How is Shea Butter made?

How to Make Shea Butter from Shea Seeds?

After 20 years in the soil (yes 20 years!!!), the shea tree produces its first fruit and reaches its full production capacity at the 45 years mark. The fruit has a sweet taste, which probably gives the butter its nutritional properties. The shea seeds can be obtained after the fruit is eaten. While there are several different processes to making shea butter from shea seeds, here is a simple, step-by-step process:

1. Cracking & Pounding

Crack the shell of the shea seed with your hand to obtain the shea nut. After you have done this, wash them and leave them to dry to evaporate the moisture. After you have dried them, pound them, crushing them into smaller pieces.

  2.Roasting and Making the Paste

Next, you need to roast the small crushed pieces to transform them into a paste. The product will be of a dark chocolaty color.

3.     Whipping

Add some water to the dark chocolaty paste and whip it so that it is mixed well.

4.     Purifying

Purify the paste by washing it with distilled water repeatedly.

5.     Boiling

Now, heat the purified paste on the stove. You will see the fat rising to the top and the oil settling at the bottom.

6.    Final Step

Finally, skim off the fat while allowing the oil to settle at the bottom. The oil that is settled becomes hard and is used as Shea Butter.