The Benefits of Unrefined Shea Butter

We all have that one hair product that changes our lives. For me, it's unrefined shea butter. Shea butter has been a staple in the hair care industry for decades, but I was first introduced to it by my younger sister. She applied unrefined shea butter, with its distinctive yellowish-orange hue, to her daughter's hair while installing cornrows. The results were astonishing—her daughter's hair remained soft even after taking out the cornrows for a wash. When I finally tried melted unrefined shea butter on my own hair, I was hooked.

You might be wondering about the differences between unrefined and refined shea butter. Here are some key points:

Origin: Both unrefined (crude) and refined shea butter come from the kernels of the shea nut trees Vitellaria paradoxa (West Africa) and Vitellaria nilotica (East Africa). Nigeria has the highest shea kernel oil content.

Traditional Uses: Shea butter has been used for cooking oil, margarine, cosmetics, detergents, and medicinal purposes. Refined shea butter is often used in cooking, while unrefined shea butter is preferred for soaps.

Processing: Refined and Unrefined shea butter are derived through processes like de-pulping, boiling, drying, de-shelling, and various traditional, mechanized, enzymatic, and chemical methods.

Fatty Acids: Unrefined shea butter contains 16 saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, with stearic acid and oleic acid being dominant. In Uganda, it consists of 28-30% stearic acid and 54-57% oleic acid. In West Africa, it's about 34% stearic acid and 45% oleic acid.

Color and Smell: The color of unrefined shea butter varies from yellowish-orange to yellowish-white, depending on the location of the shea tree, and it has a strong smell. Refined shea butter is typically white or completely clear when most refined.

Nutritional Content: Unrefined shea butter retains all its natural vitamins, including vitamins A and E, and more fatty acids, enhancing its moisturizing effect. However, due to higher moisture content, it can become rancid when exposed to oxygen, light, or heat, resulting in a shorter shelf-life compared to refined shea butter.

When stored properly in a cool place away from heat and sealed correctly, unrefined shea butter offers superior benefits for hair and skin compared to its refined counterpart while prolonging its shelf-life. Personally, I've used both refined and unrefined shea butter and can attest that unrefined shea butter makes my hair feel softer and more moisturized, keeping it hydrated for up to two weeks before reapplication is needed.

For more on how I use unrefined shea butter, check out my next blog. Interested in trying shea butter products? Visit my store at https://www.nyweleadvancedhairsolutions.com/shop/p/african-shea-butter-100-natural or https://www.nyweleadvancedhairsolutions.com/shop.

References:

1.        Andrew, Simpeh, et al. “Modification of Crude Shea Fat To Enhance The Functional Characteristics.” Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, pp. 1-8. https://www.academia.edu/44692099/MODIFICATION_OF_CRUDE_SHEA_FAT_TO_ENHANCE_THE_FUNCTIONAL_CHARACTERISTISCS

2.        Okullo, et al. “Physico-Chemical Characteristics Of Shea Butter (Vitellari paradoxa C.F. Gaertn.) Oil From The Shea Districts Of Uganda.” African Journal of Food Agriculture Nutrition and Development, vol. 10, no. 1, 2010, pp. 2070-2081. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Francis-Omujal/publication/43554921_Physico-Chemical_Characteristics_Of_Shea_Butter_Vitellaria_paradoxa_CF_Gaertn_Oil_From_The_Shea_Districts_Of_Uganda/links/00b7d51b0c99d0746a000000/Physico-Chemical-Characteristics-Of-Shea-Butter-Vitellaria-paradoxa-CF-Gaertn-Oil-From-The-Shea-Districts-Of-Uganda.pdf?origin=publication_detail&_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIiwicGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uRG93bmxvYWQiLCJwcmV2aW91c1BhZ2UiOiJwdWJsaWNhdGlvbiJ9fQ

3.         Iddrisu, Abdul-Mumeen, et al. “Shea butter extraction technologies: Current status and future perspective.” African Journal of Biochemistry Research, vol.13, no. 2, 2019, pp. 9-22. https://academicjournals.org/journal/AJBR/article-full-text-pdf/BC101F860142