Monday 30 July 2012

Identifying Pure shea butter.

Hi Fellow Bloggers,
Thanks for viewing my blog and for asking questions. Ewar will like to know how to identify the real shea butter from the adulterated ones (refined ones) and where it can be bought.

Since Shea Butter is an all natural product, it can vary widely in quality, appearance and smell depending on where it is produced from and how it is refined or extracted. There are basic ways of identifying shea butter and its by using out sensory organs, that is the sence of sight (colour), smell and taste.

Colour: The colour of unrefined Shea Butter depends on the Shea nuts used.  Shea nuts will vary in color from almost white to yellow.  Therefore, refined Shea Butter will vary in color. You will not be able to determine the authenticity or quality of Shea Butter based strictly on its color.  There is even a naturally golden yellow colored Shea Butter.  Shea Butter should never be extremely hard or greasy though.  Most Shea Butter is a creamy color.  Shea Butter that is pure white is highly refined and may or may not have its healing properties intact depending on how it was refined. I will not recommend a refined shea butter.

Smell: Shea Butter has a natural smell, which is not unpleasant to most people.  The smell of raw or lightly refined West African Shea is nutty .  Over time the smell of the Shea Butter will diminish. If an unrefined Shea Butter has almost no smell, it is probably getting old.  Shea Butter should not stink, no matter how old it is.  It is possible for Shea Butter to go rancid; If it does, do not use it.  If you do not like the smell of natural, raw Shea Butter, you can purchase more highly refined Shea Butter that has been de-odorized and filtered through clay.  However, I do not recommend ever buying Shea Butter that has been refined using hexane or other solvents.

Shea Butter can provide relief from everything from just dry skin to many minor dermatological diseases however, if you have a serious skin condition, you should see a dermatologist.  It has been clinically shown to provide benefits.  Here are some of the benefits of Shea Butter for the skin:

Daily skin moisturizer (face and body)
Dry skin relief
Dry scalp
Skin rash- including diaper rash
Skin peeling, after tanning
Blemishes and wrinkles
Itching skin due to dryness
Sunburn
Shaving cream to reduce razor irritation
Small skin wounds
Skin cracks
Soften tough skin on feet (especially heels)
Stretch mark prevention during pregnancy
Minor burns
Eczema
Sun and wind protection
Even skin tone
Reduce blemishes and scarring
Eliminating scalp irritation from dryness or chemical processing
Preventing bumps after shaving
Reducing acne (especially in combination with African Black Soap)
Absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy residue
Helps restore elasticity to skin
Restores luster to hair

Where can I get good Shea Butter?

You can get quality Shea Butter products right here. We carry a wide variety of products from pure Shea Butter to Shea Butter black soap.  All of the Shea Butter we carry is of the highest quality.  We are very selective about where we obtain our Shea Butter and the extraction methods used.  We do not accept any Shea Butter that has been extracted using solvents.  This is the highest quality by an independent laboratory.  You can find cheaper Shea Butter and Shea Butter products. But, you will not find better ones.  Our Shea Butter products use  copious amounts of Shea Butter.  Some of the major manufacturers are jumping on the Shea Butter bandwagon now by adding small amounts of Shea Butter to their products.  Don't be fooled by this.  Our pure Olaa Shea Butters are of the highest grade. Just get in touch with us by mailing us at olaanaturale@gmail.comIts getting rather late and i hope i have been able to answer your questions. On my next post I'll be talking about how to put your pure unrefined shea butter into good use. 
stay blessed.

5 comments:

  1. that's quite informative. I think you forget to mention that Shea butter is of 2 types. One is made from plant seed, which is the one you talk about, and the other is the one made from animal fat. They are both wonderful in soothing pains and treating skin.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Akanny, thanks for taking time out to visit my blog and passing a comment. You were right that there are animal fats traditionally called "oori amo". Animal fats and oil are lipid materials derived from animals. They are called lard.
    Animal fats are not shea butter, because you can only get Shea butter from the African Shea tree (Karite). Animal fat can be gotten from a variety of animals anywhere in the world. For beauty and health reasons, i will recommend shea butter over lard (animal fat), any day anytime. In my future post i will elaborate on animal fats and why i wont recommend their usage.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A great blog with good information. Raw shea butter is shea butter which has not been filtered in any way, even through a cheese cloth. This type of shea butter will always come as a paste (usually in a jar or tub). Since it cannot be poured into molds, it will not be shaped in any way.
    Because raw shea butter is not filtered, it is common for it to have flecks of impurities in it. It is usually a deep yellow color but can also be greenish, depending on how mature the shea nuts were when they were harvested. Find Here Yellow Shea Butter | Beauty Blender Dubai

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Pls I need your phone number so I can call you.I need quality skin care natural products for my new born

    ReplyDelete