So excited about this finding and my joy won't be complete if I don't share it. I know SHEA BUTTER doesn't sound new to you but how well informed are you?

ORIGIN OF SHEA BUTTER

Shea butter is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree(known as vitellaria paradoxa).It takes 10-15 years for the tree to reach maturity
Harvest period ranges from June to August .It is locally known as ORI in Yoruba language (West Africa)
Taama in Waala language in upper west region of Ghana
Kade or Kadanya in Hausa
Karite in Wolof language of Senegal.

It is triglyceride fat containing the following fatty acids:
Oleic acid (40-60%), stearic acid (20-50%)
The main components are the oleic and stearic acids
linoleic acid (3-11%), pamitic acid (2-9%),linolenic acid(<1%), arachidic acid (<1%)
The other components are found in trace quantity.

PRODUCTION METHODS

Shea butter can be produced via three different methods.
1.RAW METHOD (OR UNREFINED METHOD)
2.REFINED METHOD (HEXANE/CHEMICAL METHOD)
3.COLD PRESS METHOD

RAW METHOD

The wild fruit is harvested and collected from the fruit
It is then washed and dried and sorted for quality
It is crushed and roasted
The roasted kernel is milled into paste
Water is added to the paste and it is kneaded to emulsify oil
The emulsified oil is boiled to eliminate water and sanitized
It is then strained to separate from shea residue
It is cooled and it solidifies
Shea oil solidifies at room temperature to produce the cream colour solid fat (butter).

REFINED METHOD

Refined shea butter have been chemically uttered to remove the shea butter natural scent
It is bleach white in colour
It retains only a small portion of its natural healing properties.
It is easier to work with since it doesn’t get grainy when reheated unlike the unrefined shea butter.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF SHEA BUTTER

~ PERSONAL USES - It improves skin and hair - used as cooking oil
~ MEDICINAL > it can be used in wound care and even to treat leprosy > rich in vitamin A, E and F > provides protection for the skin against ultraviolet light
~ INDUSTRIAL USE - used in chocolate industry - can be converted to bio-lubricant - used cosmetics industry

BENEFITS OF USING SHEA BUTTER

Anti-aging properties
Anti-inflammatory property
Cholesterol control
Skin treatment
Gastrointestinal infection treatment
Sun protective properties
Antioxidizing properties
Hair treatment
Insect repellant

Important note: there have been no reported allergic reactions attributed to either oral or topical use of shea butter

images from Google.com

THANKS FOR READING