Shea butter is a natural fat pressed from the nuts of the African tree Vitellaria paradoxa, and it has been used in skin and hair care for generations. If you would like to try how it works, take a look at our Mariškin balm, hemp body butter or the Whipped body butter Beauty and Purity, or the whole range of body butters.
What shea butter is (Vitellaria paradoxa)
Shea butter is made from the nuts of the Vitellaria paradoxa tree, which grows in a band of equatorial Africa known as the "shea belt". In Burkina Faso it is called the "shea tree", the milk tree, and local communities value it as a sacred tree, because it bears its first fruit only after fifteen years and gives a proper harvest only after thirty. Gathering the nuts and all of their processing is traditionally women's work, passed from mother to daughter for centuries in village cooperatives in Ghana and Burkina Faso. That is why this ingredient is also called the beauty secret of African women: its production is closely tied to the daily life and community of the women who process it. The composition and effects of shea butter on the skin are also described in more detail in studies on shea butter and the skin (source: PubMed database).
How this ingredient is made
Production takes place right where the nuts are gathered and is a long, manual process. First the nuts that have fallen to the ground are collected, their green skin is removed and they are boiled in water so that the hard shell can later be cracked by hand. The kernel itself is roasted over a fire, crushed, ground into a thick paste and washed repeatedly with water until the fat finally separates. The whole process takes several days and a really large number of nuts is needed for a larger amount of finished fat, so despite its simple composition it is a rather laborious ingredient. This demanding manual production is the reason it has been valued by so many generations of women, who know how much work is hidden in it.
Refined or unrefined shea butter?
Not every shea butter is the same, and the difference between refined and unrefined is worth knowing. Unrefined butter is obtained only by pressing and boiling, without further treatment, so it keeps its natural beige to greyish colour, a pronounced nutty, earthy scent and the full range of phytosterols and tocopherols, which make up as much as 5 to 11% of its composition. This fraction gives the butter most of its value, but it also shortens its shelf life: unrefined butter is more prone to turning rancid and is best stored in a cool place. Refining, on the other hand, removes the colour and scent, so the butter is white, almost odourless and more stable, which extends its shelf life, but part of the original value is lost in the process. The refined version is worthwhile especially where the butter should stay neutral, for example in lightly scented creams, while unrefined butter is loved by those who do not mind its natural character.
Why do whipped body butters have such a soft texture?
In its raw state, shea butter can form coarser fat crystals when it cools unevenly, which show on the skin as a slightly grainy, not quite smooth texture. To avoid this, before processing we heat the butter to a higher temperature and then let it cool evenly over a few minutes, which creates much finer crystals instead of the original coarse clumps. Whipping also mixes tiny air bubbles into the mixture, which gives a fluffy, light texture instead of the firm, dense block that raw butter is when it comes straight from Africa. That is why we offer both formats: the denser balm, which melts slowly on the skin and stays on it longer, and the whipped body butter, which absorbs faster and feels lighter and softer to the touch.
How to use this butter for body and hair care
Shea butter can be used on almost the whole body, from drier elbows and knees through the belly and hips to the ends of the hair. On the body, apply it after a shower to slightly damp skin, where it spreads better and the skin feels more nourished and softer all day. For hair, a really small amount worked into the ends is enough, which hold their shape without feeling greasy, whether after washing or when styling dry hair during the day. A smaller amount also does the job on lips or cuticles, where it works as a simple, multi-purpose helper that fits in any handbag and on any trip. Try out which format and which area of the body suits you most, as every skin responds to care a little differently.
| Area | How to apply | Suitable format |
|---|---|---|
| Body (elbows, knees, heels) | After a shower on damp skin | Balm or whipped butter |
| Ends of hair | A small amount with your fingers | Balm |
| Belly and hips | In circular movements in the evening | Whipped butter |
| Lips and cuticles | A thin layer as needed | Balm |
What to watch for with shea butter
On its own it is among the ingredients that skin usually tolerates well, but in whipped body butters it is often combined with fragrance, which brings scent components such as limonene, linalool or coumarin into the composition. These must be declared in the European Union precisely because they can occasionally cause irritation on more sensitive skin, even though they cause no problem for most women. Before first using a new product it is therefore sensible to do a test on a small area of skin and wait a day to see whether any redness or itching appears. The same caution applies for children, for whom it is better to choose a simpler composition without an unnecessary amount of fragrance components.
- Check where Butyrospermum Parkii Butter sits in the ingredients list: the higher up the list, the higher its share in the product.
- If you have sensitive skin, try the product first on a small area, for example on the inside of your wrist.
- Store unrefined butter in a cool place and out of direct sunlight, as it turns rancid faster than refined.
- If you have a nut allergy, read the ingredients carefully, even though the butter itself is not a classic tree-nut allergen.
Did you know…
Did you know that making shea butter takes several days of manual work and a large quantity of nuts from the Vitellaria paradoxa tree?