Unrefined Shea Butter: What Is It and How Can You Use It

Unrefined Shea Butter: What Is It and How Can You Use It

Posted by MH on Oct 27th 2021

Having the most pristine and the highest quality products to use on your skin and body is key for optimal health. Using such products can be advantageous for a wide variety of reasons, from being overall healthy to reducing the natural effects of aging.

Unfortunately, not all personal care products are created equal. Many of them have additives and chemicals within them that can be more detrimental to your skin than helpful. These products may be popular, but that doesn’t mean that that fact equates to optimal efficacy.

That is why nearly everyone should use more natural products instead of these chemical-ridden options. When using products that contain more naturally occurring ingredients, your skin and body will be far less likely to show signs of deterioration, such as wrinkles, dry patches, blemishes, and even allergic reactions.

It’s important to find the most authentic products, however, to ensure that you are indeed getting what you and your body deserve. One such product is shea butter, a natural oil that has a variety of applications and is the perfect ingredient in many personal care products.

What is Shea Butter?

Shea butter is an extracted oil from the fruit of the Karite (Shea) Nut Tree. This particular tree grows in a very specific and minute location in the world. Between West Africa and East Africa, there is a tiny strip of savannah that has fertile, well-drained soil. That is where this tree flourishes.

The fruit, which is more accurately a nut, holds within it an oil that is unique in a variety of ways, which is then referred to as “ unrefined shea butter” upon extraction. From here, it can be used as-is or be processed into refined shea butter.

Difference Between Unrefined and Refined

It’s important to note that there are significant differences between these two substances.  Unrefined shea butter is the raw and natural byproduct of the Shea nut, while refined shea butter is what remains of the unrefined type after high-temperature and natural processing.

Unrefined: Raw and Natural

First: unrefined shea butter . This material has a high amount of antioxidants, especially Vitamins A, E, and F. Because of these components, this product is optimal for battling the effects of aging, especially because it induced collagen production.

These antioxidant vitamins are also great assistants in cell regeneration, which is key for healing scars, blemishes, and other similar skin damage. Raw shea butter has a load of triglycerides as well, which help in nourishing and conditioning human skin.

However, it does have a few drawbacks. It has a very strong nutty and woody scent that some people don’t find very appealing. That, and it has a creamy/light yellow color and can occasionally be a little too grainy for some.

Refined: Naturally Processed

Refined shea butter, on the other hand, is odorless, which is its biggest advantage. It is also colorless and far less grainy than the raw, unadulterated version, which can be appealing to many people.

However, it does come with some downfalls as well. During the natural process, it loses a hefty amount of those key antioxidants and other components that make shea butter so desirable and impactful. Because it’s lower in these vital materials, it can make its efficacy lower as well.

Which Shea Butter Is Best?

There is no short answer to explain which of the two types of shea butter is the best. This is completely up to you and your personal preferences and requirements. If you are perfectly fine with the odor and/or color of pure shea butter, you could opt for the unrefined type for optimal results.

Or, if you’d prefer something that is smoother, odorless, and colorless, go for the refined version. Either way, your personal care products would be greatly improved because they are both almost miraculous substances.

Best Uses for Unrefined Shea Butter

Now that we know the difference between the two types of shea butter, let’s focus more so on the unrefined kind. Raw shea butter has numerous uses and applications, as it is a versatile material. Therefore, you can include it in a number of different personal care products for skin and hair that you make on your own.

While there are many products that could flourish with the addition of shea butter that’s unrefined, here are just four of the most popular.

1.Lotion, Body Butter, and Moisturizer

Because of its naturally hydrating capabilities, this material belongs in your homemade lotion or moisturizer. You can place and rub it into your skin like you would any other lotion. However, it is not recommended to use on your face due to its grainy texture, which could lead to breakouts.

Instead, you can rub this on nearly any other exterior location of your body to inhibit signs of aging, blemishes, scarring, dry patches, and other such skin issues. Even if you aren’t burdened with such markings, it is simply a great product to hydrate and revitalize your skin!

2.Lip Balm

Shea butter, especially unrefined, is optimal for lip balm. When you combine it with the unique properties of beeswax and coconut oil, what results is a lip balm that is incredibly moisturizing. It’s also anti-inflammatory, so you can use this on cold sores and cracked lips. On top of all those uses, it’s also a great natural sunscreen, which is necessary on your lips.

3.Sunscreen

That’s right-- you can use raw shea butter on your skin to block the harmful rays from the Sun! That’s because this product doesn’t absorb UV rays well. Astonishingly, it is naturally 6 to 10 SPF. When you combine it with coconut oil or carrot seed oil, you can up that SPF for your own effective and natural sunscreen.

4.Deodorant

When you use this product correctly, you can even apply it to your underarms to eliminate unwanted odors. This may sound counterproductive because of the unrefined butter’s natural aroma, but when you combine it with the right ingredients, it acts as the perfect natural deodorant. This is because it’s antibacterial and moisturizing-- what every deodorant needs!

There are countless ingredients you can include in your personal, homemade care products, but unrefined shea butter should be one you definitely include. Be sure to browse both our unrefined and refined shea butter options for products you can depend on to create the best homemade care products for you!