Refined and Unrefined Shea Butter

Shea butter has been very popular especially on women due to its skin softening benefits. 
Anyone who is health conscious and keen in taking care of skin just love Shea butter, which also
helps retaining healthy scalp and hair.  This amazing natural product is derived from the seed of
African Shea Tree, which undergoes different processes to produce such amazingly beneficial
Shea butter.  Shea butter is widely used around the world now and in the past centuries,
especially in Africa where this butter originated.  Shea composes of rich fatty acid that helps
heal, protect and retain moisture into the skin.  This butter is rich in Vitamin A, E and F that all
important in maintaining a good, clear and sun protected skin. According to the dermatological
experts, Shea butter moisturizing properties are comparable to the natural moisturizer that our
skin produces, that is why the healing properties is exceptional compared to other natural
moisturizers.

Below are some benefits of Shea butter to our skin:

-    Relieves dry, flaky skin and scalp
-    Moisturizes body and facial skin
-    Prevents stretch marks due to pregnancy
-    Helps add skin elasticity and suppleness
-    Fades blemishes and acne marks
-    Evens out skin tone and texture
-    Relieves and heals small burns and wounds
-    Helps treat sun burned skin
-    Gives more shine to hair
-    Helps maintain a healthy scalp

Skin and hair products which contains Shea butter:

-    Body moisturizers and lotions
-    Natural soaps
-    Shower gels
-    Bubble bath and spa solutions
-    Ointments for burns and wounds
-    Hair Shampoos and Conditioners

In cosmetics industry, Shea butter plays a great role to help our skin retain moisture, relieves dry
and flaky skin, and reveals a soft, supple skin in continued use.  Having fast skin absorbing
properties, Shea butter can surely deliver all the natural moisture goodness to our skin. 
According to experts, this wonder butter can also be used as salve or ointment, because of its
anti-inflammatory effect and a  known humectant.   Moreover, Shea butter is edible and is
equally popular in the food industry, specifically in chocolate manufacturers, as this butter can
replace cocoa butter in chocolate making.

Extraction and refining  of African Shea tree nut varies widely and can generally be grouped into
refined and unrefined product.  Unrefined Shea butter undergoes few filtering processing,
generally using water alone, and retains the whole natural state of Shea, with the yellowish to
grayish color and chocolate smell, and all the wonderful benefits which comes with it. 
Generally, the smell and color of unrefined Shea butter is very good to many people, with a
sweet nutty smell, comforting and relaxing to most users.  Unrefined Shea butter can be directly
applied to the skin, and has long storage life even on room temperature only.

While a lot of people love the smell of Shea, others would prefer Refined Shea butter  which
undergoes more processes, with help from some chemicals such as Hexane, to produce an
odorless, more opaque white color, but still contain some natural benefits of Shea.  Refined Shea
butter is widely preferred in cosmetics manufacturing as this allows manufacturers to incorporate
Shea on their formulization of cosmetics without worrying about its odor and color. The higher
refining  that Shea butter process undergoes, the lesser odor and more stable white color, very
compatible to be incorporated in lotion and body cream processes.
Choosing between these two types of Shea butter depends entirely on what the end user prefer
and whether this will be used as end product or will still be used as a key ingredient in a more
complex product manufacturing.