Sometimes I love winter. Mainly when it snows. But usually I loathe this cold, dry weather. In part because it makes my hair and skin crazy dry.
This morning, my hair was literally standing on end and I felt like I was in some bad static cling commercial from the 1970s. And my hands – ugh.
What’s crazy is that I’ve let things get so out of control when I happen to know the ultimate moisturizer is very close at hand. It’s cocoa butter.
Because cocoa butter is a solid at room temperature, when you put it on your skin it forms a thin protective barrier that locks in moisture and blocks out harsh elements. That’s why it’s used as an important ingredient in so many lotions, lip balms and cosmetics. It’s even used in some anti-aging and scar reducing treatments. Lots of doctors and scientists recognize cocoa butter as as skin protectant.
But, cocoa butter is NOT actually butter – a common misperception. Real butter is made exclusively from milk, cream or both and cocoa butter is the fat that comes from cocoa beans, the seeds inside the fruit of the cacao tree.
