All Natural Scar Butter with Shea and Avocado Oil
Scars are not bad things- they are simply the body’s response to injury and to heal you-which is a good thing. Some we wear like a badge of honor, while others we would rather hide. From a cosmetic standpoint, I try not to fret too much, but every now and again I end up with something I’d just rather not have lingering around-and that’s when I bust out the scar butter. This is an extremely simple butter that works well to soften up the tough fibers of the scar tissue. It’s easy to make, lovely to use, and effective.
Why Beeswax?
Beeswax gives body to this butter and helps hold it together. It also has softening and protective qualities that make it a valuable addition to many skin care recipes.
Why Shea Butter?
Shea butter (Butyrispermum parkii) makes an excellent moisturizer, and has the benefit-among many others-of containing oleic acid, which enhances the ability to penetrate skin [1]. It is an occlusive emollient-which means it traps water in the skin in addition to the softness and suppleness it brings.
It is obtained by waiting years (typically around 15-20) for the Karite tree in West Africa to bear good quality fruit for harvesting. The fruits from the nut are picked, cracked, grilled, and then pounded or milled. Afterwards they are boiled in water to extract the shea butter, which is scooped out and left to cool. Because the trees are so precious, make sure that you get high quality raw shea from a sustainable source.
Why Avocado oil?
Avocado oil (Persea gratissima) is a star here. It is extremely nourishing, but it’s not magic, like many claim it to be. That said, it is pretty neat. Skin absorbs avocado somewhat slowly. That means while it gets warmed to body temperature, there’s a bit of that oily residue on the skin (this is fine, by the way, since it gives you a chance to helpfully massage the butter into the scar a bit.) There are many claims out there that avocado oil penetrates deeper into the skin, due to the way its components are structured.
On the flip side there is research that shows that it does appear in the upper layers of the stratum corneum (the tougher outer layers of our skin) but not any deeper than that [2]. If that’s the case, it’s still definitely protective. It’s an occlusive, forming a protective film and lowering the transepidermal water loss (basically the water that passes from your inside to your outside via the skin, or simply, a loss of moisture) so this is greatly beneficial for keeping the scar tissue moisturized. Any way you spin it, I’ve found it to be an incredibly useful addition to this butter.
Why Tamanu oil? Tamanu oil is extracted from the fruit of a tree found originally in Polynesia. It consists of (roughly) 38% linoleic acid, 34% oleic acid, 13% stearic acid, and 12% palmitic acid. So basically all of our favorite fatty acids, which makes it an extraordinary oil when it comes to healing skin, especially scarring. It is deeply penetrating (thanks oleic!) and moisturizing, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory, which can help with any swelling up or irritation you may have on or around the scar.
When can I use this?
After the scab has fallen off and the skin is completely sealed, use this as soon as possible. The longer you wait the less effective any remedies for scars will be.
You will need…
-1-2 tablespoons of beeswax
-2 tablespoons of avocado oil
-1 tablespoon tamanu oil
-2 tablespoons shea butter
-A small glass jar
Directions
Set up a double boiler and melt the beeswax. You can play around with the amount of beeswax you like-more yields a firmer butter, while less results in a softer one. Then add in the avocado oil and the tamanu oil. Finally, remove from the heat and stir in the shea butter until it is melted. Be sure to add the shea butter last and after you have taken it off the heat as it is more sensitive to heat than other carriers. Pour into your jar and allow it to cool. Keep in a cool, dark place out of direct sunlight.
Up to three times daily, work a generous amount of the butter into the scar, massaging gently as you go, until most of the butter is absorbed.
Does the massaging make a difference?
Some people claim it softens up the fibrous collagen, breaking it down and helping the scar fade faster. Be sure to check with a professional before starting any sort of massage regimen, and a wound may need longer to heal before the tissue can handle it. When I say “massage” here I mean rub it thoroughly and firmly but not too rough-you don’t need to dig into it.
P.S. Make sure to take a look at the Everyday Roots Book with 350+ pages of the best home remedies, natural beauty recipes, homemade cleaners and diy household products. View Remedies

By Claire Goodall
Claire is a lover of life, the natural world, and wild blueberries. On the weekend you can find her fiddling in the garden, playing with her dogs, and enjoying the great outdoors with her horse. Claire is very open-minded, ask her anything 🙂 Meet ClaireWe Want to Hear from You! Let us know which remedies work and do not work for you, ask a question or leave a comment:
I very much enjoy raw cocoa butter mixed with jojoba and a few drops of neroli.
On another note..thanks so much for your extensive knowledge!
Thank’s for sharing your remedy with us Kell, I’ll have to try it out sometime 🙂
saw this have a knee scar wanted to try it.
Hope it helps Patricia!
thanks for this recipe, it is a pity i didnt know you several years ago…i have several scars i would love to do away with…they dont call me the bionic woman for nothin…i have had more done to me than the bionic woman had done to her lol. question, though….why beeswax rather than coconut oil? I have many home remedies that I swear by…would gladly divulge them in private messages lol.
Bionic woman eh?! That does sound pretty intense 😮
I like beeswax in a lot of my skin care recipes for a number of reasons (its great at softening and protecting, as well as trapping moisture etc.) but here it is my personal go-to for this particular recipe because it makes the butter a bit more “stiff.” I like to be able to really massage the butter in and let it warm up and absorb rather than (potentially) melting all over the place before it has a chance to soak in! That being said it’s totally personal preference and I say go for the coconut oil if you want to! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Hi Claire,
I was thinking about your recipe for scars. If you left out the beeswax, do you think it would make a good facial moisturizer? Love the stuff you post. it’s all very useful. Thank you for all your help.
I can’t see why not! It’d probably be fairly oily without besswax so you may want to up the shea just a wee bit, but I say go for it! The beauty of home remedies is how you get to play around with them 😉
Let me know how it works for you!
thanks for the recipe
You’re most welcome!!
Thank you Clarie ! Where did all the women like you go?
You’re so sweet Joey! I am glad you enjoyed the post 😀
Wow! The timing of this recipe showing up in my email is uncanny! I was asking my husband less than an hour ago what will help minimize my scars.
I recently had surgery to remove two lumps from my breast and found out today that they will need to do a re-excision in two weeks. The surgeon took off my original steri-strips today, and the scars are not pretty. (IMHO, they actually look worse than my c-section scar! Of course, it’s been over six years since my c-section, so my memory could be a bit faulty on what that looked like the first time I saw it.)
I will definitely be trying this out! Thanks!
I am sorry to hear about the surgeries 🙁 but hopefully you’ll find this recipe helpful! I’ve found that right after/within several months of procedures like that the scars always look the most dramatic, but your body is amazing and eventually they won’t seem so bad 😉
Feel better soon-sending hugs your way!
Would this work for skin blemishes?
Hi Gavin,
A tad more info might be helpful for me to answer your question properly- what kind of blemishes are you referring to? If they are some form of scars, than yes!
Thank you so so much for all the remedies you post. I tried a few and they are brilliant.
Thanks much Claire.. You are such a help to many.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Sounds like a great recipe. Just have to wait for some scars to try it on 🙂
Your recipe for scars sounds good sounds wonderful Claire. Just a comment I wanted to make about scars. I was in a serious MVA (motor vehicle accident) in 2005. I had a number of deep lacerations that needed stitches (no scabs on these wounds). I had a significant wound on my forehead and the doctor said that the best way to deal with a wound of this nature which would leave a scar was to put zinc cream on it and stay out of the sun. Putting the zinc on is so soothing for the wound (this is what we put on our babies if they had diaper rash.) Zinc cream is also a dense white and does not leave the skin exposed to the light of the sun.
Today I have no scars on my face, but I do on other areas of my body where clothes would have rubbed the zinc off.
Thank you for sharing your story and your advice Mary!! and I am glad that your scars healed up well <3
Hi Claire, Where can I get the tamanu oil from? I have a childhood scar on my nose and would love to try this to see if it can diminish it a bit. Thankyou
You can get tamanu oil at your local health food store if you have one, otherwise you can order it online! Mountain Rose Herbs is a good source 🙂
Great recipe … thank you
My question is … What would be the shelf life of this cream?
I tend to stick to the general rule of thumb that the shelf life is that of the oil with the shortest shelf life-so 6-8 months for this one because of the avocado oil. Storing it in a cool place out of sunlight helps as well!
Would this work on acne scars as well? My daughter is just recovering from severe acne after anti-biotic treatment but still have some scars?
Yes, give it a try! And rest assured-I suffered from *severe* acne in my teenage years (still get bouts every now and again) and I am amazed at how much mine have faded over time just on their own. Hope this helps your girl!
This is really a nice Recipe. I will definitely try this at my home. Loved this article completely. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Looking forward to more recipes like this. Best wishes and Regards. xoxo
You are so welcome, glad you enjoyed the post!
Hello Claire
thank you for recipe. I have burn scars from hot wax on my face, will it help.
regards
Shameem
Burn scars can be tricky in nature to heal. First, before using this or anything, make sure the scars are completely healed over. I’d welcome you to try this, and would love to hear if it helps! The way tissue forms after burns can make them harder to fade, but I hope this helps!