Shea Butter is a valuable resource for the women of West Africa, providing hundreds of thousands of them involved in the harvesting and processing of shea a means of survival in a harsh difficult environment.

Unfortunately much of the shea butter currently on the market today is not fair trade. Without the benefits of fair trade standards being followed women can labor all week long producing shea and may receive less than $1.00 for a weeks work. The traditional extraction of shea butter from the shea nut is a very labor intensive process. The nuts are picked, sun dried, shelled by hand then boiled where the butter rises to the surface and is scooped into gourds and allowed to cool. Newer methods of expressing the butter through grinding have been giving a quicker clean extraction. Much of the African shea butter on the market today has been refined. A chemical called Hexane, a by-product of gasoline, is used to dissolve the shea nuts. The product is boiled to remove the solvents though traces can remain. It is then bleached and deodorized using other chemicals.

Preservatives are added and sometimes antioxidants, producing a white uniform color with no scent and an extended shelf life. By this time much of the healing properties of shea have been greatly reduced. Be wary of products claiming unrefined shea butter in their product unless they give the exact percentages it may contain very small amounts while the bulk of the shea is refined.

When you order from Nubian Remedies you are guaranteed the absolute best for your skin; pure, organic unrefined, fresh and authentic African Shea Butter. Order Wholesale or Retail Now! and discover the wonderful changes our Shea Butter can make for your skin.