History of Shea Butter

Found in West and Central Africa, the Shea or Karite Tree (formally known as Vitellaria Paradoxa) begins to produce fruit after 15-20 years. It reaches its full production of fruit at around 30-45 years and can produce nuts up to 200 years after reaching full maturity. The fruit of the Shea tree is then picked (from April to August), boiled, sun-dried and crushed and a natural colored ivory fat is extracted. That vitamin and nutrient rich fat is what we use every day to keep our skin moisturized and protected. You may know this fat better as Shea Butter. It is solid at room temperature but melts at body temperature and so is quickly absorbed into the skin without leaving a greasy residue.

Shea Butter is used in many natural skin care products, including body creams and hair conditioners. It contains vitamins A and E which nourish the skin and help keep it healthy and vitamin F which provides a degree of protection from the elements. Shea Butter body cream is used to combat dry, rough and chapped skin as well as reduce the appearance of wrinkles, stretchmarks and scars. It can be used as an anti-inflammatory agent and its anti-microbial properties promote rapid healing of wounds. Some say it helps treat eczema and psoriasis. Shea Butter also acts as a natural sunscreen, providing some degree of protection from the sun. It is added to hair conditioners to protect against damage from the wind and sun. It adds moisture to dry or damaged hair without clogging the pores and is also a great treatment for dry scalp.

Although mostly known for its skin softening effects, it is used for many other purposes besides its beauty and health benefits. In Nigeria, Shea Butter is rubbed around the nostrils if one is suffering from sinus problems or congestion. In Uganda, it is smeared on the bodies of members of a certain rebel group in belief that it would stop bullets. Many carvers use Shea Butter to condition the wood of their drum shells. Poorer quality Shea Butter is applied to walls, doors and windows as a waterproofing agent. It is also used in candles or fuel for lamps.

There are two types of Shea Butter, West and East African, and there is a difference between them. The Eastern variety is more valuable than the Western due to the fact that it is higher in olein. (Olein is the actual liquid part of the Shea Butter.) This makes East African Shea Butter softer and more fragrant. It also absorbs into the skin better because of the lower saturated fatty acids. However, the West African Shea Butter is higher in Vitamin A which is better for preventing wrinkles and stretchmarks. The Eastern variety is rarer and more difficult to find than the Western. It is also more expensive and gives the Ugandan women farmers more return. You can find Shea Butter in either a raw or refined state. The refined type is filtered more heavily to make it lighter in color and odorless.

Raw Shea Butter can have either a natural or nutty smell depending on where it was extracted, West or East Africa. In some cases, Shea Butter skin care products have scents added to them. For example, some body creams have mango, coconut and passion fruit infused into them to give them a more luxurious tropical scent so you receive all the healing and moisturizing properties of the Shea Butter and are left with a great scent.

As stated earlier, Shea Butter has many other purposes besides its use in beauty and health products. It is also edible and is used as a replacement for cocoa butter in chocolate and other confectioneries. In West Africa, it is used as a cooking oil. There, Shea Butter is the most important source of fatty acids in their diet.

Shea Butter processing is mainly an occupation for Ugandan women. It can also be their main livelihood. They do all of the gathering, boiling and extraction. The extraction process can be quite time consuming taking 20-30 hours to extract just 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of Shea Butter. Even though the extraction process is both time consuming and physically exhausting, Africans have used the end result for centuries to treat and cure all types of aliments.

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