The exquisite shea butters we carry, are now packed to order conveniently in jars.

Choose from:

Cream coloured, from Ghana:
125g $12

Yellow with Borututu Root:
125g $15

Botanical Name: syn. Vitellaria paradoxa syn Butyrospermum paradoxum formerly known as Butyrospermum parkii

The shea butters at Anarres are:
* Fairly traded, made by women's cooperatives and certified by the Shea Butter Alliance
* 100% natural & unrefined
* Undyed and not bleached
* Extracted by kneading with water, not hexane or other solvents
* Purified at low heat using clays, not chemicals or high heat
* Made from ripe karite tree nuts.
Resulting in a smooth, buttery natural moisturizer, skin healer and sunscreen.

Aroma: Characteristic nutty, with citrus notes. Fermented varieties smell stronger.

YELLOW SHEA BUTTER
A root from the borututu tree Cochlospermum angolensis is added to ripe shea butter in the milling process. Rich in antioxidants, it is highly regarded for its sunscreening, cleansing and detoxifying properties.

THERAPEUTIC USES
Yellow Shea Butter is known for keeping eczema, psoriasis and contact dermatitis under control. While both Yellow and Ivory Shea Butter work miracles for the skin, people with more severe rashes and inflammation, scaling and oozing find that the Yellow Shea Butter absorbs slower and seems to provide longer periods of relief from these irritating symptoms.

Shea butter is especially good at healing cracked slow to heal skin, such as heels, and elbows and where circulation is low, such as with elderly, rheumatic, arthritic or diabetic persons.

Common Uses

• Lip balms
• Body & massage butters
• As an oil for the body and hand Lotions
• Shaving preparations
• Facial moisturizers
• Bath products...

Used in skin care, shea butter is hailed for its protecting and emollient properties. Rich in cinnamon acid, it also protects the skin from UV rays and therefore can be included in skin care products for the sun. It can also be used as a massage butter, as a moisturizing agent in soaps and shaving creams, and as a treatment for minor skin wounds and irritations. Its richness and skin healing and nourishing properties make it perfect for healing dry, cracked heels.

HISTORY
Shea butter has been a precious commodity on record since Ancient Egypt, where shea butter was and continues to be used to protect the hair and skin against the fierce sun and the hot dry winds of African deserts and savannahs. I believe that shea butter was exported from the ancient Ethiopian empires of Punt (Sudan) and Sheeba (Ethiopia). Trade across the African continent from the East African civilizations to West Africa has been continuous for thousands of years. Thus the West African shea butter (Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana etc) continues the tradition of Ancient Ethiopia.

HOW SHEA BUTTER IS MADE
Shea butter is crafted through a painstakingly laborious process, even when machines are used for some steps.
Remove the outer pulp. Sometimes shea nuts are fermented first.
Separate the dry nut from its outer shell.
Crush the shea nuts.
Roast the shea nuts.
Grind the shea nuts into a paste.
Extract the butter by kneading and adding water.
Squeeze the water out of the butter curds.
Melt the shea curds over a slow fire, evaporating out any remaining water.
Ladle out the shea butter and allow to cool, then form into balls.

The shea butters we carry are always Grade A 100% Natural & Unrefined, undyed Shea Butter from RIPE karite tree nuts! The trees are organically farmed and nuts are most often wildcrafted.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND OR USE REFINED WHITE SHEA BUTTER:

Shea Butter Applications

• As a natural anti-sun damage ingredient @SPF 15
• As a skin healing agent for small wounds & cracks
• As an anti-aging agent for the skin
• To soothe sunburns
• To treat dry, damaged hair
• To soothe aching muscles

How much should I use in my products?

Applications of under 5% should be viewed as adding value only to your label. The impact on your overall efficacy will be minimal. To see a positive impact on your product, use approximately 10%. However, it is important to note that Shea Butter performs as an oil. Try it with a small batch first!

Fair Trade Compliant
My supplier sources its products using ethical suppliers. Both the shea and cocoa butter are fair trade compliant. This means that profits go back to the community, that environmentally friendly production methods are utilized, that underage or forced labour is not used, and that a minimum price is paid to the producers regardless of market pressure.