EXTRACTION METHOD - HOW IS SHEA BUTTER MADE?

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How is Shea butter made you may ask? Good question. You have to wonder, how does the Shea nut that is picked from the Shea tree found in Africa become the creamy and thick substance that we know as Shea butter. Well, depending on the technique passed down from generation to generation, different families in both east and West Africa have their own traditional methods of extracting Shea butter. The basic process is the same in most families. There are three different methods to extract Shea butter from the Shea nut.

Extracting Shea Butter by Traditional Extraction Method

This method is sometimes referred to as the Heat Extraction Method. For this method, the following steps take place:

The pulverized seed from the Shea nut is mixed with water until a white blob appears
The mixture is heated over a fire for a period of time while the mixture is stirred.
The stirring process continues in order to separate the oil and water layer
The oily layer is collected leaving behind the water layer
Additional impurities are removed by adding water to the collected oil
The oily layer is allowed to cool to create Shea butter.

Extracting Shea Butter by Cold-Pressed Method

This method is sometimes referred to as the Mechanical Extraction Method. Here are the steps detailing what takes place using method.

The Shea nuts are pushed against the metal press (This movement is similar to a meat grinder)
The Shea butter oil is squeezed out of the nut by applying a great amount of pressure
The oil is collected and then cooled
The end result is unrefined Shea butter or raw Shea butter.

Extracting Shea Butter by Hexane Method

This method is also known as the Chemical Extraction Method. During this process, the Shea butter is removed from the Shea nut by dissolving the shea nut with Hexane at temperatures between 55-70 degrees. The hexane then extracts all the fat soluble content of the seed. This is the common method used by most of the industrialized nations for removing Shea butter. Hexane is used because it can create more Shea butter. Unfortunately, Hexane strips the Shea Butter of its healing fractions.

What Method Does A.R. SKINCARE use for making Shea Butter?

The Shea butter that we purchase from Ghana is made using the Traditional Extraction Method. We find that this method is still the best way to extract Shea butter because there is no need for chemicals or synthetic agents to be added. This process has been done for centuries by the native Africans of Northern Ghana. Click here to view the slideshow showing how Shea butter is made using the Traditional Extraction Method.