Cocoa butter sticks are tubes that contain the fatty substance from cocoa beans. They are generally used for beauty purposes, such as application to scars or to chapped skin. The sticks may also be used for general moisturizing purposes. They come in a variety of sizes and may be pure or have other ingredients blended in.
The solid fat derived from cocoa beans is known as cocoa butter. Although it is edible, it is also commonly used beauty purposes. When this is the case, it may be packaged in tubes.
Cocoa butter sticks come in a variety of sizes. Some may be as small as a tube of lip moisturizer. There are several reasons why the substance is packaged this way. To begin with, this vegetable fat is often recommended for beauty conditions, such as scars and stretch marks. When used for these purposes, it may be suggested that the cocoa butter be applied several times per day. Having it in a tube allows for easy transport and convenient application.
Using sticks of cocoa butter also allows a person to be able to apply the substance without having to touch it. Cocoa butter tends to transform from a solid to an oil when it is applied due an individual’s body temperature. When this happens, it becomes greasy, which may be undesirable in situations where a person is working with documents or tools that require a tight grip. The availability of varying sizes of cocoa butter sticks also encourages use on various parts of the body. A tube that is small enough for the lips may be frustrating if the substance needs to be applied to the legs, for example.
Usually a cocoa butter stick will have a replaceable cap. The substance may be advanced by a wind-up mechanism at the bottom of the tube or by a hole that allows a user to insert her finger and push it up. Although they are easy to carry, store, and facilitate convenient application, cocoa butter sticks present a minor drawback. When the amount of cocoa butter in them is compared to cocoa butter packaged by other means, it may be more expensive.
In addition to value, when purchasing a cocoa butter stick a person should be sure that she gets the product that she is looking for. Sometimes cocoa butter can be blended with other substances, such as aloe. Products that are totally cocoa bean fat should have wording on their packages indicating that it is 100-percent cocoa butter, pure cocoa butter, or something to that effect.