A. It is the artistry of body touch either hand to body or body to body.

Shea butter has soothing, moisturizing and protecting effects. Due to the sizeable quantity of unsaponifiable fats, its content in vitamins and other active elements, Shea butter adds more precise activities to these general properties. It displays a protecting role against UV rays because of its content in cinnamic acid and can thus be incorporated in solar products. Moreover, the natural latex contained in Shea butter will prevent certain sun allergies. Shea butter also helps cell regeneration and capillary circulation. This favors the healing of small wounds, skin cracks and crevices, and skin ulcers. In the cosmetic field, this property is an asset against skin aging. It has restructuring effects on the epidermis, also on dry and fragile hair. Dry skin, dermatitis, dermatosis, eczema, sun burn, and other burns are all helped by natural Shea butter. It has an elastic characteristic which makes it a good active ingredient against stretch marks.

Shea butter can also be used to treat rheumatism and aching muscles; it can minimize cold symptoms as it decongests nasal mucous membranes. It is very well tolerated by the skin for it does not normally trigger any allergic reaction and can even be used on very sensitive skin areas such as mucous membranes and around the eyes.

Shea butter is therefore an outstanding recipe for cosmetic and pharmaceutical purposes, even incorporated in high proportions. It is easy to work into all kinds of emulsions and prevents allergic reactions without altering the active principles.

In the 1940's Shea butter was used in margarine. The development of Shea butter being used in cosmetics was interrupted by World War II.

In the 1960's people in Japan and Europe discovered that Shea butter was a useful addition to pastries and chocolates.

A European Union directive was passed in January 2003 allowing a percentage of cocoa butter to be replaced by Shea butter in the manufacturing of chocolate. Other butters, including Mango butter, can be substituted for cocoa butter in chocolates. Mango Trees are also bat-planted trees.

The chocolate business is one of the world's most important industries. It is worth millions of British pounds and U.S. dollars. It is worth a lot of money in any currency you want to name. The industry employs millions of people worldwide.

Sometimes a disease or bad weather reduces the supplies of cocoa. Chocolate manufacturers can use Shea Butter in place of part of the cocoa butter and keep producing the chocolate the world demands. Shea Butter also prolongs the shelf-life of chocolates.

Historically, Shea butter has been used to treat skin conditions of all kinds. The preoccupation of western women with skin care is helping to enhance the value of "women's gold". L'Occitane, a French cosmetics firm, is using Shea butter in its products and buys it directly from the West African womens' cooperatives. The Body Shop, Origins, L'Oreal and Bath & Body Works are putting Shea butter products on their shelves.

You can buy Shea butter body scrubs, eye makeup remover, foaming cream, skin care packages, hand and cuticle cream, foot scrub and aftershave lotion.

Despite the increased use of Shea butter in cosmetics, statistics show that more than 90% of the Shea butter from all marketed shea nuts is used in the chocolate industry.

A.TYPES & COLORS: UNREFINED Shea Butter - straight from nature. COLOR - because unrefined shea butter is extracted traditionally or cold pressed, the color may vary between light gray to medium yellow. REFINED, PROCESSED etc - bleached, deodorized, refined. Hexane is used to extract more shea butter. Sometimes further processing is required to remove the hexane contaminated shea butter. COLOR- white, (Do not confuse with cream). WHAT IS HEXANE - It is a toxic chemical produced in a petroleum refinery and is a by-product of gasoline. It is mainly used as a solvent to extract edible oils from seed and vegetable crops like soybeans, peanuts & corn. Commercial grades are used as solvents for glues, vanish & inks.

A. SMELL: Shea Butter like all other natural products has a natural scent. These scents do not stink. The natural scent is usually stronger if the shea butter is fresh. As the Shea Butter gets older, the natural scent diminishes. Shea Butter with no scent is not unrefined shea butter. Traditionally extracted or cold pressed shea butter will usually have a nutty and a slight smoky scent to it because it is prepared under open fire. Once applied to skin or hair, there is no scent. Unrefined shea butter will not be fragranced.

A. SHELF-LIFE: This is another area of misunderstanding for some people. Unrefined Shea Butter does not spoil. It does not have a shelf life. Its healing properties are very powerful within the first year and a half. After that, it is still usable but not as beneficial. There is no need to store it in a freezer or refrigerator. Treat it like you treat your moisturizers and lotions. Keep it in a cool dry place. There is no special way to handle it. It just is. If you have ever encountered spoiled unrefined shea butter, then it was not unrefined shea butter to begin with.

A. TEXTURE: The texture of shea butter is smooth. Fresh shea butter is usually very soft. As the shea butter ages, it becomes stiffer but still smooth. Shea Butter is naturally thick and fatty (in a good way). A little goes a long way. Shea Butter is easily melted by the hot sun or any form of heat. This will make it liquefy. It will get back to its solid state once it is in a cool area. When shea butter is melted under direct heat or very high temperatures, the texture changes, it becomes grainy and never returns to its original texture. Some processed Shea Butter may have a gummy texture to it. Other processed shea butters may have a petroleum jelly texture to it.

VERY IMPORTANT: The color of unrefined Shea Butter depends on the Shea Nut itself. Due to the nature of the nuts, the color of unrefined Shea Butter may vary. As far as properties & benefits are concerned, there is no difference between the various colors yielded shea butter. In spite of this fact, one can still distinguish unrefined Shea Butter from bleached Shea Butter & processed Shea Butter because processed Shea Butter is COMPLETELY STRIPPED. It is odorless, and clear white (sometimes confused with cream unrefined Shea Butter). The texture is completely different from Unrefined Shea Butter. Processed Shea Butter does not deepen in color over time and retails at very high prices.
Unrefined Shea Butter entails an enormous amount of detail, information & process. We have tried to narrow it down for a better understanding on unrefined Shea Butter. Once you familiarize yourself with unrefined Shea Butter, it becomes easier to spot the differences.
One cannot judge the quality and authenticity of unrefined Shea Butter solely based on color. The benefits of unrefined Shea Butter, after one has used the actual product for a length of time, are a significant part in identifying unrefined Shea Butter. Texture and quality are also imperative.

A. ADDITIVES OR FILLERS
Additives - e.g. essential oils or natural oils are sometimes added to shea butter to provide a variety of scents. Most vendors will state that their shea butter is scented.
Fillers- e.g. beeswax, petroleum jelly, vegetable oils etc. are sometimes added to shea butter to stretch the shea butter. Vendors who practice this will usually not state so.
Depending on your preference, you will be fine with your shea butter. But if you are seeking pure unrefined shea butter, make it a point to purchase samples, try it out and decide from there. Additives and fillers will definitely change the texture, scent & color of shea butter. In cases where the shea butter is heated in order to include fillers or additives, the healing properties of the shea butter are diminished.

A.Why? Because the base for most soaps is good quality vegetable oils. Shea Butter is naturally oily when melted and cannot stand as a base for soap without adding other oils. So if soap contains shea butter, it is usually as an ingredient. Even as an ingredient in soap, shea butter can still nourish the skin depending, how much shea butter is used?
Shea Butter is used as an ingredient in creams, shampoos, perms, soaps, bath gels etc. Don't confuse Shea Butter as an ingredient to 100% Pure Unrefined Shea Butter. Unrefined Shea Butter is the best type of shea butter to use in skin care products because it is not chemically treated. Technology today has opened the door for several ways of producing shea butter. Shea Butter used in food will have a different grade from shea butter used in shampoos. So depending on what you are looking for in shea butter, there is enough to go around. SHEA BUTTER has endless uses. It is indeed nature's best