Are you a fan of that nutty earthly scent of shea butter? Perhaps you may be using a moisturizer that contains various preservatives along with added fragrances. Whether or not you are into shea butter, you will surely be loved to know the refined vs unrefined shea butter story. Who knows whether you will become a new enjoyer of this pretty soft paste at the end.
We have at least heard once in a tv commercial about using shea as an ingredient in lotions or any other cosmetic product. Other than that, there are wonderful uses of shea butter. We hope to continue with our main topic, including the background information about this magical blend of nature, from this article.
How is Shea Butter Manufactured?
Shea butter is an extract from a certain type of nuts. Those are called karite nuts. The extracted solid fatty oil is cold pressed to bring out the product, raw shea butter or refined shea butter. Vitellaria Paradoxa Gaetner, or the karite nut tree, grows in Guinea, Senegal, Uganda, and South Sudan.
Uses of Shea Butter
- Shea butter has an anti-inflammatory property which means it has a healing power against itching, insect bites and rashes on our skin surfaces. This is a proven remedy for infections such as eczema and psoriasis, dermatitis, and also ulcers. It is also used for years as an ointment for wounds in traditional medicine.
- It is such a common fact that this cream is widely used in cosmetology to produce various lotions due to its ability to smoothen the skin.
- Shea butter is used as oil when frying too.
Refined vs Unrefined Shea Butter; What’s the Difference
Refined vs unrefined shea butter makes the basic change in the processes by which they are produced. Likewise, there are many other physical, chemical and behavioural changes in shea butter in these two stages. Let’s go through them one by one. It is important to know the difference to match it with your desire.
- Unrefined means raw shea butter without being subjected to any compress. The extract from nuts is transformed into raw shea paste without adding any colour, preservative, chemical or heat. On the contrary, refined shea butter is a product taken from highly heated conditions applied to raw shea butter. Sometimes chemicals like hexane are used in this manufacturing.
- Raw shea butter is a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin F. Presenting higher levels of these Vitamins makes shea butter a wealthy antioxidant. It is our general knowledge that antioxidants perform a vital role in antiaging. After the refined process, only 25% of the Vitamins present in the original paste remained in the outcome.
- Raw shea butter is an excellent treatment for hair and skin. But as the nutrient levels decrease a lot in the refining procedure, refined shea butter shows less effectiveness in such cases. But as it still got some percentage of Vitamins and minerals, refined shea butter is also used in skin and hair applications.
- Raw shea butter is a 100% pure natural product. Therefore, it could only be used for a period of 24 months, approximately. But the refining process makes their shelf life increase. These can last at least 37 months or more. Raw shea butter expires more quickly than a refined sample made on the same date.
You can place the shea butter in UV protective jars to make them last their full life span, as UV rays oxidize shea butter. If you keep the storage open up to UV rays, the most useful Vitamins and fatty acids will be destroyed.
- Another major difference when talking about refined vs unrefined shea butter is the colour. Unrefined shea butter is yellowish, and after a refining process, it changes its colour to a plain white.
- Sometimes raw shea butter may contain a smoky smell. But refined shea butter is completely an odourless product. Most people avoid using raw shea butter directly for their hair or skin as per its strong smell.
- Earlier in this article, we discussed that raw shea butter is used as an application for wounds. That means it has the quality of cell regeneration. But this quality cannot be seen in the refined end product.
- Raw shea butter is a thick compound, and that makes it hard to ladle and apply. But this quality is disadvantageous when it is used as a base ingredient in cosmetic manufacturing. Easy to handle nature of refined shea butter has made those used in many beauty cultural products.
Well, this cannot be named as an absolute difference. But this is basically an individual choice. It is said that raw shea butter is the best to use in handmade soaps due to its nutrition levels and nutty smell.
How to Identify If Shea Butter has Expired?
If there is no expiry date mentioned in the packaging, we can identify the fit for the use of shea butter from its smell. If it smells like rotten food or rotten olive oil, then the product is out of its usable limits.
What Preserves Shea Butter?
Organic oils like coconut oil, almond oil, and jojoba oil will keep shea butter healthy throughout its lifetime. Specially jojoba oil has the feature of maintaining the soft texture of the cream without getting hardened.
Which Shea Butter is Better White or Yellow?
As per the knowledge gained through the article, it is evident that yellow shea butter has more nutrient value. In that aspect, yellow shea butter is the best. But when it comes to the usable time period, white shea butter is the winner.
Conclusion
If you are going to use the shea butter within a shorter period of time, raw shea butter is the best option without a doubt but if you are planning for long-term use, then go for a product with refined shea butter.
Do read the whole article as we have mentioned a collection of information which will guide you to choose the appropriate shea butter for your desire.
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