African Shea Butter – Women’s Gold

African Shea Butter

African shea butter is the yellowish or white butter made from the nut of the African shea tree, which is indigenous to East and West Africa.

African shea butter made from the shea tree that grows in East Africa has a a sweeter scent and is creamier than the African shea butter made from nut of the shea tree that grows in West Africa.

African shea butter is a triglyceride that is derived mainly from stearic acid and oleic acid of the nut, but the nut also contains linoleic acid, palmitic acid, linolenic acid, and arachidic acid fatty acids.

From Nut To African Shea Butter

The traditional method of making African shea butter first of separating the nuts from the fruits, and then nuts are parboiled to make it easy to remove their hard outer shell.

Traditionally, the nuts are then crushed and ground into smaller pieces using mortars and pestles. Now grinding machines are also used to grind the nuts into smaller pieces.

The ground nuts are roasted while constantly being turned to avoid burning. Traditionally the roasted nut pieces would be ground into a paste using mortars and pestles. Water is added to the paste while it is mixed together by hand.

Nowadays the roasted nut pieces are fed directly into a milling machine that separates the oil from the roasted nuts, producing a dark brown creamy liquid. The creamy liquid is kneaded for up to two hours.

Once the kneaded mixture cools it solidifies and becomes a yellowish cream color.

African Shea Butter Uses

African shea butter production is primarily done by African women in Africa. It is often referred to as “Women’s Gold” because the industry employs so many African women.

African shea butter is used mainly in skin and hair products because of its soothing shea butter benefits. It is also used to make candles, is used as a cooking oil, and as water-proofing wax for African homes.

African shea butter is used in medicinal ointments such as a sunblock because it is able to absorb ultraviolet radiation, and because of its anti-inflammatory properties it is used to combat joint pain and nasal congestion.

I use African shea butter daily to moisture and nourish my scalp and skin. It is great that it fits into my plant based diet because I love how it keeps my skin young and supports my healthy living.

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