The cocoa bean is a versatile plant easily incorporated into your favorite desserts or beauty products. It can help create a rich chocolate-based dish or ensure your skin is hydrated and looking its best thanks to cocoa butter.
Cocoa butter smells good enough to eat and is a primary ingredient in most body care products. It is rich in texture because it’s a vegetable fat and can provide numerous benefits like a hydrated, youthful, and even complexion.
Also, cocoa butter works wonders for the body to maintain hydration, leading to many individuals applying this thick butter to the face during their nighttime routines. This is in hopes of waking up with a glowing and more youthful skin tone.
So, what are the benefits of applying cocoa butter on your face at night? Cocoa butter and thick butters like Shea are ideal for applying at night to prevent water loss. It can be too heavy for daytime wear and allow the skin time to become hydrated.
Other benefits of applying cocoa butter to the face include a soft complexion and a potential for reducing the appearance of minor imperfections like dehydration lines or scarring. What should you know about applying cocoa butter on the face?
What Is Cocoa Butter?
Cocoa butter is just more than a rich and chocolatey scent.
Healthline states, “Cocoa butter is a plant-based fat taken from the cocoa bean. It’s extracted from roasted cacao beans…Pure cocoa butter may be packaged on its own or processed with other ingredients and sold as body cream.”
It’s known for its ultra-soothing and rich texture, suitable for almost all skin types. For more information, take a look at this video from eHow on YouTube.
Benefits Of Applying Cocoa Butter On The Face At Night
Cocoa butter has a heavy, whipped texture; it’s better to apply at night. The thickness of cocoa butter can often feel too greasy or slimy for day wear, and using it on the face at night can prevent water loss for a plumper effect in the morning.
In addition, you can reap multiple benefits from applying cocoa butter on the face at night, like hydration, minimizing imperfections, or saving your skin barrier.
It’s crucial to note that most evidence regarding cocoa butter as a nighttime moisturizer is anecdotal. It can be worth a shot for most skin types, but there is still little evidence supporting its benefits.
Regardless, it’s still a common and ultra-moisturizing skincare element.
1. Boost Hydration
Cocoa butter is known for its moisturizing properties and is commonly used in creams. It can quickly replenish dehydrated skin to appear more plump and youthful. You may decide to switch out overpriced night creams for cocoa butter.
Hydration is the immediate and general benefit of applying cocoa butter to your face nightly.
2. Acts As A Protective Barrier
Why does cocoa butter work so well at hydrating the skin? Its natural moisturizing elements are generally well tolerated, and its thick texture makes it an excellent overnight treatment as a protective barrier.
Medical News Today states, “cocoa butter is mostly made up of fatty acids. These fats may help form a protective layer on the skin, preventing moisture from escaping, and therefore stopping the skin from drying out.”
3. Promote A Youthful Complexion
More often than not, dehydration lines are confused with fine lines so that some textural skin concerns can be healed with moisturizing.
So, it’s possible that cocoa butter can create the appearance of a more youthful complexion simply by boosting hydration.
4. Minimize Scarring & Discoloration
There is a possibility that cocoa butter can help reduce imperfections like scarring or discoloration when applied to the face nightly.
In addition, cocoa butter can potentially improve your skin tone thanks to its antioxidant properties that minimize imperfections.
Medical News Today claims, “Cocoa contains several antioxidants called polyphenols, which are a group of plant-derived chemicals…these polyphenols may have benefits for good skin health, such as reducing inflammation.”
5. It Can Double As A Makeup Remover
In what other unique ways can you apply cocoa butter to the face at night? Cocoa butter can also double as a makeup remover. Melted cocoa butter can remove makeup because it contains fatty acids and has a relatively oily texture.
This makes it an excellent product for removing waterproof makeup or as a first cleansing step.
6. Effective Lip Treatment
Lips are often left out in skincare routines, but they, too, need all the nourishment they can get. You can slather cocoa butter on the face at night, but you can also coat the lips. This will transform your lips into a supple and smooth pout.
You can apply cocoa butter on the lips at night and prevent water loss, making it the ideal lip treatment.
Disadvantages Of Using Cocoa Butter On The Face
What should you know about cocoa butter before applying it to the face? While it’s a generally well-tolerated ingredient, some downsides may be using it on the face for some skin types.
Depending on your skin type, some possible issues that can arise are clogged pores or an allergic reaction.
Clogged Pores
Healthline claims, “cocoa butter is known to clog pores…cocoa butter’s molecules are packed very tight together, which makes it very comedogenic.” So, it’s possible cocoa butter can promote acne, flare-ups, or breakouts for some skin types.
However, it may not affect your skin if you’re not acne-prone or have problematic skin.
Potential Allergic Reaction
Cocoa butter is safe for skin use for most people. However, you might have an allergic reaction if you’re allergic to this skincare ingredient. It may also trigger flare-ups if you have pre-existing conditions.
You can prevent a reaction by conducting a patch test or consulting a dermatologist.
Why Is Cocoa Butter Better To Apply To The Face At Night?
Why is it recommended to apply cocoa butter on the face at night? We’ve mentioned how cocoa butter has a thick, whipped, and oily texture. This dense cream may not be suitable for daytime wear because it can easily overwhelm the skin.
It works as a protective barrier at night to prevent moisture loss and ensure you have a glowing complexion each morning.
How Often Should You Apply Cocoa Butter At Night?
How often should you use cocoa butter in your nightly routine? This can vary depending on your skin’s characteristics and needs. For example, if you are severely dry and don’t break out, you may find it beneficial to use it nightly.
Also, you can use it 2-3 times a week at night as a hydrating treatment for when the skin feels extra parched. You can consult a dermatologist for more tips.
How To Use Cocoa Butter On The Face At Night
You can apply cocoa butter to the face during your nighttime routine in a few ways. Cocoa butter is a versatile ingredient and is generally well-tolerated by the skin. You can use it as a moisturizer or a makeup remover.
How often you use it can be determined by your skin type.
As A Makeup Remover
Melted cocoa butter can easily remove makeup, sunscreen, dirt, and debris. This can be a great option if you love wearing a full face of waterproof makeup daily. Also, it can be the first step in your double-cleansing routine.
Use As A First Cleanse
Double cleansing is crucial to nighttime skincare routines, especially if you wear makeup or sunscreen. Often a regular cleanser can’t remove everything in one go, so starting with an oil-based product like cocoa butter is ideal.
As A Moisturizer
Finally, the most straightforward way you can use cocoa butter is by using it as a moisturizer. This will be great for dry skin or those who feel dehydrated. It can also help promote an even and more radiant complexion with consistent use.
Clean The Skin
You’ll first want to cleanse your skin as you usually would. This may include your double cleansing routine with other products besides cocoa butter. Regardless, it will give a fresh-faced canvas for your other skincare products.
Add Toners/Serums
Next, you’ll want to add any toners or serums to the skin right after cleansing. Most toners or serums can help promote better absorption of products to reap the maximum benefits. In addition, it treats the skin before applying moisturizer.
Moisturize
Now you can lock in hydration with cocoa butter. You can start by applying a small amount and working it into the skin. Then, you can decide if you need more, but because cocoa butter is so thick, a little bit of it goes a long way.
You can even add extra to the lips to prevent them from cracking.
Takeaway
Cocoa butter can make a great overnight cream in most skincare routines. It can provide numerous benefits like hydration, glowing skin, and an even complexion.
However, you’ll want to ensure that cocoa butter suits your skin type, as it may not be ideal for those who struggle with clogged pores or have an allergy.
What are your thoughts on cocoa butter, and will you be adding it to your nighttime skincare routine?
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