At Green People, we're all about choosing the best natural and organic ingredients for our skin care – and organic Shea Butter is one of our absolute favourites. It's deeply nourishing, wonderfully moisturising, and honestly just works beautifully in so many of our products.
But there's more to our Shea Butter than just its skin-loving benefits. We want to share the story behind it – where it comes from, how it's made and the amazing women who produce it by hand in northern Ghana using methods that have been passed down for generations.
What is Shea Butter?
Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii) is derived from the nuts of the Shea or Karite tree which grows in sub-Saharan Africa. We get our certified organic Shea Butter from a women’s co-operative in northern Ghana. This fairly traded project provides employment, a fair wage and good working conditions for a community of 600 women who have the capacity to produce up to 150 tonnes of butter each year.
Shea Butter facts:
- The Karite tree starts to bear fruit when it is 10-15 years old and reaches full production at 20-30 years. It can then continue to produce nuts for the next 200 years.
- The tree produces an average of 15-20 kg of fruit a year, yielding 6-8 kg of nuts.
- Shea Butter skin care has been used for over a thousand years in African communities.
- In Africa, both the oil and butter extracted from the nut are used as foods and as medicines.
- Evidence shows that Shea Butter has been commercially produced since at least the 14th Century.
How is our Shea Butter produced?
Handmade using traditional methods, the production process does NOT use synthetic chemicals or solvents. Firstly, the nuts are gathered by hand from around the base of the Karite trees (they are never plucked from the trees) which have been growing in northern Ghana for hundreds of years. In order to meet organic standards, 30% of the nuts are left on the ground so their nutrients can be absorbed back into the soil and to allow germination of new seedlings
Before the nuts can be processed, they are sorted to extract any bad quality nuts and left in the sun to dry, allowing for the natural oils to be produced. The soft outer skin of the nuts is removed through a parboiling process and then the nuts are taken to the production hut, which contains a small machine for grinding the nuts. The ground nuts are then roasted outside over an open flame in a large clay pot.
The roasted ground nuts go through a simple milling process using a small machine where the oil is squeezed from the nuts to make a dark brown creamy liquid - very similar in consistency and colour to melted chocolate. In fact, the indication of a good quality Shea butter is that it will smell of chocolate.
One of the essential aspects of producing excellent quality Shea Butter is kneading it by hand for up to two hours.
Once cooled, the result is a creamy white, more solid Shea butter which is ready to be weighed, packed and collected by trailer, ready for export. Nothing is added and nothing is taken away. This really is nature at its best.
You can watch the process here:
Benefits of Shea Butter in skin care
Shea Butter skin care has been used and produced for hundreds of years. It's transforms dryness, helps repair damage, reduces wrinkles and soothes irritation, leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth.
Shea Butter also offers UV-protection and has strong anti-inflammatory properties. Naturally occurring antioxidants help fight free radicals to keep skin healthy and avoid premature ageing.
Shea Butter is used to treat many different skin conditions. It is also reputed to ease aches and pains and is used for giving massages, especially for babies.
We use organic Shea Butter as a key ingredient in many of our skin care products for the rich nourishing, protecting and moisturising properties that it provides. It is non-greasy, absorbs easily into the skin and is suitable for all skin types, including sensitive and eczema-prone.
Shop organic Shea Butter skin care
Shea Butter cleanser
Enriched with organic Shea Butter, our Scent Free Cleanser lifts away impurities and removes all make-up, leaving skin soft and nourished.
Cleanser ohne Duftstoffe 150ml
This fragrance-free cleanser is a sensitive skin essential!€36,95
Shea Butter face cream
Clinically proven to be kind to sensitive skin, this scent-free moisturiser hydrates, soothes and nourishes with ingredients such as Shea Butter, Baicalin and Evening Primrose.
24-Stunden-Creme ohne Duftstoffe 50ml
Healthy skin starts with our bestselling moisturiser for sensitive skin€34,95
Shop shea Butter body care
We love Shea Butter skin care products, but did you know we also use it across our body care?
Shea Butter body lotion
Soothe and repair with our fragrance-free body lotion for ultra-sensitive skin. Perfect for soft, calm skin comfort.
Körperlotion ohne Duftstoffe 150ml
Discover deep skin hydration with our soothing, fragrance-free body lotion€36,95
Shea Butter Deodorant
Keep ultra-sensitive fresh and dry with this skin-kind organic roll-on deodorant. Shea Butter soothes and moisturises while a 3-way action from Alum, Prebiotics and Zinc Ricinolate naturally protects against odour.
Deodorant ohne Duftstoffe 75ml
Keep ultra-sensitive skin feeling fresh with our fragrance-free deodorant€17,95
Do you have any questions about Shea Butter and our organic skin care products? Please get in touch by contacting our friendly customer care team at organic@greenpeople.co.uk.
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