Shea Butter has been used in Africa for thousands of years. African Shea Butter is a product of the African Shea Nut Tree that grows in the Savanna Grassland on the West Coast of Africa. The tree grows to a height of about 55-60 feet. The tree grows wild and is not cultivated. The tree takes about 50 years to reach maturity. Once every year, it produces lots of fruits from which Shea Butter is derived. Millions of shea nut fruits are harvested during the raining season within the month of May/August. The fruit is very delicious. The shea nut seeds are collected and usually sun dried.
At the end of the season when the nuts are well cured and dried, they are threshed and picked to separate the white nuts from the yellow nuts. The grinding process is the most tedious in the production system because the shea nut seed is as hard as a pebble. In West Africa, they do not have grinding machines. Big size wooden mortars are used to pound the nuts to powder. The powdered shea nuts are boiled in extra large clay pots for 4 to 5 days. The suspended substance is skimmed off and collected. This is the end product - 100% Natural Shea Butter.
Note that the shea nuts were separated during the threshing and picking process into white and yellow shea nut seeds. These nuts, although produced on the same branch during the season, have different characteristics.
The white shea nut, processed separately, will produced White Shea butter (off-white color). The yellow nuts produce Yellow Shea butter (yellow color). If and when the producer does not take the time to separate the nuts before processing, the end product will not be shea butter. The butter produced from such a process is very corrosive butter that cannot be applied topically.
The corrosive shea butter, plus the shea nut shaft, the residue of the processed nuts, some cut branches and leaves of the shea nut tree at the time of harvest, are put together and burnt to ashes. The ashes are gathered into large clay pots and boiled for 4-5 days. Thick layers of foam bubble to the top of the boiling liquid. It is carefully collected and left on a surface to solidify. This product is 100% pure Natural Shea Butter Black Soap.
This process of making black soap was developed in Africa by our forefathers and the technical know-how is handed down from generation to generation. It has therefore become a tradition of the Land and a culture of the people which it embraces because it enhances good health and a better living. Natural African Shea Butter have numerous uses and advantages.
For the treatment of dry skin: helps prevent ashy skin, chapping, chafing, rashes such as psoriasis, eczema, etc.
For treatment of scars: fades away burn marks, spots on the skin, scars, old scars, stretched marks, old stretch marks and keloids. For the treatment of dark spots, blemishes and skin discolorations.
For the treatment of razor bumps and rashes. It is an excellent after-shave cream.
For treatment of wrinkles: helps wrinkles and aging soft skin tissue to firm up. Rejuvenates skin cells and cleans pores. Can be used on normal to oily skin.
Apply Shea Butter to the scalp to help prevent weak hair from breaking, fading or thinning out.
Use as hair treatment and regular dressing oil. With Shea Butter on the scalp, there is absolute no room for down drops or scalp sores to develop.
For pain (swelling and arthritis): if you have arthritis ache, joint pains or muscular ache, massage Shea Butter into the area. Also for muscle relaxation and stiffness due to stress
As a natural sun screen. Shea Butter blocks harmful UVB ultraviolet rays and is used in pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
In Africa, it is used in cooking daily foods.
Traditionally in African Religion, Shea Butter is the oil and the food of the gods of Obatala, Songo, Olokun and Orisha Orumila.