Cupuacu Butter. Where does it come from? What are it’s properties and how can it be used to benefit your hair? It is such an awesome butter, and probably one of my favorite ingredients to make product with!
To start, Cupuacu (pronounced “coo-poo-ah-sue”) is native to Brazil in the Amazonian rainforest. The butter is harvested from the seeds of the Cupuacu tree, which is from the same family as the cacao tree. If you search Cupuacu tree, you’ll see how large the seeds are (shown below). The seeds are cold-pressed to yield the butter. Like other extracted butters/oils, Cupuacu comes in unrefined and refined options. Unrefined means that the butter is not processed and is in its natural state, while refined means that the butter is processed to a more scent- free version that is more towards white in color. When unrefined, Cupuacu has a sweet and chocolatey smell to it. Unrefined butters and oils retain much of their properties, so they are arguably the best option to use when crafting or using on their own.
Cupuacu is jam packed with beneficial properties that do wonders for the hair. When unrefined, Cupuacu butter is extremely soft to the touch and it does a great deal of softening to the hair. It provides intense hydration because it can absorb a high amount of water, helping with moisture retention in the hair that will combat dryness. (Cupuacu butter is actually more moisturizing than Shea butter!) It also increases elasticity, helping with brittle hair and breakage. Not only does this amazing butter smooth frizz, but it also adds a nice shine to the hair.
A lot of textured hair care manufacturers have discovered numerous benefits of using Cupuacu butter and have incorporated it into their products. Curls LOVE this butter, from my own personal experience and what I have seen/read from others. But don’t take our word for it, you need to try it!
At London’s Hair Food, Cupuacu butter is one of the star players in our High Porosity Chebe Crown Butter. We whip it with other butters and oils to give us a butter that is soft enough to melt down between your hands when rubbed together and goes on the hair smoothly. My favorite way to apply is to wet/damp hair and work it through with my Denman brush (don’t sleep on this brush, y’all – it’s the real deal for defined curls. Amazon link here)
Our Chebe Crown Butter instantly softens and provides a nice shine. When applied regularly, you’ll notice how manageable your hair becomes over time. So, all hail Cupuacu butter!
Now that you’ve learned a little about this awesome, exotic butter – tell us! Have you tried Cupuacu butter before?