Shea butter in sub saharian Africa

SHEA BUTTER AND ITS PRODUCTION IN SUB SAHARIAN AFRICA

 

 

A few words about Shea butter

Shea butter is a vegetable butter extracted from the Shea tree which grows in the savanna of Burkina Faso and West Africa. It is a substance that can be eaten, extracted from the fruit of the Shea tree and has a texture similar to butter hence its name of Shea Butter

 

It is used in traditional cooking or used in the chocolate industry as a substitute for cocoa butter, but it is especially known for its cosmetic properties as a moisturizer and skin softener. As a result of its properties it now enters in the composition of numerous cosmetics. It is a commonly used product which is cultivated in at least 16 producing countries such as  Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Togo, Uganda and the Republic of Guinea.

 

The fruit produced by this tree look like nuts in which there is a white almond naturally fat. When it is transformed it gives a yellowish paste, the Shea butter. Each year, an average tree produces 20 kilograms.

It has many repairing properties. It softens the skin and deeply hydrates. It is thus a very good moisturizer for your skin. Rich in vitamins A, D, E, F but also in latex this cosmetic is primarily a natural treatment for multiple uses.
If you choose to use it as a paste, its appearance will be inevitably different from any cream or milk that you find in your traditional shops. In this case, it will be in its solid form and so difficult to apply this way. That is normal as Shea butter paste should be rubbed vigorously between your hands to be warmed up and turn into oil. It is useless to try to heat it with a hair dryer or by placing it on a radiator or even in a microwave.

 

Excellent for facial skin care, it is beneficial for elasticity, hydration and skin protection. It can be used as a lip balm and it is very effective in winter. It also can be used for applications to treat noses irritated by winter colds or spring allergies. For men, it can be used as aftershave to cool irritated skin.

 

Shea butter can be applied as a massage to relax muscles (mainly on the arms and thighs). The effect is immediate in case of soreness

 

Shea butter offers a very good solution to keep your hair full of health and especially for dry and dull hair as it helps for revitalizing. (Also ideal for curly hair that is naturally dry).
For a hydrating action for your hair: Apply a nut of Shea butter the day before your shampoo. It is not necessary to use a lot because it can be too difficult to rinse afterwards.
This application must be made from the tips to the roots. Keep your hair wrapped in a warm towel and after 15-20 minutes, wipe your hair to avoid staining your pillow. The shea will act overnight to allow the keratin of your hair to absorb it

The day after use shampoo to remove the remaining butter. You may have to repeat this operation

 

 

The production is generally the result of thousands of village women’s works. They sell small quantities (1 or 2 pounds each) of Shea nut that they have collected in the evening after they finished their work in the fields. This additional activity allows them to finance their economic activities which gives them a little more independence and power in the village

 

For fifteen years, in fact, many women's group have been to manufacturing and monetizing the production of Shea butter particularly in exporting and making the world know about Shea butter, through the development of tourisms fair. Profits are reinvested in the crude product transformation. Actually the process of transforming raw Shea in Shea butter is tedious and time consuming: Shea nuts are collected between mid-June and mid-September and thus transformed into Shea butter. This transformation is a very difficult job that still allows for village women to participate actively in the development of their communities by creating cooperatives whose function is similar to women's cooperatives for argan nuts in Morocco: making butter is ensured through workshops hiring again people in difficulty, such as widows

 

African women here give us some of their extensive knowledge of the benefits that people can draw from nature. Shea butter is an integral part of their daily life, legacy of the past and guides them to the start of autonomy by pooling their crops and income, which management is often given to NGOs that provide them with support and training.