Shea butter is one of the most popular beauty products of the moment and it’s no wonder, especially if you know of its many uses and benefits.
How to Know Original Shea Butter in Nigeria
Benefits of Shea butter
- Shea butter moisturizes the skin and helps keep the skin supple through hydration
- Shea butter prevents wrinkling and improves its elasticity
- Shea butter prevents stretch marks
- Shea butter acts as a mild sun-block and can help protect the skin from harmful UV rays
- Shea butter is used as a hair product to revitalize damaged hair
- Shea butter adds luster and shine to hair
- Shea butter is non- comedogenic (this means it does not block skin pores).
- Shea butter is also reported to help reduce acne
- Shea butter is used to treat injuries and ailments such as chapped lips, rashes, eczema, burns, muscle aches, and even diaper rash.
Now, you must know that any good product as this is sure to have its fake. This is why you need to be careful when you go to the market to buy Shea butter so you do not end up with a fake one. Original shea butter is that which is unrefined and free from additives. There is news that some mix shea butter with candle wax and other things. This makes it diluted and even harmful for use as your skin or hair may react to it.
Shea butter sellers can definitely differentiate between fake and original honey but the question is, should you always trust them? As an ardent user or fan of shea butter, you should be able to tell the difference between original and fake shea butter before shopping for the product. You must learn to look out for some of the following physical characteristics before setting out to buy shea butter so you will get value for your money. Many who want to add shea butter to their daily beauty regimen are scared they’ll fall into the hands of fake shea butter sellers. However, it is easy to tell the difference between the original shea butter from fake ones. This article will teach you how:
Below are some variables to identify fake shea butter:
Colour
Most times, this is the first thing you should notice when buying the shea butter. The color of shea butter can vary from ivory/beige, cream/yellow or Snow White. The snow-white color is not popular but sure exists. However, we must know the difference between snow-white colour and bleached shea butter.
Some times, the colour of shea butter depends on the place where it is made, the type and process of its production. These colours do not make the shea butter fake. Identify these colours so you can judge rightly.
Shea butter made from the fruits of the African butter tree tends to be yellowish. However, raw and unrefined shea butter tends to be more coloured than refined shea butter.
The smell of the shea butter
Unrefined shea butter has a nutty kind of smell. It could also have a smoke smell. This comes from the roasting of the seeds which is necessary during the process of making the shea butter. You should be careful if your shea butter smells nice or like lotion. This means it has been diluted.
Reaction to heat
Unrefined shea butter must be semi-solid/ at room temperature thick. Original shea butter should also melt when you rub it in between fingers or your palms. This is due to your body heat. Original shea butter cannot withstand any form of heat nor an increase in temperature.
For example, you should skeptical of shea butter that is hawked while the sun is out and you notice it is not melting. There is also a difference between whipped shea butter and fake shea butter. Whipped shea butter is soft. This makes some people think it is fake and this is not so.
When shea butter stays for long in airtight containers without use, it tends to solidify and become almost rock hard but this does not change its potency. When shea butter is whipped, it becomes soft like any other body butter Original shea butter and that also does not change its potency.
Texture
Another sure test of the originality of shea butter is its texture. When you buy shea butter, you can take a small amount and check out the texture. Original shea butter should be very creamy when it comes in contact with the skin. If the shea butter you buy has a greasy feel and spreads rather than absorb into your skin, then do not buy it. When you rub original shea butter in between your fingers, it should melt evenly without lumps. Some shea butter can be grainy, this does not mean its fake. Shea butter can become grainy when it not allowed to cool down before you stir.
When you want to buy shea butter, take a little and massage into your wrist. If it disappears immediately into your skin it’s fake. Original good shea butter should also retain its whitish colour when you massage it on your wrist. This is before it gradually becomes absorbed into your skin. If the shea butter has been whipped, it should also be kind of sticky when pressed between the thumb and first finger. Original shea butter has a strong roasted kind of smell, not offensive at all.
Taste
Yes, Shea butter is very edible. Some people in some parts of Nigeria even use it to cook just like other oils. This is why you have to be careful in buying the fake or original.
Moldy
Original shea butter should not have molds growing on it. If you notice molds in your container of shea butter, this means it is time to buy a new jar of shea butter.
If after following the above instructions, you still are in doubt of the shea butter you want to buy, then ensure you purchase from a reliable source.