SHEA BUTTER

Synonyms:
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Shea butter

Seeds of a shea tree — raw materials for oil production
Shea butter (/ʃiː/, /ˈʃiːə/, or /ʃeɪ/) is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa).[1] It is ivory in color when raw, with more processed versions being white, although it is commonly dyed yellow with borututu root or palm oil. It is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturizer, salve or lotion. Shea butter is edible and is used in food preparation in some African countries.[2] Occasionally, shea butter is mixed with other oils as a substitute for cocoa butter, although the taste is noticeably different.[3][4]

The English word "shea" comes from s’í, the tree's name in Bambara.[5] It is known by many local names, e.g., Kpakahili in Dagbani, taama in Waala, nkuto in Twi, kaɗe or kaɗanya in Hausa, Òkwùmá in Igbo language, òrí in Yoruba language, karité in the Wolof language of Senegal,[6] ori in some parts of West Africa, and many others.[7][8]

History
The common name is shísu (lit. "shea tree") in the Bambara language of Mali. This is the origin of the English word, the primary pronunciation of which is /ʃiː/ (rhyming with "tea"), although the pronunciation /ʃeɪ/ (rhyming with "day") is common and is listed second in major dictionaries. The tree is called ghariti in the Wolof language of Senegal, which is the origin of the French name of the tree and the butter, karité.

The shea tree grows naturally in the wild in the dry savannah belt of West Africa from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east, and onto the foothills of the Ethiopian highlands. It occurs in 21 countries across the African continent, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Guinea.

A testa found at the site of the medieval village of Saouga is evidence of shea butter production by the 14th century.[9]

Children transporting crushed shea nuts in Jisonaayili, Ghana

Wala women making shea butter in Ghana
Traditionally preparing shea butter
Traditional preparation of shea butter in Mali

A young lady selling shea butter in Ghana.
Composition and properties
Shea butter extract is a complex fat that in addition to many nonsaponifiable components (substances that cannot be fully converted into soap by treatment with alkali) contains the following fatty acids: oleic acid (40–60%), stearic acid (20–50%), linoleic acid (3–11%), palmitic acid (2–9%), linolenic acid (<1%) and arachidic acid (<1%).[10]

Shea butter melts at body temperature. Proponents of its use for skin care maintain that it absorbs rapidly into the skin, acts as a "refatting" agent, and has good water-binding properties.[11]

Uses

Shea butter soap
Shea butter is mainly used in the cosmetics industry for skin- and hair-related products (lip gloss, lip stick, skin moisturizer creams and emulsions, and hair conditioners for dry and brittle hair).[12] It is also used by soap makers and massage oil manufacturers, typically in small amounts, because it has plenty of unsaponifiables, and higher amounts result in a softer soap that has less cleaning ability. Some artisan soap makers use shea butter in amounts to 25% – with the European Union regulating the maximum use around 28%, but it is rarely the case in commercially produced soap due to its high cost compared to oils like palm oil or pomace (olive oil). It is an excellent emollient for dry skin. No evidence shows it is a cure, but it alleviates the pain associated with tightness and itching.

In some African countries such as Benin, shea butter is used for cooking oil, as a waterproofing wax, for hairdressing, for candle-making, and as an ingredient in medicinal ointments. It is used by makers of traditional African percussion instruments to increase the durability of wood (such as carved djembe shells), dried calabash gourds, and leather tuning straps.[citation needed]

Medicinal
Shea butter is sometimes used as a base for medicinal ointments. Some of the isolated chemical constituents are reported to have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,[13] emollient, and humectant properties.[citation needed] Shea butter has been used as a sunblocking lotion[citation needed] and some of its components "have limited capacity to absorb ultraviolet radiation".[3]

In Ghana, shea butter locally known as Kpakahili (Eng. trans. raw cream) in Dagbani, nkuto (Akan) or nku (Ga), is either used as a food product or applied as lotion to protect the skin during the dry Harmattan season. The shea nut tree itself is called tááŋà (pl. táánsì) and the fruit is called táánì (pl. támá). The current northern regional capital Tamale, derives it names from a combination of the words "tama" and "yili", meaning "the town of shea fruits".

In Nigeria, shea butter is used for the management of sinusitis and relief of nasal congestion.[14] It is massaged into joints and other parts of the body where pain occurs.[15]

Classification
The United States Agency for International Development and other companies[16] have suggested a classification system for shea butter, separating it into five grades:

A (raw or unrefined, extracted using water)
B (refined)
C (highly refined and extracted with solvents such as hexane)
D (lowest uncontaminated grade)
E (with contaminants).
Commercial grades are A, B, and C. The color of raw (grade A) butter ranges from cream (like whipped butter) to grayish yellow. It has a nutty aroma which is removed in the other grades. Grade C is pure white.[17][18] While the level of vitamin content can be affected by refining, up to 95% of vitamin content can be removed from refined grades (i.e., grade C) of shea butter while reducing contamination levels to undetectable levels.[19][20]

See also
Shea nut and butter production in Burkina Faso
Shea Yeleen, a social enterprise that trains women-owned shea butter cooperatives.
African Black Soap, a West African soap traditionally prepared with shea butter.

Butters by definition melt at somewhere around 40C and in Shea Butter, the chemical that help keep what would otherwise be an oil buttery is Stearic acid.

Stearic Acid has a melting point of 69.3C,  it is a fatty acid and as such is oil soluble and has no pH.

The Stearic Acid content of Shea Butter naturally ranges from 26-48% depending on growing conditions, climate and botanical variant. In some parts of Africa the shea butter is more liquid than others due to lower levels of stearic.  This is important as while stearic acid is essential for forming the structure of shea butter and its butteriness it isn’t such a big deal biologically or in terms of the products moisturising capacity.

Grittiness.

The gritty bits that develop in Shea butter products over time are due to the stearic acid beading together. They tend to do this in reaction to both the effects of gravity and of time.  The more variable the storage temperature, the more likely the product will become gritty.  The lower the viscosity and yield value of the formula, the more it is affected by gravitational forces.

As an aside  I’ve just made a low viscosity water-in-oil moisturiser with shea and after standing for a week it too has developed this grittiness so I’ll need to address that!  The gritty bits rub-in very easily but look unsightly. They are an issue in this formula because the oil phase predominates (it is the external phase) and is therefore more mobile than it otherwise would be. Also there is a lot of shea in this formula.

Bottom shea cream with gritty bits

As another aside,  you can reduce the likelihood of shea butter becoming gritty by tempering it.  I carried out a range of experiments a few years ago and found that heating shea to 80-90C and then flash freezing it was best for reducing the potential for grit formation as it acted to smash the stearic beads up so small that it was energetically unfavourable for them to form beads again.  As that isn’t practical for large-scale manufacturing I also tried a homogenise while cooling method which worked very well too. So heat to 80-90C then homogenise until it reaches around 45C, just before it starts to set, then cool it quickly but not necessarily by freezing it.

Some of my results can be seen here. This is when I was experimenting with different heat-and-hold times. I found it didn’t make much difference how long you held it at high temperature for, what mattered most was how it cooled as you can see from the grittiness in the room temperature samples.

Increasing demand of shea products (kernels and butter) has led to the assessment of the state-of-the-art of these products. In this review, attention has been focused on macronutrients and micronutrients of pulp, kernels, and butter of shea tree and also the physicochemical properties of shea butter. Surveying the literature revealed that the pulp is rich in vitamin C (196.1 mg/100 g); consumption of 50 g covers 332% and 98% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of children (4-8 years old) and pregnant women, respectively. The kernels contain a high level of fat (17.4-59.1 g/100 g dry weight). Fat extraction is mainly done by traditional methods that involve roasting and pressing of the kernels, churning the obtained liquid with water, boiling, sieving, and cooling. The fat (butter) is used in food preparation and medicinal and cosmetics industries. Its biochemical properties indicate some antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Large variations are observed in the reported values for the composition of shea products. Recommendations for future research are presented to improve the quality and the shelf-life of the butter. In addition, more attention should be given to the accuracy and precision in experimental analyses to obtain more reliable information about biological variation.

Shea butter from the Shea tree is an important plant fat rapidly gaining popularity in cosmetics, personal care products and foods. Shea butter is becoming more popular because of its unsaturated fatty acids composition as well as the potential utility of its unsaponifiables fraction now being used in cosmeceutical, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. The chemical constituents, physical and chemical properties, quality impacting factors, quality control issues, as well as the current and potential new uses of Shea butter by different industries are reviewed.

Shea oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the seeds of the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn.). It constitutes an important source of fat in food and cosmetics. Although shea oil can be marketed both locally and internationally, increasing demand worldwide for exportable products calls for their certification. Characterization of shea oil is one step towards developing its certification system. In this study, the physico-chemical characteristics of shea oil in different shea zones of Uganda were assessed. Samples of shea fruits were collected between the months of June-August 2007 in the districts of Pader, Lira, Katakwi and Arua representing Acholi, Lango, Teso, and West Nile shea zones, respectively. Seed oil was extracted by Soxhlet apparatus using n-hexane solvent and analysed for colour, refractive index, viscosity, oil content, acid value, peroxide value, saponification value, iodine value, α-tocopherols and fatty acid profile. Shea oil content, colour, refractive index and viscosity ranged from 41-54%, orange to orange–yellow, 1.670-1.690 and 2.4-2.8 cP, respectively. Acid and peroxide values ranged between 2.3-12.59 mgKOH/kg and 2.10 to 2.50 meq/kg, respectively. Saponification, iodine and α- tocopherols values were between 160 mgKOH/g and 192mgKOH/g, 39.21 I2g/100 and 41.37 I2g/100g and 26.3-44.4 mg/100g, respectively. Fatty acid profile for palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and arachidic fatty acids ranged between 6.52-8.12%, 28.65-30.94%, 55.54- 57.63%, 6.18-7.79% and 0.65-0.90%, respectively. Although there was significant variation in the oil yield (P≤0.05), the physico-chemical characteristic and fatty acid profile showed no significant variation in the shea zones of Uganda (P≤0.05). The fact that physico- chemical characteristics of shea oil from the different shea zones of Uganda are comparable to other high value edible vegetable oils indicates its suitability as raw material for food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. This characterization is a bench mark for monitoring the quality of shea oil from Uganda and can be used to enhance its local and international trade.

What is it?

Shea butter is fat that’s extracted from the nuts of the shea tree. It’s solid at warm temperatures and has an off-white or ivory color. Shea trees are native to West Africa, and most shea butter still comes from that region.

Shea butter has been used as a cosmetic ingredient for centuries. Its high concentration of vitamins and fatty acids — combined with its easy-to-spread consistency — make it a great product for smoothing, soothing, and conditioning your skin.
It’s safe for all skin types
Shea butter is technically a tree nut product. But unlike most tree nut products, it’s very low in the proteins that can trigger allergies.

In fact, there’s no medical literature documenting an allergy to topical shea butter.

Shea butter doesn’t contain chemical irritants known to dry out skin, and it doesn’t clog pores. It’s appropriate for nearly any skin type.

2. It’s moisturizing
Shea butter is typically used for its moisturizing effects. These benefits are tied to shea’s fatty acid content, including linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids.

When you apply shea topically, these oils are rapidly absorbed into your skin. They act as a “refatting” agent, restoring lipids and rapidly creating moisture.

This restores the barrier between your skin and the outside environment, holding moisture in and reducing your risk of dryness.

 It won’t make your skin oily
Shea butter contains high levels of linoleic acid and oleic acid. These two acids balance each other out. That means shea butter is easy for your skin to fully absorb and won’t make your skin look oily after application.

4. It’s anti-inflammatory
The plant esters of shea butter have been found to have anti-inflammatory properties.

When applied to the skin, shea triggers cytokines and other inflammatory cells to slow their production.

This may help minimize irritation caused by environmental factors, such as dry weather, as well as inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema.
It’s antioxidant
Shea butter has significant levels of vitamins A and E, which means it promotes strong antioxidant activity.

Antioxidants are important anti-aging agents. They protect your skin cells from free radicals that can lead to premature aging and dull-looking skin.

6. It’s antibacterial
A 2012 study suggests that oral doses of shea bark extract can lead to decreased antimicrobial activity in animals.

Although more research is needed, this could indicate possible antibacterial benefits in humans.

Because of this, some speculate that topical application may decrease the amount of acne-causing bacteria on the skin.
 It’s antifungal
Shea tree products have been established as powerful ingredients to fight skin infections caused by fungi.

While shea butter may not be able to treat every kind of fungal infection, we know that it kills spores of the fungi that causes ringworm and athlete’s foot.

8. It may help prevent acne
Shea butter is rich in different kinds of fatty acids. This unique composition helps clear your skin of excess oil (sebum).

At the same time, shea butter restores moisture to your skin and locks it in to your epidermis, so your skin doesn’t dry out or feel “stripped” of oil.

The result is a restoration of the natural balance of oils in your skin — which may help stop acne before it starts.
It helps boost collagen production
Shea butter contains triterpenes. These naturally occurring chemical compounds are thought to deactivate collagen fiber destruction.

This may minimize the appearance of fine lines and result in plumper skin.

10. It helps promote cell regeneration
Shea’s moisturizing and antioxidant properties work together to help your skin generate healthy new cells.

Your body is constantly making new skin cells and getting rid of dead skin cells. You actually get rid of anywhere between 30,000 to 40,000 old skin cells each day.

Dead skin cells sit on the top. New skin cells form at the bottom of the upper layer of skin (epidermis).

With the right moisture balance on the surface of your skin, you’ll have fewer dead skin cells in the way of fresh cell regeneration in the epidermis.
11. It may help reduce the appearance of stretch marks and scarring
It’s thought that shea butter stops keloid fibroblasts — scar tissue — from reproducing, while encouraging healthy cell growth to take their place.

This may help your skin heal, minimizing the appearance of stretch marks and scarring.

12. It may help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
By boosting collagen production and promoting new cell generation, shea butter may help reduce what researchers call photoaging — the wrinkles and fine lines that environmental stress and aging can create on skin.

13. It offers added sun protection
Shea butter can’t be used by itself as an effective sunscreen.

But using shea butter on your skin does give you some added sun protection, so layer it over your favorite sunscreen on days you’ll be spending outside.

Shea butter contains an estimated SPF of 3 to 4.

14. It may help prevent hair breakage
Shea butter hasn’t been studied specifically for its ability to make hair stronger.

But one 2017 studyTrusted Source found that a chemically similar West African plant made hair significantly more resistant to breakage.

15. It may help treat dandruff
One way to treat dandruff (atopic dermatitis) is to restore moisture to your dry and irritated scalp.

One 2018 reviewTrusted Source found that shea butter, when used in combination with other moisturizers, could help decrease dandruff flakes and reduce risk of flare-ups.

More research is needed to determine how effective shea is when used alone.

16. It may help soothe conditions like eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis
Shea’s anti-inflammatory properties help soothe skin and relieve itching. This may prove especially helpful for inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis.

Shea also absorbs rapidly, which could mean quick relief for flare-ups.

ResearchTrusted Source even suggests that shea butter could work just as well as medicated creams in treating eczema.

17. It may help soothe sunburn and other skin burns
ResearchTrusted Source suggests that oils may be beneficial for superficial (first-degree) skin burns, such as sunburn.

Shea’s anti-inflammatory components may reduce redness and swelling. Its fatty acid components may also soothe the skin by retaining moisture during the healing process.

Although the researchers in this study established that the use of shea butter, aloe vera, and other natural products is common, more research is needed to assess their efficacy.

18. It may help soothe insect bites
Shea butter has been traditionally used to soothe bee stings and insect bites.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that shea butter may help bring down swelling that bites and stings can cause.

That said, there isn’t any clinical research to support this.

If you’re experiencing severe pain and swelling from stings or bites, consider seeing a health professional and stick to proven treatments.

19. It can help promote wound healing
In addition to reducing underlying inflammation, shea is also linked to the tissue remodeling that’s crucial for treating wounds.

Its protective fatty acids may also help shield wounds from environmental irritants during the healing process.

20. It may help relieve arthritis pain
Arthritis is caused by underlying inflammation in the joints.

A 2016 animal studyTrusted Source on shea oil concentrate suggests that it can help reduce inflammation while also protecting joints from further damage.

Although this study focused on knee joints, these potential benefits could extend to other areas of the body.

21. It may help soothe muscle soreness
Muscles that have been overextended can be affected by inflammation and stiffness as your body repairs muscle tissue.

Shea butter may help sore muscles in the same way it may help joint pain — by reducing inflammation.

22. It may help relieve congestion
A 1979 studyTrusted Source suggests that shea butter may help alleviate nasal congestion.

When used in nasal drops, shea butter may reduce inflammation in the nasal passages.

It could also help reduce mucosal damage, which often leads to nasal congestion.

These effects could be beneficial when dealing with allergies, sinusitis, or the common cold.

Where do all of these benefits come from?
The benefits of shea butter come from its chemical makeup. Shea butter contains:

linoleic, palmitic, stearic, and oleic fatty acids, ingredients that balance oils on your skin
vitamins A, E, and F, antioxidant vitamins that promote circulation and healthy skin cell growth
triglycerides, the fatty part of the shea nut that nourishes and conditions your skin
cetyl esters, the waxy part of the shea nut butter that conditions skin and locks in moisture
Keep in mind that the exact makeup varies according to where the shea nuts are harvested from. You may also find shea butter mixed with added ingredients, such as tea tree oil or lavender oil.

How to use shea butter
On skin
You can apply shea butter directly to your skin. Raw, unrefined shea butter is easy to spread.

You can use your fingers to scoop a teaspoon or so of shea butter from your jar, and then rub it onto your skin until it’s completely absorbed.

Shea butter is slippery and can keep makeup from adhering to your face, so you may prefer to apply it at night before bed.

On hair
Raw shea butter can also be applied directly to your hair.

If your hair is naturally curly or porous, consider using shea butter as a conditioner. Make sure your hair has absorbed most of the shea butter before rinsing and styling as usual. You can also use a small amount of shea butter as a leave-in conditioner.

If your hair is naturally straight, thin, or fine, consider using shea butter on the ends of your hair. Applying shea butter to your roots may cause an oily-looking buildup.

Storage
Shea butter should be stored slightly below room temperature, so that it stays solid and easy to spread.

Possible side effects and risks
There are no documented cases of topical shea butter allergies. Even people with tree nut allergies should be able to use shea butter on their skin.

That said, discontinue use if you begin experiencing irritation and inflammation. Seek emergency medical attention if you experience severe pain, swelling, or difficulty breathing.