Ingredient Spotlight - MANGO BUTTER
You will find mango butter in all of our conditioners.
This delicious ingredient is similar in consistency to shea butter, but so much better. Shea butter is much more popular since it is significantly cheaper than mango butter. However, I find shea butter to be greasy and smelly. Mango butter is easily absorbed and leaves no film or buildup.
Luxurious mango butter…
Is rich in vitamins A and E which deeply moisturize and fortify the scalp and hair.
Contains vitamin C which blocks free radicals that can age the skin, hair, and scalp. In addition, vitamin C is essential for the body to create collagen to support our skin and hair.
Prevents split ends: Due to its concentration of monounsaturated and saturated fats, it can penetrate the hair cuticle to fortify the hair strand, reducing split ends and breakage
Promotes growth: Oleic acid strengthens hair follicles while making strands softer and more pliable
Leaves hair soft and shiny. The main purpose of conditioner is to make hair feel amazing. Mango butter is a big contributor to the overall feel of your hair after using the conditioner bar.
Is usually safe for people with nut and latex allergies. Unlike shea butter and coconut oil and other nut butters, mango butter generally doesn’t cause allergic reactions.
Reduces frizz: If you’ve ever seen me in a humid climate, it’s clear why I’ve loved mango butter since I discovered it!
I have a funny story about mangoes…
I’ve hitchhiked all over the world. I was in Venezuela in December of 2005, before things went bad there. I can’t remember the name of the town I was in, but there were tons of ripe mangoes on a tree in a park. My husband Ron and picked a bunch and went back to our hotel with the bounty. The way we liked to eat them was to cut one side off of the big seed and then make straight cuts into the bright and juicy fruit to leave little squares. Then we’d slurp the squares right off the peel. The mangoes were so sweet and delicious; we probably ate three each.
The next morning I woke up and my face felt so funny. I looked in the mirror and holy cow, my lips were huge and swollen. My cheeks were puffy and my eyes were squished shut. I looked like a sharpei! I couldn’t even get my contact lenses in, so I put on my thick glasses which magnified the puffiness. I had no idea what to do. It didn’t hurt, just looked really awful.
The hotel we were staying at was full that night and we didn’t have reservations so we had to move on. We headed to the road to hitchhike out of there. I was pretty embarrassed about the state of my face. However, the people who picked us up were so nice. They brought us to their house and explained (in Spanish) that their daughter was a medical student and she was home for the holidays. It was the day before Christmas.
This amazing doctor to be took a look at my face and hustled me off to the pharmacy. I got a prescription for something like Claritin, which reduced the reaction pretty quickly.
It turns out that mango skins contain urushiol, the same oil that is in poison oak and poison ivy, which I am super allergic to. While I was eating the mangoes the previous night, my lips came into contact with the peel.
After I took the medicine, the swelling of my face went down pretty quickly, and we ended up staying the night with the family that helped me out. They also taught us how to make hallacas - a special Christmas treat that is like a Venezuelan tamale.
I still love mangoes. But now Ron cuts them up for me so I don’t have to touch the peel.
Luckily, mango butter is from the seed of the mango and contains no urushiol oil. It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and I use it not only for the StarBars conditioner but also as a wonderful face cream or body butter.
