Yellow Brick Road 100% Raw Unrefined Shea Butter-African Grade a Ivory 1 Pound (16oz)…

TIME LONG AGO

Shea Butter has been a vital cosmetic and skincare ingredient in Africa for centuries, if not thousands of years. It was utilized for a variety of reasons in ancient times, including beauty. Shea butter was used in ancient Egypt during Cleopatra's reign. She utilized shea butter for skin and hair care, and the butter was sent to her in big clay pots, according to legend. Shea butter appears to have been used by Queen Sheba as well. Due to vegetation changes and continuous semi-domestication, the country from which Shea came is little known. In 2016, anthropologists excavated in Burkina Faso and discovered shards of shea nut shells used in houses dating back to 100 CE. We can follow the origins of shea butter trade in ancient Egypt to about roughly 4300 years ago. We can also trace the trade in shea butter through documents kept by explorers during 1352–1353 and 1795–1797.

WHERE IS IT PRODUCED

Shea trees reach a height of 33-49 feet and have a highly branched, circular growth pattern. The thick, spongy bark is fireproof, shielding the trees from the frequent wildfires that decimate the surrounding vegetation. Trees begin bearing fruit after approximately ten to fifteen years, peaking at an average of 20 years, and producing nuts for up to 200 years. Shea fruits develop and ripen for four to six months after the trees bloom with creamy white petals for a month or two. When fully mature, the green fruits develop a rich brown color. Each tree may produce 30 to 45 pounds of fruit each year on average, with peak yields of up to 90 pounds. Each shea fruit is about 2", with a thin layer of nourishing pulp surrounding the large nut from which shea butter is extracted.

THE RIGHT SEASON

During the annual season, when food supplies are at their lowest and dietary energy is most needed, the fruit pulp is a nutritious and significant source of calories, vitamins, and minerals. The shea nuts are gathered in the rainy season, from May to August, this procedure takes many days of meticulous selection, gathering, drying, pounding, and kneading.

THE CREDIT GOES TO

Shea nuts are collected and processed in the same way they have been for millennia. Shea fruits that are ripe fall from the tree and are gathered before sunrise. Harvesting is traditionally done by local women, with children typically assisting before school. Women across Africa, typically working in collectives, have embraced shea butter production to achieve economic self-sufficiency as the popularity of shea butter has expanded around the world in recent decades. Most of the time, only women oversee the manufacturing Shea Butter. The credit goes to the women of Africa and their unrelenting work to bring us Shea Butter.