Babassu Palm (Attalea speciosa)

The Babassu palm is native to the Amazon Rainforest region in Brazil. Many people consider the Babassu palm as the “Tree of Life” and its kernel is the hardest to break on the planet.

Babassu oil, also called babassu wax or babassu butter, comes from the kernels of the babassu tree. When the nuts ripen and fall to the ground, the kernels are gathered and cracked open by “babassu breakers” – women specialized in cracking open the nuts. The fruit meat is then removed and pressed into oil. The babassu tree itself is a palm tree that grows up to being approximately 20 meters tall. It is native to Brazil.

Babassu oil is high in lauric and myristic acids, which are valuable to the skin. Interestingly, these acids start to melt in temperatures that are close to the human body temperature so, when applied on your skin, babassu oil draws the heat from the skin to initiate melting. Therefore, this transfer of the heat creates a lovely cooling sensation on the skin.

The oil is a great moisturizer, as it is rich and nutritious. Babassu oil also forms a protective, soothing invisible barrier when applied to the skin, keeping away dirt and grime from your pores, but without clogging them. Generally, babassu wax creates a pleasant, velvety feeling on the skin.

Babassu oil is considered to be a superior emollient that is beneficial for both dry and oily complexions, and of course normal or sensitive skin types. It’s especially beneficial for aging skin, whatever the skin type.

It gently moisturizes the skin without leaving an oily sheen, and has proven healing benefits for eczema, itchy, extra dry and inflamed skin.

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