Unlock the Natural Benefits of Raw Ghana Shea Butter

Nov 26, 2025 0

Shea Butter is a fat extracted from the nuts of the shea tree and has numerous skin care applications. It comes from a native, wild-growing African tree that produces a tiny, almond-like fruit with a nut inside. It is solid at room temperature and has an off-white or ivory color.

The history of Shea Butter as an invaluable skin care product dates back to Ancient Egypt. Queen Cleopatra always kept jars of pure, unrefined shea butter on hand.

The Source of Shea Butter

Our Shea Butter comes from the nuts of the Shea Tree in Ghana, Africa. The Shea tree has been nicknamed Tree of Life for its ability to help with numerous skin, hair, and health conditions. Villagers separate the nut from the fallen fruit, then boil and let the butter float to the surface.

Shea is the tree on which shea nuts grow, which are then used to make the butter of the same name. It is exclusively women who work in the harvesting and manufacturing of shea butter because this tree is considered sacred and they are the only ones who can approach it. These women have unique ancestral know-how.

The butter is then milled and filtered for impurities, packaged in blocks and shipped to us so we can bring it to you. Shea Butter is known as “women’s gold” in Africa because it is a valuable source of income for the women in Ghana. Our NAJEL organic shea butter is fair trade . This means that the entire manufacturing process, from harvesting to selling shea butter, respects the rights, working conditions and remuneration of Ghanaian producers. In addition, this raw shea butter is certified organic .

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Key Components of Shea Butter

Shea Butter - Crude (Ghana) is sourced from Shea Nuts of the Karité tree and is known for its rich nutrient profile and exceptional moisturizing abilities. Enriched with essential fatty acids such as Linoleic, Palmitic, Stearic, and Oleic acids, this Shea Butter is a key ingredient in beauty regimens and cosmetic products.

The benefits of shea butter come from its chemical makeup. Shea butter contains:

Linoleic, palmitic, stearic, and oleic fatty acids: ingredients that balance oils on your skin
Vitamins A, E, and F: antioxidant vitamins that promote circulation and healthy skin cell growth
Triglycerides: the fatty part of the shea nut that nourishes and conditions your skin
Cetyl esters: the waxy part of shea nut butter that conditions skin and locks in moisture

Keep in mind that the exact makeup varies according to where the shea nuts are harvested. You may also find shea butter mixed with added ingredients, such as tea tree or lavender essential oil.

Benefits of Raw Ghana Shea Butter

Shea butter has been used in skin care for centuries. Shea trees (Vitellaria) are native to West Africa, and most shea butter still comes from that region. Its high concentration of vitamins and fatty acids - combined with its easy-to-spread consistency when warmed - makes it great for smoothing, soothing, and conditioning skin.

Unrefined Shea Butter is a nutrient-rich butter packed with vitamins A and C, and with natural antioxidants. It is a rich moisturizer that helps soothe and repair dry, itchy, cracked skin and maintain a healthy glow. Its properties also make it effective in diminishing blemishes, dark spots, fine lines, and signs of aging.

Here are some of the benefits of shea butter:

Moisturizing Effects: These benefits are tied to shea’s fatty acid content, including linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids. When you apply shea topically, these oils are rapidly absorbed into your skin. They act as a “refatting” agent, restoring lipids and rapidly creating moisture. This restores the barrier between your skin and the outside environment, holding moisture.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties: The plant esters of shea butter have been found to have anti-inflammatory properties. When applied to the skin, shea triggers cytokines and other inflammatory cells to slow their production. This may help minimize irritation caused by environmental factors, such as dry weather, and inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema.
Antioxidant Activity: Shea butter has significant levels of vitamins A and E, which means it promotes strong antioxidant activity. Antioxidants are important because they protect skin cells from free radicals, which can lead to premature aging and dull-looking skin.
Antibacterial Properties: A 2022 study suggests shea butter has antibacterial properties. Though more research is needed, topical application may decrease the amount of acne-causing bacteria on the skin.
Reduces Fine Lines: Shea butter contains triterpenes. These naturally occurring chemical compounds are thought to deactivate collagen fiber destruction. This may minimize the appearance of fine lines and result in plumper skin.
Promotes Skin Regeneration: Shea’s moisturizing and antioxidant properties work together to help your skin generate healthy new cells. With the right moisture balance on the surface of your skin, you’ll have fewer dead skin cells in the way of fresh cell regeneration in the epidermis.
May Help Reduce the Appearance of Scars and Stretch Marks: It’s thought that shea butter helps stop keloid fibroblasts - scar tissue - from reproducing, while encouraging healthy cell growth to take their place. While not a cure for stretch marks, this may help your skin heal and minimize the appearance and scarring.
May Help Reduce Sun Damage: By boosting collagen production and promoting new cell generation, shea butter may help reduce sun damage, which researchers call photoaging - the wrinkles and fine lines that environmental stress and aging can create on skin.
Minimal Sun Protection: Shea butter can’t be used by itself as sunscreen. But using shea butter on your skin does give you minimal sun protection, so layer it over your favorite sunscreen on days you’ll be spending outside, but don’t skip the actual sunscreen.
May Help Soothe Sunburn: Older research also suggests that oils may be beneficial for superficial (first-degree) skin burns, such as sunburn. But newer research says that to be effective, shea butter should be blended with other ingredients such as avocado oil and grape seed oil. Its fatty acid components may also soothe the skin by retaining moisture during the healing process.
May Strengthen Hair: Shea butter hasn’t been studied specifically for its ability to make hair stronger. But an older 2017 study found that a chemically similar West African plant made hair significantly more resistant to breakage.
May Help with Dandruff: One way to treat dandruff (atopic dermatitis) is to restore moisture to your dry and irritated scalp. In an older 2018 review, it was found that shea butter, when used in combination with other moisturizers, could help decrease dandruff flakes and reduce the risk of flare-ups.
May Help Ease Symptoms of Eczema: Shea’s anti-inflammatory properties help soothe skin and relieve itching. This may prove especially helpful for inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis. Shea also absorbs rapidly, which could mean quick relief for flare-ups. Research even suggests that shea butter could work just as well as medicated creams in treating eczema.
May Help Relieve Bee Stings and Insect Bites: Shea butter has been traditionally used to soothe bee stings and insect bites. Anecdotal evidence suggests that shea butter may help bring down swelling that bites and stings can cause.
May Help Heal Wounds: Shea butter has long been used in traditional medicine to help heal wounds. It should not be used on open wounds but on closed wounds that are starting to heal. Its protective fatty acids may also help shield wounds from environmental irritants during the healing process.
May Help Soothe Arthritis Pain: Arthritis is caused by underlying inflammation in the joints. An older 2016 animal study on shea oil concentrate suggests that it can help reduce inflammation while also protecting joints from further damage. This study focused on knee joints, but these potential benefits could extend to other areas of the body.
May Help With Muscle Soreness: Muscles that have been overextended can be affected by inflammation and stiffness as your body repairs muscle tissue. Shea butter may help sore muscles in the same way it may help joint pain - by reducing inflammation.

How to Use Shea Butter

Shea is a semi soft butter and it melts easily upon skin contact. It can be applied alone or mixed with other ingredients to make skin and hair care products.

Indulge in the rich, nourishing power of unrefined shea butter, sustainably sourced from the heart of Ghana.

On skin: You can apply shea butter directly to your skin. Raw, unrefined shea butter is easy to spread. Use your fingers to scoop a teaspoon or so of shea butter from the jar, and rub it onto your skin until it’s completely absorbed. Shea butter is slippery and can keep makeup from adhering to your face, so you may prefer to apply it at night before bed.
On hair: If your hair is naturally curly or porous, consider using shea butter as a conditioner. Make sure your hair has absorbed most of the shea butter before rinsing and styling as usual. You can also use a small amount of shea butter as a leave-in conditioner. If your hair is naturally straight, thin, or fine, consider using shea butter only on the ends. Applying shea butter to your roots may cause an oily-looking buildup.
Refreshing Lotions & Creams: Shea Butter - Crude (Ghana) can be added to lotions and creams at 2-20% concentrations. Lower concentrations provide a light, moisturizing effect, while higher ones offer intense moisturization and nourishment for dry skin types. We recommend tempering natural raw butters before adding to creams and lotions. Gently and slowly heat the butter until it liquifies, then let it cool completely. The melting point can range from 32°C to 35°C (or about 90°F to 95°F). This process will improve the texture of the final product by reducing the potential for graininess.
Beautifying Balms: Shea Butter - Crude (Ghana) can be used on its own as a balm, or can be blended at 5-99%, depending on your product’s desired consistency and richness.
Natural Luxury Soaps: In soap formulations, Shea Butter - Crude (Ghana) is typically incorporated at 5-20%, or 1 tablespoon per pound. This helps to enhance the moisturizing properties of the soap while adding a creamy lather and a luxurious feel to the skin.
Rejuvenating Face Masks: Shea Butter - Crude (Ghana) can be incorporated into face masks at concentrations of 5-20%.
Melt into a Massage: Shea Butter - Crude (Ghana) makes for a lovely massage butter when used at concentrations of 20-100%, depending on the desired consistency and glide.

At room temperature, Shea Butter - Crude (Ghana) maintains a solid and firm consistency. Note: This is a natural and unprocessed product handcrafted without sophisticated machinery. This raw, unrefined Shea Butter may contain impurities like tiny shell bits and plant fibers, typical of the pure Ghanaian variety. Natural color inconsistencies, including darker spots and gray streaks, may also be present.

Ivory vs. Yellow Shea Butter

Ivory Shea Butter, the “original” Shea Butter, varies from off-white, to beige to light gray. The shades of color are inevitable with this product as it is with most organic, all-natural products. The smell of Ivory Shea Butter is slightly nutty, and the consistency is rich but relatively light when compared to Yellow Shea Butter.

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Our Yellow Shea Butter gets its color from the root of the African Borututu Tree. It’s added by the Ghanaian women during the milling process to give it extra nutrients. Our Yellow Shea Butter is commonly preferred by people with eczema, psoriasis and other difficult skin conditions, because it tends to take longer to absorb and creates a better moisturizing effect.

Storage Tips

Shea butter should be stored in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight, so that it stays solid and easy to spread. If stored too warm, it can go bad more quickly. If stored properly, it has a shelf life of around 2 years.

Always use a clean spoon or clean fingers when scooping out of the jar to ensure storage hygiene.

Safety Information

Shea butter is safe for most people to use. If you want to get the most out of your shea butter, purchase it in its raw and unrefined form. The more that shea butter is processed, the more its amazing, all-natural properties are diluted.

For this reason, shea butter is rated starting with (raw) grade A, which is the purest form of shea butter you can buy. Buying shea butter that’s raw and unrefined also helps more of your purchase count toward supporting the communities that actually harvest and grow shea nuts. You can go a step further by purchasing grade A shea butter that’s labeled “fair trade.”

Although shea butter is considered safe, many products containing it contain other ingredients, so always check the label.

If you experience any side effects that you suspect are connected to a shea butter product, discontinue use and see a doctor or other healthcare professional.

Shea butter is technically a tree nut product. But unlike most tree nut products, it’s very low in the proteins that can trigger allergies. Though unlikely, it could still trigger a reaction in some people with a tree nut allergy.

Shea butter is safe for most skin types. It has a low comedogenic rating, meaning it is not likely to clog pores for most people, but some people do say it makes them break out if they are prone to acne. Doing a patch test is the best way to see if it will work for your skin.

FDA & Allergen Disclaimer: These statements and products have not been evaluated by the FDA. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, prevent, or eliminate any disease or condition. Better Shea Butter & Skin Foods products are intended for cosmetics purposes, and not to be ingested. Please consult a physician before using products from Better Shea Butter & Skin Foods. If you are allergic to any ingredients, please do not purchase or use. Use a small 1 inch x 1 inch test area on your hand and let product sit on the skin for 24 hours to test for any adverse reactions.

Raw material is approved by ECOCERT GREENLIFE, conform to the COSMOS standard. ECOCERT GREENLIFE is the global leader in the certification of natural or organic cosmetics and raw materials. By implementing and enforcing the COSMOS standard, the organization has united the international cosmetics sector with the aim of achieving long-term sustainability.