What is organic, unrefined shea butter?
Unrefined shea butter is the butter extracted from the sheanut, which is only grown in Western Africa. Our shea butter is unrefined, organic and raw, this means that it hasn't undergone any chemical refining process or extraction. Our raw shea butter is extracted in the traditional way by a woman's co-operative in Ghana that is committed to empowering local women in the community. Pure shea butter is also referred to as karite or sheanut butter.
What does organic, unrefined shea butter look like?
Organic unrefined shea butter varies widely in colour, it is predominantly between yellow to a cream colour, however shea butter can be anywhere from a light orange through to ash grey with a greenish tint.
From our experience, colour isn't related to the quality of the organic shea butter, the most important factors are age and storage conditions. It is quite common for unrefined shea butter to be an uneven colour.
What does organic shea butter smell like?
Unrefined, African shea butter has a unique scent that is only found in pure shea butter. The scent of natural shea butter is best described as nutty, fruity or smoky and the fresher the shea butter is, the stronger the scent.
Our organic shea butter has a scent that varies between batches. Some people find the scent of organic shea butter overpowering, our advice in this instance is to leave the shea butter uncovered for a few days and change the container and the scent will start to fade.
Adding essential oils to the shea butter doesn't really mask the scent. If you are using the shea butter in a treatment for irritated or dry skin then it is best to leave the treatment unfragranced.
Why choose organic, unrefined shea butter?
Unrefined organic shea butter is shea butter at its most natural. When pure shea butter is refined, the vitamins and minerals that are present in the shea butter are degraded by the heat and chemicals used in the process. Only the best organic sheanuts are used to create our unrefined shea butter, and this means that they haven't been sprayed with harmful pesticides.
So why choose our shea butter?
Our shea butter is cut fresh to order every day, and all of our shea butter has been recently produced. Also, because it has such a long lifespan, some shea butter on sale is a year old before it even reaches you!
This means that when you make your hair or body treatment, you will benefit from a longer shelf life for your product.
What can I use shea butter for?
Shea butter has a wide range of uses, it is a fantastic ingredient. It is one of the most popular ingredients in body butters and lip balms.
Try our recipe for body butter, or a hair treatment, or try adding some to a soap recipe to superfat your soap. Your skin will thank you!
Use to make lip balms, or in a hand treatment. Shea butter contains vitamins A, E, K and F.
As far as we are concerned, shea butter is one of the most nourishing natural ingredients for your skin. It is Andy's favourite way of treating dry skin, he often makes a hand treatment with raw shea butter to combat his eczema.
Make your own shea butter soaps using our simple shea butter soap recipe. It is a gentle soap recipe that should help with dry skin.
How should I store my shea butter?
Shea butter is best kept out of direct sunlight, and sealed. You don't want any moisture to build up inside the container. It is perfectly happy at room temperature and doesn't need to be kept in a fridge.
Even though shea butter doesn't contain any preservatives, it will typically remain an effective moisturiser for a couple of years.
Is shea butter natural?
Our African shea butter is 100% pure and natural. Organic unrefined shea butter is the most natural form, which means it still contains all of the natural vitamins which help nourish the skin.
Our organic African shea butter is certified organic by the Soil Association, and has been grown without the use of any harmful pesticides.
Is shea butter comedogenic?
Unrefined organic shea butter is known for its moisturizing properties and despite its thick and rich texture, it can also be used on the face. It has a comedogenic rating between 0 - 2 so it won't normally clog your skin pores or cause breakouts.
Where does shea butter come from?
Our African shea butter originates from Ghana and is processed in the traditional way, by the women who harvest the nuts. This keeps the traditional method of shea butter alive, which is much better for the community.
What is shea butter made from?
Shea butter is extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. The shea butter is sourced from the kernels within the seeds of the tree.
How is raw shea butter made?
Our shea butter is made in the traditional way by women in rural Ghana. The shea nuts are wild harvested by local women's co-operatives and brought back to their villages.
The shea nuts are dried out in the sun, and then roasted over an open fire. The shea nuts are then milled to release the butter from inside.
The women then knead it by hand, in the traditional way that they have done for centuries.
It is then heated so that impurities can be removed, before the shea butter is filtered and packed.
Interested in other butters? Try our cocoa butter or our mango butter. Both are certified organic by the Soil Association.
