In my experience as a bath and body products maker, there are two types of shea butter, refined and unrefined shea butter. To the inexperienced consumer, refined shea butter may be the best way to go, as its white color and odorless quality may be easier to blend with different fragrance/essential oils and colors. However, to be a well informed consumer and to truly get the skin benefits of shea butter is to know exactly how refined shea butter is made and how this process can detract from its skin benefits.
Refined shea butter is pure white and has no odor. Most makers of refined shea butter use hexane or other chemicals to strip the unrefined shea butter of its color and slight nutty/earthy fragrance. Through the refining process, the hexane also removes much of the healing components of the unrefined shea butter. While the white color and neutral odor of the refined shea butter may be appealing, remember that many of the moisturizing qualities and skin nutrients may be lacking. Refined shea butter may also be harder to the touch than unrefined shea butter and depending on where one purchases the shea, may be "grainy' or have small granules. This is not to say that the refined shea butter is not suitable for use in many applications - often this type of shea butter is preferred when one wants the label appeal of shea butter without the variation in appearance and/or odor, which can occur with unrefined shea butter.
Unrefined Shea butter
Unrefined shea butter is extracted from the seed of the karite tree by boiling the opened shea nuts, which releases the shea butter from the meat. Then the shea butter is usually hand kneaded until it reaches the desired consistency. Though this process can take much longer than the hexane extraction process, the result is a creamier product that retains the nutritive essence of the shea nut.
Unrefined Shea butter is the preferred raw ingredient. It contains the natural Vitamin A and E as well as many antioxidants which are not found in refined shea. Unrefined shea butter is said to help heal wounds, sooth sunburn, prevent and/or lessen the appearance of stretch marks and to lessen the appearance of wrinkles. Unrefined Shea butter is also said to have many natural qualities that help skin cell regeneration and capillary circulation. My grandmother claims that that unrefined shea butter can help eased her arthritis pain! On top of it all, shea butter is an excellent skin moisturizer.
When choosing a shea butter product, or shea butter to use on your skin, take the time to ensure that the shea butter you are using will truly benefit you. Use unrefined shea butter to receive all the skin benefit you can.
Christine "CeeCee" Woolard is a mother of three, Yale graduate, former educator and the owner of neosoul.essentials, llc, a natural bath and body company. Her search for a natural treatment for her daughter's eczema culminated in a business creating more natural body products.
She is currently a stay at home mom who enjoys writing, reading and crocheting. To her, natural is not merely a label, but a lifestyle and she seeks to keep her family as natural as possible in all aspects of living.
I had never heard of shea butter or where it came from or how it was extracted. I truly enjoy learning new things and this article taught me something new. I have a friend who will be interested in it and I will share it with her.
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