Shea Butter, whether refined or unrefined, is probably the most famous butter in the world and with good reason. It is simply amazing!
From hair to toe, with this butter, you’re covered. It is a rich, nourishing, moisturizing and healing natural alternative to the mainstream skincare and hair care products.
Shea Butter is produced from nuts harvested from the Shea tree which can take up to fifty years to reach maturity. Hence, this magical butter is absolutely special.
The harvested nuts are boiled in a large pot so that the hard shells can be easily broken. Once the nuts cool down, shea seeds are extracted from the nut shells by hand which makes this a very time consuming process. The extracted seeds are cracked and roasted then beaten with water to release their wonderful and enriching fats. The extracts are then boiled, skimmed and cooled. This results in Unrefined Shea Butter.
However, in terms of Refined Shea Butter, the journey has not ended yet. It is altered to remove the undesired strong scent of unrefined shea butter and has been filtered to remove an unwanted debris that may be in the untouched version.
Stories aside, here are the main differences between Unrefined and Refined Shea Butter.
The Difference Between Unrefined & Refined Shea Butter
Unrefined
- Colour varies from yellow to ivory or grey
- Has a strong hard to miss scent
- Limited Processing
- May require further filtering to get rid of debris before use
- No unnatural process applied during extraction
- Product can vary due to extraction process
- For formulating, it requires extra stability to keep the texture smooth
- Scent is hard or even impossible to mask completely making it a bad choice for diys with a specific scent
- Not recommended if you have allergies linked to scents
Refined
- Colour is white or off-white
- Has a light scent that can easily be missed
- Slightly more processed
- Ready for use without any risk of debris therefore no filtering needed
- Also no unnatural process applied during extraction
- Product is consistent
- Doesn't require extra stability during formulating and keeps a great texture
- Light scent, if picked up, is very flattering to the nostrils and can easily be masked to create a desired scent
- Recommended option for people with allergies linked to scents
Both these butters are not recommended if you are allergic to nut as they are extracted from nuts. If you have such an allergy, consult with your GP prior to making any purchase.
