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Shea Butter ~ Africa's Golden Gift
by: Lisa Maliga
From department stores to discount and drug stores, shea butter
lotions, creams, lip balms, soap, conditioners and moisturizers
are becoming more familiar to us. On television, a commercial
announcer boasts of a brand name moisturizer containing shea butter,
when the fact is that the butyrspermum parkii, the Latin name
for this ingredient, is listed near the end of a long list of
fillers, petroleum castoffs, and preservatives.
What Is Shea Butter?
With its growing reputation we are enticed to try this “new”
and wonderful sounding ‘butter’ which is not a dairy
product. Technically, shea butter is a nut fat, as it is derived
from the crushed nuts of the karite tree that grows wild in the
African savannah, an area that comprises more than a dozen countries
and is approximately the size of America. To a person from Ghana
or Burkina Faso, two of the largest exporting countries of shea
butter, they are quite accustomed to the benefits of shea butter.
They massage it on their skin and hair; they cook with it, and
it’s known to help people of all ages with accelerating
the healing of minor cuts, burns, and scrapes. Those who try natural
shea butter are amazed to discover that applying all natural shea
butter onto their skin, a thin protective layer forms, that is
non-greasy!
Shea [Karite] Trees Grow In The Wild
Shea butter comes from karite trees, which live for
hundreds of years and only begin providing fruit by the time they
are about 25-30 years of age. Most wild [as opposed to cultivated
which is very small scale at this time], karite trees are pollinated
by small fruit bats, which help to ensure the continued existence
for this ‘tree of life’ as those whose livelihood
depends on these fruitful trees oftentimes refer to it as. The
shea nuts aren’t picked from the trees as they must first
mature and fall from the trees where they are then collected.
Women are responsible for the gathering and production of shea
nuts and helping cultivate them into valuable shea butter. The
process of harvesting the shea fruit is time consuming, but the
results are well worth the amount of effort that goes into each
batch of natural shea butter. While the ripe green, fleshy fruit
is rich in ascorbic acid as well as vitamin B; it’s the
kernels inside the nut that comprises the shea butter.
Making Shea Butter
The nuts are first sorted and parboiled, and then left to dry
in the hot sunshine for up to one week. When the shea nuts are
completely dehydrated, they can either be stored for several weeks
or months, or they go to the next step of shea butter production.
Crushing the dried nuts, either with a wooden pestle, or, in
more sophisticated operations, a special press, causes the nuts
and the kernels to be separated. Next, the kernels are roasted
in large metal pots and processed through a grinder, which results
in a brown colored paste. This paste is processed a second time.
The labor-intensive procedure continues with the mixing and kneading
of the kernels after some water has been added. While this step
of the shea butter making production goes on for several hours,
it’s a vital step as this is what creates the shea butter
itself. It’s still unrefined, but many people prefer the
natural shea butter to the more refined versions. Also, there
are places in Africa that have various types of shea refining
machinery, allowing the shea extracting process to remain easier
for all parties involved. For instance, the shea butter is filtered
by a natural cold process method that strains the shea butter
of any debris such as gourd pieces, di!
rt, leaves, etc. Most shea butter that is refined in Africa is
usually free of hexane solvents that not only bleach and remove
many of the vitamins and minerals, but also can remain in the
finished product.
Unrefined Shea Butter
This type of shea butter has a wide range of colors and some
differences in textures. Generally, unrefined shea butter is that
which has been filtered [hopefully] and possibly refined at least
once in the most natural cold process method. Beige, light or
dark green, gray or dark tan are the colors that unrefined shea
butter can end up. The green colors come from shea nuts that are
less mature than the beige colors. Shea colors are also dependent
upon the time of year the nuts are harvested and processed, along
with the region in which the shea nuts are selected from.
While most unrefined shea butter maintains all the vitamins,
especially vitamin A and E, and minerals, it also retains its
aroma. The scent of unrefined shea is what discourages a lot of
people from trying this healing butter, as it can be a rather
earthy combination of smoky and nutty. The aroma, while being
somewhat strong, depending upon the shea butter and your sense
of smell, does disappear after it has been applied to your skin
within a matter of minutes. Unrefined shea butter’s texture
can vary from smooth and creamy; think commercial smooth peanut
butter, to hard, waxy and/or chunky, such as a crunchy peanut
butter. Those of you who have never been around shea butter before
would be understandably put off if, upon opening a jar, you found
a smelly and crunchy looking product! But after an experimental
dab or two, you will discover that shea butter does leave your
skin looking and certainly feeling smoother and softer than it
did pre application.
Refined Shea Butter
Actually there are two categories here: Ultra-Refined and Refined.
The first type is usually white to cream colored, has no discernable
nutty/smoky scent, and is smooth and creamy. The difficulty with
ultra or even refined shea butter, is in knowing whether that
product has been commercially refined to remove its minerals and
vitamins with a hexane solvent. Also, shea butter can be bleached
to make it appear even lighter. One way to determine a shea butter’s
authenticity is to see if it has been cold-pressed, sometimes
called cold-processed or expeller-pressed.
The Refined shea, which ranges in color from white to beige,
is sometimes referred to as gently refined, has had some of its
vitamin/mineral properties removed in the process of refining,
but it does retain a bit of a beige or light tan color and nutty
aroma. The texture can be either creamy or chunky.
The ideal shea butter would feel creamy and smooth and be absorbed
into your skin quickly. Also, the nutty and/or smoky scent should
be lighter. Shea butter can be mixed with fragrances and essential
oils to completely change the aroma, making it sweet, spicy, fruity,
floral, herbal, etc.
While shea butter is added to a myriad of bath & body products,
the best way to sample the delights of this African butter is
to buy a small jar and try it for yourself to learn what is so
great about shea butter.
Shea Butter’s Benefits
Many web sites will sell shea butter in various sizes, containers,
prices, and types. They might have some information about shea
butter on the site, or you may have to do some online research
to discover more about this product. Either way, be informed before
purchasing shea butter. If a site tells of wonderful things happening
after just one application, other than the fact that it soothes
skin, please use your own judgment. Like any “new”
product out there, a lot of hype can be attached to it. Shea butter,
as you’ve just read, is a skin soothing nut fat that may
be very beneficial and here are some reasons:
* Shea butter can be used as an all-natural hair conditioner.
* Shea butter promotes quicker healing of small wounds, burns,
cuts and scrapes.
* Shea butter is an efficient natural makeup remover.
* Shea butter is safe to use on babies, children and adults.
* Shea butter helps prevent and soothe sunburns.
* Shea butter is high in vitamins A and E.
* Shea butter helps moisturize dry skin.
* Shea butter soothes sore, overworked muscles.
* Shea butter is recommended for conditioning animal’s coats.
* Shea butter makes an excellent natural lip balm.
* Shea butter helps restore elasticity of aging skin.
Does shea butter cure serious skin conditions such as eczema
and psoriasis? There have been some testimonials to that effect,
yes. But in actuality, if you were to have a somewhat serious
or persistent skin problem, you should consult with a healthcare
practitioner or dermatologist. Shea butter is not recommended
for people with nut or latex allergies. Or you could find out
by trying shea butter. Whenever considering trying a natural remedy,
you should be responsible and do your research both on and off-line.
The choice to use a “new” product is always up to
each individual.
© 2005 Lisa Maliga
About The Author
Lisa Maliga, bath & body products designer of [http://www.everythingshea.com]
Everything Shea Aromatic Creations, has been working with shea
butter since 2001.
everythingshea@msn.com
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