Shea butter, or karité oil, is a dense paste pressed from the seeds of the shea tree, native to Africa. At room temperature it has the consistency of softened butter. This white, yellow, or cream-colored substance has a nutty aroma, can remain fresh for up to a year without salt, and its flavor has been compared to the finest butter. That was the impression of Scottish explorer Mungo Park, the first European to encounter this plant-based product. Although this solid oil was already part of the beauty routines of ancient Egyptian queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra, many modern consumers still lack basic information about shea butter: what people use it for and why it’s so interesting.
“Women’s Gold”
The largest producers of shea butter in the world are Nigeria, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. In Mali, the African tree that yields this unusual oil is called “shea,” which means “life,” while in Senegal it is referred to as “karité.” The “oil tree” can live for over 300 years, grow up to 15 meters tall, start bearing fruit at 15–20 years of age, and produce 15–20 kilograms of nut-like fruits.
The shea tree is often called “women’s gold” because women in its native regions traditionally collect, sell, and process the harvest. All processes are done by hand: the harvested fruits are washed and the pulp removed, and the extracted seeds are roasted and ground into a paste that is mixed until it reaches a buttery consistency.
Often, women gather fallen fruits during the rainy season and carry them home for processing over considerable distances (up to 3 km) in baskets on their heads. The fruits are then buried in pits for at least two weeks to allow the pulp to rot, making it easier to extract the seeds. To produce 1 kg of shea butter, people must process 20 kg of fruits, burn 10 kg of firewood, and use a significant amount of water.
The seeds are first boiled to prevent germination and then roasted continuously for four days, after which the raw material can be stored for nine months. The roasted seeds are crushed with stones, and the kernels are ground in a mortar. Water is added to the brown paste, and several women take turns mixing the mixture, rinsing it repeatedly, and boiling it to clarify the foam.
The trade in shea butter in producing countries is a primary avenue for women’s entrepreneurship. The products and seeds are sold year-round at local markets or near their homes. During the dry season, when the amount of oil decreases, prices can double. It is more profitable to sell to wholesalers, who then resell the purchased batches to exporters at a markup.
Uses of Shea Butter
The main buyers of shea oil and seeds from Africa are French, British, Scandinavian, and American food companies. These buyers supply growing demand from cosmetic firms that make natural products based on shea oil. However, about 90% of the demand for this exotic raw material, as a substitute for cocoa butter, comes from chocolate manufacturers.
By purchasing seeds instead of finished butter, European manufacturers use cheaper mechanized extraction technologies: cold pressing (crushing the seeds at temperatures up to 80°C) and solvent extraction, the latter of which reduces the final product’s quality. In Europe, mechanically processed oil is used for cosmetics and for food purposes—as a raw material for margarine and as a cocoa butter substitute. For culinary use, experts recommend choosing 100% natural, organic, cold-pressed shea oil, because it retains the most beneficial components.
The benefits of shea butter come from its chemical composition. This oil is about 85–90% fatty acids—linoleic, linolenic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic—and it also contains vitamins A, D, E, F, PP, specific lipids such as phytosterols, and terpenic alcohols. Shea butter contains roughly 17% antioxidants, which helps explain its protective properties.
That protection goes beyond shielding the body from free radicals and includes anti-inflammatory effects. For centuries, Africans have used shea oil for cooking, medicine, cosmetics, and even household tasks. Karité fat, for example, has been used as a sealant to waterproof external adobe walls, windows, and doors during the rainy season.
From Cleopatra’s Boudoir
In addition to its role in traditional African cuisine and in chocolate and confectionery production, shea oil is used in folk medicine in ointments for eye and ear care, for skin rejuvenation, and for treatment. Vitamin E and resin esters in the oil promote healing of minor wounds and cracks and help combat eczema and psoriasis.
African women have appreciated the moisturizing, nourishing, and regenerating properties of this tree oil since ancient times. Queens like Nefertiti and Cleopatra used the soothing agent with vitamin A to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy, for infant massage, and to nourish dry or damaged hair.
Shea butter has a subtle, pleasant aroma that blends well with essential oils, making it a common ingredient in creams, balms, and shampoos. Currently, about 5% of the world’s shea butter production goes to the cosmetic industry. Europeans also use shea butter in skincare and haircare products.
Shea butter for the face is a good option: it can help prevent acne, nourish the skin, absorbs well, and doesn’t leave a heavy feeling. It is non-comedogenic, meaning it doesn’t clog pores, so it can be suitable for all skin types, including problematic and acne-prone skin. This product is also used in baby care products.
The benefits of shea butter for hair come from its lipid profile, which resembles the lipids in human hair—including waxy ceramides that help regulate hydration—and from its ability to lock moisture along the hair shaft by forming a thin film from roots to tips.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Shea Butter
Rich in fatty acids and vitamins, shea butter helps restore keratin—the main component of the stratum corneum of the epidermis—which revitalizes hair. Benefits for hair include protection from environmental damage, improved elasticity, reduced dandruff, relief from scalp itching, and restored shine after coloring.
For the face, shea butter delivers deep hydration, nourishment, softening, reduced redness, protection from cold, wind, and UV rays, longer-lasting tanning, support for cell renewal, and anti-aging care. Triterpenes and antioxidants in shea butter neutralize oxidation and stimulate collagen production.
As a cosmetic aftershave, shea butter soothes irritated skin and helps heal cuts and nicks. In body care, shea butter eases flaking and dryness on hands, heels, elbows, and knees, relieves muscle pain, and can have a positive effect on inflamed joints. Add shea butter to warm bath water before bathing.
However, shea butter can cause problems for some people. Frequent use of plant oils can wash out hair color and may lighten dyed hair, giving it a yellowish tint. Apply masks with shea butter no more than once a week. Other precautions include latex allergy—shea butter can contain natural latex—and individual intolerance.
If there are no contraindications, prepare whipped shea butter for home care: melt solid shea butter (80%) in a water bath until soft; blend with a mixer while gradually adding other liquid oils (18%); place the mixture in the freezer for one minute; mix again, blend quickly, and cool rapidly, repeating this process 4–5 times; finally add fragrances (2%) for conditioning.
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