Shea Butter - It's Not All The Same

by Angela

Shea Butter, it is as close to a skin miracle as you can get.

Shea is recognized by dermatologists to be effective for treating Eczema and Psoriasis and nothing conditions skin better.

All shea is not equal however. There is raw, filtered and refined shea.

The most beneficial shea is "mechanically" expressed from the nut.

Some sources of shea have been processed with chemicals to quickly dissolve and separate it from the nut and to eliminate the scent and color. This process usually is accomplished with Hexane.

Incredibly, the chocolate industry sometimes uses this chemically extracted shea as s substitute for cocoa butter.

One way to tell if your Shea is not chemically processed - it will be medium to deep beige or a yellow-green shade and will have the classic "nutty", earthy aroma. Raw shea will generally have a stronger scent and deeper color, filtered shea is a bit milder in scent and lighter in color.

Rule of thumb, if the shea is pure white - don't bother with it.

Note: Rare individuals with both a Type B Latex allergy and a nut allergy can react to shea butter.