you have color-treated hair, you know how important it is to use the right hair care routine to prevent the dye from fading quickly.
Mango butter is among the few natural products that are amazing at prolonging hair color.
Firstly, it protects your hair from UV radiation thanks to its antioxidant-rich composition. It doesn’t allow hair color from fading due to sun exposure.
Secondly, it forms a protective layer on your hair cuticle if used as a “pre-poo” hair mask or conditioner.
So washing your hair with shampoo doesn’t wash off the color from the strands.
Good For Scalp Health
If you have scalp issues like psoriasis, inflammation, redness, dryness, etc. then mango butter is an awesome conditioner for you.
I’ve already mentioned its ability to absorb into the skin and how it can lock in moisture in your skin and hair.
But there’s so many tannins and antioxidants in mango butter that help soothe redness and irritation on your scalp.
It contains large amounts of vitamin C that help fight free radical damage on your scalp, preventing the skin (and hair follicles) from ageing faster.
Mango butter can also prevent cellular damage to your hair follicles. So it’s a great choice of moisturizer for people who wear tight hairstyles like braids or dreadlocks.
And since mango butter makes for an excellent emollient, it can prevent dandruff and flaking as well.
Here is a fantastic pure mango butter brand that you can find on amazon.com. Check it out!
Helps Define Curls
Curly hair is more prone to damage and dryness thanks to its texture and hair structure.
Also, lack of moisture can make your curls a frizzy mess and prevent them from taking on their natural shape.
So curly and coily-haired folks often use moisturizers, creams, and conditioners on their hair, especially after showering, to maintain curl definition.
According to the Curly Girl Method, you need to use the LOC method for the best curl definition.
LOC stands for leave-in conditioner, oil, and cream, in that order.
So by using mango butter in the very end you can help keep your curls hydrated and in shape.
You can use this hair conditioner while plopping your hair to define your curls!
Boosts Hair Growth
Wondering why your hair isn’t growing? There are several enemies to new hair growth - dry, inflamed scalp, traction alopecia, lack of nutrition to hair follicles!
And do you know what’s the solution to most of these hair growth inhibitors? Mango butter.
Its vitamin C-rich formula keeps your hair follicles well-nourished, boosting their ability to enter the growth phase of their cycle.
Mango butter even prevents hair follicle damage, so new hair can grow easily.
Mango Butter Vs Shea Butter For Hair
Another (probably more well-known name) that comes up alongside mango butter is shea butter. Both are rich, plant-based emollients that are packed with nutrients and usually used on curly, coily hair.
But which one should you choose? And how do they differ? Well here is a quick comparison of the two.
| Mango Butter | Shea Butter |
| Extracted from kernels of mango seeds | Extracted from shea tree seeds |
| Easy to melt as it has a low melting point | More difficult to melt (comparatively) |
| Subtle to no natural fragrance | Rich, nutty fragrance |
| Moisturizing and filled with nutrients | Moisturizing and filled with nutrients as well |
| Has a creamy and light texture | Also has a creamy and light texture |
| Good for sun protection and hair repair | Good for inflammation and dryness |
| 4-6 months of natural shelf life | 1-2 years of natural shelf life |
| Absorbs very easily into both skin and hair | Absorbs easily on to skin, but less on hair |
| Solid at room temperature but brittle | Solid at room temperature but melts at contact |
FAQs - Mango Butter Benefits For Hair
Does mango butter help hair grow?
Also, mango butter is rich in vitamins and antioxidants that nourish hair follicles and strengthen them at the roots. So it encourages quicker growth cycles.
Can you mix shea butter and mango butter?
Which is better mango butter or shea butter?
Does mango butter clog hair follicles?
After reading my article, I hope you’ve understood how mango butter benefits hair.
If you want to use mango butter for your tresses, you can get the 100 percent pure products that are so easily available online to use in your DIY recipes as hair masks or leave-in conditioners.
You can use it just as it is or mix it with essential oils or shea butter to create a product that suits your scalp type and hair texture the best.
Also, if you’re not a fan of DIY hair care, you can get mango butter-based products in the market to help nourish your hair.