Shea Body Butter
The Process Behind Making Shea Body Butter
Is All Shea Butter From Africa?
Whether at a beauty outlet, store or festival, most often you have seen or heard of Shea Body Butter. However, unless you know where Shea Butter originates, you can not clearly decide whether using Shea Butter products may be a good idea.
For, as the butter comes from a nut found in the Shea tree of Africa, those who are allergic to tree nuts may want to assure one has no reaction by only applying such product in limited amounts the first time one uses same.
Not only is Shea Butter used in a variety of lotions, salves and cosmetics, it is also edible and may be used in food preparation should one be using a recipe which calls for same. In fact, some chocolate makers often use Shea Butter as a substitute for Cocoa Butter.
However, as the taste is quite different, one may want to try tasting Shea Butter before using it in a variety of recipes which call for chocolate or cocoa powder.
Although, in order to get the Shea Butter extract from the nut, you must go through a great deal of processing such as crushing, stirring and boiling before being made into a paste. So, while you may be allergic to most tree nuts, you may be okay using Shea Butter products.
As such, if you are interested in trying such products, you may only want to try a small amount at first so that you can assure there is no allergic reaction.
How To Extract Shea Butter
The Traditional Shea Butter Extraction Method
In fact, there are several procedures which you must follow in order to create such butter. For example, the traditional method of preparing such includes, but is not limited to, separating and cracking the nut to remove the outer pulp, then removing the nut from the hull or outer shell. After which, you then crushes the nut, typically with a mortar and pestle.
Also, you must pay close attention and constantly stir the mixture with a wooden paddle or spoon during the roasting phase which is prepared under hot Sun. Of course, you must also grind the nuts into a smooth paste after roasting. You must then remove any excess oils from the liquid before turning same into paste.
Shea Body Butter Making Process
Pure Shea Butter
As such, you can then move on to the Shea Body Butter making process. In which oils are removed from the butter by adding water, then extracting any oil from the batch. After which, you are then ready for the collecting and shaping phase. You can then create a variety of Shea Butter body products out of the Shea Butter you have extracted from the original nut.
In addition, while hand made Shea Butter is still often considered the purest form, you also have the option of using a mechanical shelling machine and to extract any excess materials with chemicals such as hexane or through the use of other filtering methods.
However, you are most likely going to get the best Shea Butter when you follow the traditional methods of preparation as noted above.
OTHER SHEA BUTTER USES
While most individuals are familiar with Shea Body Butter as used in cosmetics, lotions, salves and a few recipes, there are also other uses.
As such, you can often find traditional, industrial and medicinal benefits when using such products. For example, such butter is often used as both cooking oil and to strengthen wood and other fibers in Africa,
Of course, as already stated, the most common industrial use is in cosmetics and other beauty related products. Although, you can also find a number of shampoos, conditioners and other hair products which also contain Shea Butter.
So, you can see how there are many different opportunities in the beauty and health care industries for Shea Butter Body products.
SHEA BUTTER BODY BENEFITS
Still, there are also health benefits such as medicinal ointments which have often proved to eliminate swelling, thus creating a belief that Shea Butter is also a great anti-inflammatory and aid in treating fading scars, psoriasis, wrinkles, stretch marks, chapped lips, discoloration of skin, dark spots, dry skin, rashes and burns.
Of course, before using any such ointment, you may want to first check with a health care professional to assure that using such an ointment may be the proper thing to do in any given situation.
To this end, if you want to make any one of the most popular Shea Butter Body products at home, you can do so easily as long you use the proper ingredients and follows all instructions.
After which, you can then decide whether such Shea Body Butter may only be used at home, or whether you may desire to package and sell such products on the open market.
Of course, as many areas require one to obtain a business and health license to process such butter, often individuals find it far more convenient to simply pick up such Shea Body Butter products from a beauty outlet or health store as needed.
