Thus, when you hear the term vitellaria paradoxa you should immediately associate this name with West African Shea Butter and more precisely with countries such as Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and such type of African Shea Butter is first processed in Europe before being sent onward to the US.

Uganda And Sudan

On the other hand, the term vitellaria nilotica refers to East African Shea Butter and you should then be sure that it comes from countries such as Uganda and Sudan and check to see whether that Shea Butter is pale in color and its consistency should be creamy.

In addition, quite unlike the West African sheabutter, the East African sheabutter -– sometimes called Uganda Shea Butter or Nilotica Shea Butter — has an aroma of nuts and this aroma is certainly very pleasant and the Shea Butter is also soft as well as has a texture that can best be described as creamy and thus lends it to being spread much more easily and it also melts quite readily.

However, a problem with obtaining East African sheabutter is that there is turmoil in countries such as Sudan and Uganda which makes for non-availability of the East African sheabutter.

Wholesale Shea Butter

When you compare the East African sheabutter with that from the Western parts of Africa you will find that though they may look similar in their color, the East African sheabutter is not like the West African sheabutter which is firm and which also has gritty texture and which can even melt with hand friction (which is not all that much different to East African sheabutter).

Also, the West African Sheabutter is most commonly called butyrospermum parkii and another feature of the West African Shea Butter is its ready availability and lower cost.

Once the present problems that are affecting the East African countries of Sudan and to a lesser extent Uganda settle down, it should be much easier for the Shea Butter companies to source your Organic Unrefined Nilotica East African Shea Butter from there and thus you will not have to pay extra for them though some suppliers do have direct contacts in these countries and thus can get a supply though it still is not enough to meet the demand for it.

Till then, you may even have to put up with using the West African Shea Butter variety.

African Shea Butter

Shea butter is a natural product that is able to offer a bevy of benefits, namely for the skin. You will notice the following changes in your skin if you use Shea butter regularly: balanced oil production, decreased fine lines and wrinkles, increased suppleness and smoothness, increased circulation of blood to the face for a more youthful glow, and improved cellular turnover of dead skin for radiant complexion.

By heating Shea butter you can make Shea butter products yourself to use on your skin, and the results are so incredible that you will almost be able to notice them immediately after first use.

How to Heat Shea Butter

The first step involved when it comes to the matter of heating Shea butter is to set up a broiler, as you would melt chocolate in, and use this to melt the Shea butter. Just make sure that you keep the heat at a minimal level as to not burn the Shea butter and never leave the room because it will only take a few moments for the butter to heat up until it is finished.

But… make sure you add as little heat as possible, because heat affects your shea butter grade, since heat always promotes rancidity and oxidation.

Shea Butter Products

If you would rather just spend a bit of extra money and purchase already made Shea butter products, then there are a few different companies you are going to want to check out.

The Shea Butter Shop, for one, is a great option, and they offer a wonderful selection of pure African Shea butter products, all of which are offered at excellent prices.

A few of their offered products are:

• Afrikan Beauty’s Black Soap,
• Afrikan Beauty’s Pure Shea Butter Lotion,
• All Naturals 100% Pure Shea Butter,
• All Naturals Oil-O-Shea Body Wash, and
• All Naturals Shea Butter Hand and Body Moisturizer.

Karite Gold is another great option for Shea Butter products, and their formulas have been tested and tried and offer unequalled skin moisturizing, clinically proven anti-aging properties, stretch mark prevention and minimization, protection against inflammations, and rapid healing for burns.

If you decide to buy rather than make your Shea Butter products, then just make sure that the preserves have been kept in the Shea butter so that you can receive as plentiful of benefits as possible.

Shea Butter Recipe

If you are interested in getting West African or East African sheabutter products, then health stores in real life and online are going to be your best bet, because they are most likely to offer the most variety.

What Is African Shea Butter?

Raw Shea Butter is a solid type of oil that is made from the nuts of the karite (or shea) trees, which grow in the semi-arid regions of West Africa and Central Africa. It is non-toxic and incredibly beneficial, and is often used in foods and cooking as well as in shampoos and soaps and various different beauty products.

Pure Shea Butter can be found in three different types, derived from three different types of extractions. Raw or unrefined extraction uses water and the color ranges from cream to grayish yellow, which is the original color of Shea Butter. Refined Shea Butter is more highly processed, but many of its natural components are still intact. Finally, there is a highly refined or processed solvents of pure white Shea Butter which are used to increase the yield.

Agbanga Karite

This is one of the best websites you buy from, because they offer pure, unrefined Shea Butter, virgin coconut oil, and African black soap at wholesale quantities. Like many other African sheabutter companies, they actually handcraft their Shea Butter and soaps in Togo under Fair Trade and organic standards. Their direct involvement in the entire African Shea Butter-making process ensures not only products of the highest quality, but is made without harming workers or the environment.

Sheaterra Organics

At this website for African sheabutter, Sheaterra Organics’ mission is to provide healing, high quality holistic products that help patients by doing good for their soul and body. They are constantly striving to make products that are safe for human health and environment, and are constantly bettering themselves as African sheabutter company.

Emages Beauty

This is yet another great option that you have for African Shea Butter products. They are a Houston-based company that features respected educators and innovators in the beauty industry. Emages Beauty has created a wonderful and successful company that offers a variety of beauty products including professional makeup, professional and amateur skin care products, dental teeth whitening products, bath time luxury bath and body products, and more.