Organic Shea Butter

Starting at: £1.95

Organic, fair trade & unrefined shea butter chunks. Shea is a natural fat extracted from the fruit of the Karite tree. The tree blooms for 2 months during the summer & produces a fruit which contains a nut which in turn contains the shea butter. As the fruit ripens they fall from the trees & they are collected to begin the extraction process.

Extracting the shea by hand does not involve the use of solvents & produces an unrefined product which retains its wonderful properties as nature intended. The nuts are cracked & boiled to release the shea butter which is then kneaded by hand. The fruit is usually collected by the women of the villages & many women co-operatives have been established to ensure a 'Fair Trade' policy rewards them for their work.

These co-operatives help to empower women by allowing them to earn a fair wage for the work involved in the collection & extraction of the shea & other valuable work. This in turn enables them to improve the life of their families.

So what can shea be used for?

Shea has many uses & has been widely used in Africa to moisturise the skin & condition the hair, as well as its many 'healing' properties.