The Origins of Shea Butter: Shea butter is not butter at all, but the fat got from the Shea nut found mainly in sub Saharan Africa. It is considered to be a cure all for a lot of ailments, especially skin ailments. Most popular skin products do have Shea butter in its ingredients. In a world that is so hung up on natural and being organic, the Shea butter gives the perfect solution. Quite a number of countries do produce this product, but it is Burkina Faso and Ghana that contribute most of the produce. These two countries are also the main exporters of Shea butter. Most inhabitants of this region have been using Shea butter for ages, applying it on the skin, as hair oil, as a cooking medium, and even in homemade chocolate. It is with the colonization of these parts of Africa that the rest of the world got to using the product.
Getting Shea Butter into the Jar- It is the Karite fruit that is primarily used for getting Shea butter. The fruit has a soft outer flesh and a hard nut at the centre. While the soft flesh is indeed eaten, the inner nut is further processed to give us the Shea butter. The harvesting and extracting of the Karite tree produce is mainly a group activity around households; with mainly the women folk getting together to extract and make available the butter as a social gathering and activity. With the unrefined oil that is the product of oil extraction, is further processed to give an easy to handle and easily stored butter or oil. The problem with the cultivation of the Karite tree is that it is seldom acknowledged as a cash crop. Most of the Karite trees grow in the wild and at random. Getting around these scattered and spaced out trees takes a lot of effort and time. Despite the value that the pure African Shea buttercommands in the international markets, no effort has been taken to get this sector organized and in a commercial manner.
Uses of Shea Butter: The most common use that Shea butter is put to is as a beauty aid. It is applied to the skin in its base form to soften and remove marks and wrinkles. With the belief that the butter processes medicinal properties, it is often used in case of burns too. In the days gone by, the Shea butter would have been used as a cooking medium, mainly to fry food material. This has since been kept to a minimum as the price commanded by good raw Shea butter products wholesale does not allow the cost efficiencies to cook. A very versatile type of oil, Shea butter does take its place in West Africa as a prime cash crop.
About the Author:
The author works in the form of a highly respected and educated writer on subjects like African Shea Butter and natural body care products. Additional information regarding raw Shea butter products wholesale and Shea Butter products can be found at: http://www.africanfairtradesociety.com
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