June 5, 2016

How is Shea Butter made – The traditional process

Shea Butter as a natural moisturizer and amazing skin food has drawn a lot of global attention. Consequently, many of our customers and readers have become more curious about this awesome skin food. The question remains: How is Shea Butter made?

If you missed the post on Benefits of Shea Butter, see it here

Next, we shall be reviewing the traditional methods with which raw, organic, unrefined shea butter is made. These traditional processes ensures that the shea butter produced is nutrient-rich, organic and contains no chemicals or additives.

Check out our post about Shea Butter here

Harvesting:

First and foremost, local farmers and women collect matured Shea nuts from the Tree. They also pick fallen Shea nuts from the ground. This process is usually carried out as a community joint effort.

Inspecting:

After harvesting, the women inspect the Shea nuts thoroughly. At this point, they separate Shea nuts which have signs of spoilage as they may affect the quality of the shea butter produced.

Boiling and drying:

The Shea nuts are briefly boiled and dried in the sun for a many hours.

Pounding and Grinding:

Husks are removed by pounding the shea nuts in a mortar. Then, machine grinding of the de-husked nuts makes it into smooth powder. From here on, the shea nuts will no longer be visible as nuts but as fine powder.

Kneading:

Boiled water is slowly stirred into the powder and hand kneading is done to form an emulsion.

Butter Formation:

Consequently, Shea butter forms on top of the emulsified mixture. Furthermore, the shea butter emulsion is liquefied (low heat) and solidified repeatedly for removal of impurities (husks).

Butter Collection and packaging:

Finally, Shea butter is collected and left to solidify. Crafting can also be done if required. Shea butter is ready to be packed and shipped. We pack our shea butter using recyclable/reusable containers.

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