Shea butter in cosmetics

Shea butter, a vegetable fat, is contained in many rich creams, but can also be used pure. Shea butter contains valuable and moisturizing ingredients and is the vegetable fat with the largest proportion of unsaponifiable components. Shea butter is therefore an ideal companion, especially for dry or demanding skin.

The vitamin E it contains also contributes to cell generation and is known to protect cells from free radicals. It is obtained from the kernels of the shea tree, which grows mainly in the savannahs of the Sudan zone in tropical Africa between Senegal and Uganda. This is why the butter is also called shea butter .

What makes fat so valuable?

The butter is obtained through a complex, sometimes physically demanding process. First, the shea nut is removed from the pulp, heated in hot water and then spread out on the ground to dry. In the next step the shell is cracked and removed from the actual kernels with laborious manual work. then these are roughly chopped and roasted. The roasted splinters can now be ground with a machine or by hand.

The pulpy mass that is created by grinding is mixed with water and kneaded until the oil settles.

This in turn is boiled again until a flaky substance settles on the surface of the water: shea butter. After it has been skimmed off and cooled, it takes on its final, solid form. The fact that shea butter is still used in so many cosmetic products is a sign enough of its many advantages.