Shea butter, also known as Karite butter, is an off-white or ivory-coloured fatty substance made from the nuts of Karite nut trees (also called Mangifolia trees) that grow in the Savannah regions of West and Central Africa. Karite trees or Shea trees are not cultivated as they only grow in the wild, and can take up to 50 years to mature – they live up to 300 years! In most parts of West Africa, destruction of the Shea tree is prohibited as this little nut provides a valuable source of food, medicine and income to the population. Interestingly, Shea butter is sometimes referred to as “Women’s Gold” in Africa, as it provides many women with employment in its production.

Most seed oils can be divided into two important fractions:

• The first fraction is called the saponifiable fraction – which contains most of the moisturizing properties
• The second fraction is called the nonsaponifiable fraction, which contains most of the healing properties

What sets Shea Butter apart from other seed oils is its exceptionally large healing fraction. The healing fraction contains important nutrients, vitamins, and other valuable phytonutrients required for healing. Depending on the source, the size of the healing fraction may range from 5% and upward. Some report the healing fraction as high as 17%. The larger the healing fraction, the better the chances are for a good quality Shea Butter.