Shea Butter FAQs

 By: Kim Mujahid

Where does shea butter come from?

Shea butter is produced from the nuts of the Karite Tree found only in Africa.  Shea butter is a natural product, that is still produced by hand in the villages of west and east Africa. There are two (2) species of Karite tree; the Vitellaria Parodoxa found in west Africa which is the most common source of shea butter available today, and the Vitellaria Nilotica  found in east Africa, the source of nilotica shea butter which is much more rare.  The shea (karite) nuts are harvested from the trees and boiled in large pots to release the oil which floats to the top.  The oil is skimmed off the top and left to cool.  During the cooling process, two (2) shea products are produced; shea butter and shea oil.  The shea butter becomes solid upon cooling and the shea oil, which does not contain as high a percentage of waxy components, remains liquid.  (However, shea oil thickens or becomes solid when cold.)  During  processing, a much larger quantity of shea butter is produced than shea oil.  

What is the difference between raw shea butter and refined shea butter? 

Raw Shea Butter:   Raw shea butter may not be processed further after cooling, or it can be lightly filtered and is still considered "raw".  This shea butter has all of its natural components (nutrients, color, fragrance) intact.  Raw shea butter has an earthy, smoky aroma, and is pale yellow to light gray in color.  It  has the highest concentration of vitamins and nutrients,  and raw shea butter has the longest shelf life of shea butters, lasting about 5 years.  However, some find the fragrance and color of raw shea butter unpleasant.  Also, raw shea butter cannot be scented.  The shea butter odor can always be detected in a raw shea butter product, and cannot be covered up or eliminated by any type of fragrance essence including perfume oils and essential oils.  After application on the skin the odor of raw shea butter soon disappears.  

Naturally Refined Shea Butter: Shea butter can be naturally refined.  In this process raw shea butter is melted and "washed" with water.  The melted butter and water mixture is transferred to a vacuum reactor where air, and steam removes the odor.  Next, melted shea butter is mixed with diatomaceous earth, to remove most of the color, before being filtered by pressing through several layers of paper and cloth.  The final step is filtration to remove small particles and impurities.  This yields shea butter that is very pale yellow or white with no shea butter odor.  Some of the vitamin and nutrient properties are lost, but excellent results can still be obtained by the use of naturally refined shea butter.  Naturally refined shea butter is excellent for use in scented and unscented body butters and creams, and to use as a moisturizer as is - without adding any other ingredients.   

Ultra Refined Shea Butter:  Shea butter can be processed with chemical solvents (hexane), to produce shea butter that is pure white, with no odor.  However almost all vitamins and nutrients are lost, and the chemical processing diminishes or destroys the natural qualities of shea butter.   

Which is Better: Raw or Refined Shea Butter?

Choosing between raw or refined shea butter is purely a matter of preference.  If the smell of raw shea butter is offensive to you, you may prefer naturally refined shea butter.  Or, for a raw shea butter with less odor, east African nilotica shea butter has the mildest scent.  It also has a softer consistency, but is more rare than west African shea butter and much more expensive.  

Raw shea butter that is fresh should never have a strong, rancid odor, or an odor that lingers long after the butter has been applied to the skin.  Strong, unpleasant odor is a sign that the butter has become rancid, has been handled improperly, or is old. The healthy, beneficial properties of shea butter are no longer present in old or rancid shea butter, and it should not be used.  

I prefer naturally refined shea butter.  I've tried raw west African and east African shea butters, but, I have experienced excellent results using naturally refined shea butter on my skin.  I prefer the lack of odor with refined shea butter, and love it scented with pure essential oils.  But again, the decision about the better butter, raw or refined, for your personal needs is best made by you.