'About Shea Butter'
In Africa it is rubbed all over the body and hair to protect the skin and
hair against rough elements. It is also used to cook with. In Europe, Shea butter is
imported and refined in enormous amounts. There it is often used to replace cocoa butter, which is
quite costly. European companies use it in their chocolates and famous skin care
products.
Many of our clients have been using Shea butter for years. Often
our clients have told us they started using Shea butter for
skin ailments upon recommendation of a friend. We hear remarkable testimonies of
how Shea butter has helped to heal scars after surgery or even lightened scars
many years after they occur. We have also heard testimonies of personal friends
who have used pure Shea butter to successfully combat eczema. And whether
its hot or cold, natural Shea butter offers optimum skin care protection (not to be used in place of needed sun screen in some individuals).
[THE LADIES OF TOGO BELOW]
There are several methods of extracting and cleaning Shea butter,
which the consumer needs to be aware of. Some suppliers go out of their way to
ensure a completely natural product, while others are only concerned with the
end product- a high quantity of Shea butter. Some butters have been solvent
extracted. This means that they are extracted using chemical solvents such as
hexane.
1. Our butter is naturally expressed. It is extracted by
crushing the nuts and then using heat to release the
butter.
2. The second step of importance is the cleaning
method. Shea butter that is not cleaned or "refined" may contain many
undesirable impurities and is more susceptible to hazardous growths. Many
companies use chemical bleaches and deodorizers to refine their butters. These
methods further deteriorate Shea butters natural properties, create more
environmental instability, and unnecessarily expose the end user to possible
carcinogens.
Our butter is cleaned using a multi meshing system to take out the
dirt and then soaked through fullers earth, a white clay, to take out impurities
making the butter a pure, white color. The strong, unpleasant odor of Shea
butter is then completely removed using a state of the art vacuum extraction
method.
3. REGARDING THE COSTS OF PURE SHEA
BUTTER: Pure Shea butter, although an absolutely
wonderful natural extract, is NOT a highly expensive product. It has been
horribly exploited in the US. In fact, pure Shea butter, even a high and refined
grade such as ours, actually cost less than cocoa butter. Sadly, this wonderful
product has been highly overpriced, affording less people the luxury of using
it. Our low prices do not reflect lack of quality. On the contrary, they reflect
our honesty, and desire to serve you in a just manner. Our butter is of very
high quality, and is preferred for use by several
naturalists.
The Shea Butter Story
The Mangifolia tree grows in the arid savannah, found in 17 African nations.
This tree grows to 15 m in height, giving forth abundant fruit with green,
sweet, fleshy pulp high in ascorbic acid, almost four times the amount found in
oranges. It also contains iron, vit. B, protein, and calcium.
Women wake
early and trek up to 15 k to collect these fruits. While doing so they face the
dangers of being encountered by scorpions and poisonous snakes. With up to 40 kg
of fruits upon their heads, the women and children head back to their villages
to feast upon the fruits and begin the age old tradition of extracting Shea
butter from the kernal of the fruit.
Hand Crushing:
The kernals must then be pounded to crush open the kernals to remove their
skin. Handcrushing Shea butter makes the most therapeutic quality of Shea butter.
This laborious work takes an average of 20 hours to produce one kilo of hand
crushed Shea butter.
DON'T: Substitute petroleum jelly for Shea butter. Petroleum jelly is a
by product of the oil (gasoline) industry.] You wouldn't put gasoline on your
skin would you? Petroleum jelly is good for lubricating engine
parts, but never your body. Discontinue use of all petroleum jelly products and
use all natural Shea butter, expressed from naturally growing karite nuts
instead.
My dog loves the flavored lip
balms though.