The Difference Between East & West African Shea Butter

Shea butter is a product of shea trees that are found throughout Africa. These trees can produce nuts containing rich, unrefined shea butter. Shea butter is best known for its moisturizing abilities and healing properties for such conditions as eczema and stretch marks.

Types

East African shea butter comes from areas such as Uganda and Sudan, whereas West African shea butter originates from places near Ghana.

Identification

SoapGoods.com, a beauty supplier, describes East African shea butter as being similar to peanut butter in texture and color. West African shea butter is much harder and has a yellowish tint.

Features

West African shea butter is practically odorless as opposed to the fragrant scent of East African shea butter. The Shea Project, a non-profit organization, credits East African shea butter as being more therapeutic because of its high olein (fat) content.

Considerations

Because of the prior domestic crisis within the regions of Uganda and Sudan, the production of East African shea butter is less abundant than that of West Africa. The Shea Project cites the multinational control of West Africa's shea butter for dominating the shea butter market.

Functionality

At temperatures of 65 degrees and higher, East African shea butter has a tendency to melt but can restore its shape by cooling in the refrigerator, suggests Nature's Shea Butter, an online importer and retailer of African goods. Mixing with oils or melting West African shea butter can create better manageability.

References

• Nature's Shea Butter
• The Shea Project
• Soap Goods: Shea Butter