Shea butter - a golden gift from Africa |
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Shea butter (Latin name Butyrospermum parkii) is also known by the name of Mandingo.
The Shea tree grows in Central and West Africa, in a dry area around the Sahara.
A tree is up to 65 feet high and yields the first edible nuts after fifteen years.
This is also the reason why it is not cultivated.
Its full maturity is only achieved after thirty to fifty years and most fruitful trees are more than a hundred years old.
The average life expectancy of this tree is between two hundred to three hundred years, but its longevity nowadays is seriously threatened by intensive agriculture and forest fires.
Harvest period spans from mid June to September.
Making shea butter involves a lot of work because you need one hundred pounds of dried fruits to make twenty pounds of butter.
Fruit harvest is an important factor in local development because it allows African women to obtain revenue for their children's education and obtain the necessary livelihood.
Therefore, these fruits are referred to as the 'woman's treasure' and the felling of trees is strictly prohibited.
Secrets of shea butter
Because of its incredible composition, shea butter now has a large and wide range of applications - from food preparation to the care of your hair, face, body and feet, and even sensitive areas of the eyes and lips.
Its power was revealed to African women thousands of years ago.
It provided a true protection for the skin from the hot and dry climate.
Mothers used shea butter to coat the skin of newborn babies to prevent the water loss from the skin surface.
Shea butter owes its outstanding nourishing properties to its composition – it contains stearic, oleic and linoleic acids, and large amounts of lipids, such as cinnamin acid.
With a balanced ratio of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, which prevents the loss of moisture from the skin, it also contains proteins, minerals and vitamins A and E.
Skin and hair care
Shea Butter is suitable for moisturizing all skin types as it retains moisture.
It is particularly effective in cell regeneration of older and wrinkled skin.
It is great for sensitive baby skin care products because it does not cause any allergic reactions. It can be used for diaper rash.
Thanks to cinnamic acid it is used for protection from the sun, because it has a natural sun protection factor.
You can use it as a regular skin care product after sunbathing as it helps in healing of photoaged skin, feeding the skin and making it softer.
Use it for restoring dry and damaged skin by mixing it with argan, coconut or macadamia oil.
Melt a small amount between your fingers and apply it to the hair after washing.
Its anti-inflammatory properties help with various skin diseases such as acne, seborrhea and psoriasis, eczema and atopic dermatitis.
It penetrates deep into the skin and regenerates the skin, which makes it useful in the treatment of cuts, scrapes, burns and scars.
Pregnant women use it during pregnancy for preventive protection against stretch marks.
Shea butter is ideal for lip care because it protects them from wind and cold, retains moisture and makes your lips soft.
Shea butter also promotes capillary circulation, which increases the supply of oxygen to the tissues and improves the elimination of toxins.
Recipes with shea butter
To create the cosmetic products with shea butter mix it with other butters and vegetable and essential oils, depending on your skin type.
This task is very easy and you can do it yourself at home.
Simply mix shea butter and oil. You can heat shea butter on steam before you try mixing it.
Shea butter holds up to 40% of other vegetable oils and still preserves the consistency of a butter.
A mixture against stretch marks (prevention – for use during pregnancy):
- 70 grams of shea butter
- 10 grams of wild rose fruits vegetable oil
- 10 grams of wheat germ vegetable oil
- 10 grams of hazelnut vegetable oil
- 20 drops of carrot seeds essential oil
Mixture for intensive dry skin care:
- 40 grams of shea butter
- 10 grams of wild rose fruits vegetable oil
- 10 drops of rosemary verbenon essential oil
- 10 drops of carrot seeds essential oil
- 10 drops of palmarosa essential oil
Baby Care:
- 80 grams of shea butter
- 20 grams of almond oil
Purchasing and storing
You can buy refined and unrefined shea butter.
It is always best to use unrefined butter because it loses its distinctive aroma, vitamins and minerals during refinement and, therefore, most of its medicinal properties.
Unrefined or organic shea butter can be identified by pale yellow or beige color and nutty aroma.
If you are not a fan of its natural scent, you can add to it a few drops of essential oils (for example lavender and palmarosa).
Sometimes butter can have a lumpy texture, but it does not mean it went bad.
As with all natural products, it is recommended to keep it in a cool, dry place, which will ensure a longer shelf life.
Quality shea butter is available in Alternativa Webshop.
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