Cocoa butter is a very
unique natural product that has been used for hundreds of years. Also known as theorem
oil or theorem cacao, it is light yellow in color and made from the cacao
bean. Same cocoa powder bean we use to make chocolate! Pure cocoa butter is an
edible vegetable fat that has many uses in everyday life. It can be used to
make chocolate, other baked goods, and create pharmaceuticals and general
bathroom products. Most importantly...it is an effective remedy for stretch
marks.
It is a by-product of the
process used to obtain cocoa solids known as the Broma process. Developed in
1865, the Broma process is arguably the most widespread and best method for
separating cocoa solids and cocoa butter. By hanging bags of ground cacao beans
in a temperate environment, the butter separates and drips away, leaving behind
the cocoa solids that are then used to create cocoa powder. The butter is then
collected and hardens into blocks at room temperature. It can then be shipped
around the world to create many different products!
This process differs
greatly from the products of the similar-looking shea butter cream, which is
produced by hand by women in small African villages. In fact, the cacao tree
grows in the lush tropical regions of the Americas, so they are produced on
entirely different continents! Cocoa butter is most widely known for its use in chocolates and other sweets, but
the use that we're all curious about is exactly how it is able to lighten and
reduce the appearance of your stretch marks.
It acts as a moisturiser for your skin, and is so effective that it is actually able to reach lower
levels of your skin. The top layer of your skin is known as the epidermis, and
the one directly below it is known as the dermis. Stretch marks occur at the
dermis layer, so a powerful moisturiser is needed in order to reach and affect
that layer of skin. Because stretch marks are slight tears in your dermis,
there is no permanent cure for them. Forget about laser treatment or plastic
surgery - it is much cheaper and more effective to use cocoa butter cream. It
will make your stretch marks nearly 100% invisible.
For the purposes of
stretch mark removal, raw cocoa butter is usually processed into a cocoa butter
cream in order to increase its effectiveness. An ingredient commonly added to
cocoa butter creams is mineral oil. Mineral oil is used in many different types
of cosmetics and beauty products, and helps with the application of the cream.
Other common products are natural plant extracts like coconut oil and onion
extract. Your stretch marks react much worse to cheaper, lower quality creams.
