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Shea butter is not a dairy butter but rather a nut butter that is extracted from the fatty seed kernels of the wild Karite tree which is found only in the African continent. It is a rich fatty acid that is commonly used as healing and moisturizing ingredient in skin care and hair care products and sometimes in chocolate as a substitute for cocoa butter. The Karite tree is known as 'the tree of life' due to the fact that it is responsible for the livelihood of most of the people who depend on its by-products. Shea butter is a fair trade item that is sustainably farmed by many female cooperative farmers in West Africa who call it "women's gold".
When the shea nuts ripen, they fall from the trees and are gathered and handled in a labor intensive process that consists of cracking, crushing, roasting, separating, collecting and shaping the product into balls. The pure, unrefined butter has been used for thousands of years by the people of Africa in a countless number of ways such as hydrating the skin and scalp in the arid climate, as an antiseptic for healing minor cuts, burns and scrapes including the umbilical stump of a newborn, minimizing scars and stretch marks and in cooking stews.
Chemically the butter is comprised of two fractions; the moisturizing and the healing fractions. The moisturizing fraction is a saponifiable fat which means it can be converted into soap. This is what makes it a great moisturizer which is quickly and deeply absorbed into the skin and delivers enduring moisture. The non-saponifiable portion is about 10% and is responsible for its healing properties as it is composed of vitamins A and E and other antioxidants. These are responsible for its anti-inflammatory and sun protection properties.
This unique substance is now prized all over the world as a natural restorative moisturizer and emollient. It is therefore used to make skin and hair care products that will hydrate, increase skin tone and elasticity, prevent and reduce wrinkles and stretch marks, soothe rashes, eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis and provide relief from muscle fatigue and arthritis.
Shea butter can be found in three different forms based on the level of processing; unrefined, refined and highly refined. To obtain all great benefits from it, it is best to procure organic, unrefined or the mildly refined product so that retains all its nutrients.
When the shea nuts ripen, they fall from the trees and are gathered and handled in a labor intensive process that consists of cracking, crushing, roasting, separating, collecting and shaping the product into balls. The pure, unrefined butter has been used for thousands of years by the people of Africa in a countless number of ways such as hydrating the skin and scalp in the arid climate, as an antiseptic for healing minor cuts, burns and scrapes including the umbilical stump of a newborn, minimizing scars and stretch marks and in cooking stews.
Chemically the butter is comprised of two fractions; the moisturizing and the healing fractions. The moisturizing fraction is a saponifiable fat which means it can be converted into soap. This is what makes it a great moisturizer which is quickly and deeply absorbed into the skin and delivers enduring moisture. The non-saponifiable portion is about 10% and is responsible for its healing properties as it is composed of vitamins A and E and other antioxidants. These are responsible for its anti-inflammatory and sun protection properties.
This unique substance is now prized all over the world as a natural restorative moisturizer and emollient. It is therefore used to make skin and hair care products that will hydrate, increase skin tone and elasticity, prevent and reduce wrinkles and stretch marks, soothe rashes, eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis and provide relief from muscle fatigue and arthritis.
Shea butter can be found in three different forms based on the level of processing; unrefined, refined and highly refined. To obtain all great benefits from it, it is best to procure organic, unrefined or the mildly refined product so that retains all its nutrients.
About the Author:
It's your your best choice for 100% natural body care moisture products only with Shea body butter or Shea moisturizer. Felicia W. Reser is an expert of beauty products and health care check out her stories and advice.
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