- Custom Orders any size from 1lb to a truck load (through Amazon) are accepted and welcomed. Simply contact us Yellow Brick Road and we will set up the entire thing for you.
- Pure and Natural: Yellow Brick Road 100% Raw Unrefined Shea Butter is a premium Grade A Ivory product sourced directly from Africa, ensuring its utmost authenticity and purity.
- Unrefined and Chemical-Free: Our Shea Butter is completely raw and unrefined, which means no chemicals, additives, or artificial fragrances are used during its production, preserving its natural state.
- Suitable for DIY Projects: The butter’s natural, unrefined state makes it perfect for those who enjoy DIY projects.
- Sustainable and Ethical: We ensure that our Shea Butter is responsibly sourced and that the production process is both sustainable and ethical.
Product Description
TIME LONG AGO
Shea butter has a long history in Africa. It has been used for various purposes, including beauty, since ancient times. It was employed in ancient Egypt during Cleopatra’s reign, where she used it for skin and hair care. According to legend, she received shea butter in large clay pots. Queen Sheba is also believed to have used shea butter. The exact origin of shea is not well-known due to changes in vegetation and continuous semi-domestication. In 2016, archaeologists discovered shea nut shells in houses in Burkina Faso dating back to 100 CE, providing evidence of its historical use. The trade in shea butter can be traced back roughly 4300 years ago to ancient Egypt, and there are documented records of its trade during the periods of 1352-1353 and 1795-1797 by explorers.
WHERE IS IT PRODUCED
THE RIGHT SEASON
During the annual season, when food supplies are scarce, shea nuts are collected during the rainy season, which spans from May to August. This process involves several days of careful selection, gathering, drying, pounding, and kneading.
THE CREDIT GOES TO
Shea nuts are gathered and processed using the same traditional methods that have been practiced for thousands of years. Ripe shea fruits naturally fall from the trees and are collected early in the morning. Local women, often with the help of children before school, traditionally carry out the harvesting. Women across Africa, often working together in groups, have embraced the production of shea butter as a means to achieve economic self-sufficiency. In recent decades, the popularity of shea butter has grown worldwide. The manufacturing of shea butter is mostly overseen by women, and it is thanks to their dedicated work that we have shea butter available to us. The women of Africa deserve credit for their unwavering efforts in providing us with shea butter.
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Production MethodsThere are two different methods utilized for the processing of Shea Butter. These methods include crushing and solvent extraction. The solvent extraction method involves the use of hexane as a solvent to extract the majority of the fatty components. This technique is advantageous as it enables the extraction of the highest proportion of fatty acids and is also cost-effective. Particularly in the chocolate industry, Shea Butter is widely utilized, and the solvent extraction process has become the standard practice. |
It is a family thingNumerous households across West Africa hold their own unique methods of procuring shea butter, a tradition enduring through many generations. In most homes, the basic process remains similar. The undertaking begins with selecting shea nuts, the fruit of the Shea Tree. These nuts are then cracked, roasted, and ground. The mixture is subsequently boiled in water for several hours until the shea butter floats to the top. Once this happens, the substance is gathered into gourds where it cools and solidifies. This entire process is carried out manually. This age-old method may not yield large quantities of shea butter, but it remains favored due to its natural, chemical-free extraction process. |
Did you knowThe shells that are left over from the procedure are utilized as cooking fuel. Concurrently, the seeds are subjected to a process of cracking and roasting. |
The Vital ImportanceWomen’s participation in the Shea Butter industry significantly bolsters their economic stature, facilitating them to make vital decisions and investments concerning their lives, families, and communities. Shea butter serves as a critical employment and income source for women in rural areas. The proceeds from selling Shea butter are directed towards various essential expenses like household bills, education fees, and infrastructure development, all aimed at elevating their family’s wellbeing. This involvement fosters a sense of independence and empowerment in women by enabling them to make decisions autonomously, with minimal interference from their male counterparts. Shea butter hubs have also established a space for women to share ideas and uplift their lives and initiatives. |
Shea Butter
Highlights
- Shea butter proves particularly useful during the winter months
- Shea is a wonderful moisturizer
- Unrefined shea butter has an ivory color, but will vary with crop.
Don’t forget you can combine Shea Butter with other natural ingredients to make your own DIY, lotions, body butters, and so much more.
Shea butter, a remarkable product, is derived from the seeds and fruits of shea and karite trees. Shea butter is highly regarded for its moisturizing capacity and its richness in beneficial fatty acids, which contribute to its unique properties
TRUST US FOR YOUR RAW UNREFINED SHEA BUTTER
QUALITY YOU EXPECT
Yellow Brick Rd Shea Butter, derived entirely from pure, raw, and unrefined shea nuts, offers an affordable touch of luxury
What Happens
A TIP
I keep this heavenly butter in a mason jar in my bathroom and slap it on my skin before I apply it to my hair
Trust the thousands of satisfied customers that have made Yellow Brick Road one of the most loved Shea Butter.