Most seed oils can be divided into two important fractions.
The first fraction is called the saponifiable fraction, which contains most of the shea’s moisturizing properties. This is the moisturizing fraction.
The second fraction, which contains most of the healing properties- the healing fraction.
What sets shea butter apart from other seed oil is its exceptional large healing fraction. The healing fraction contains important nutrients, vitamins and other valuable phytonutrients that make shea therapeutic. Depending on the source, the size of the healing fraction may range from 5% and upward. Some report the healing fraction as high as 17%. The larger the healing fraction, the better the chances of a good quality shea butter.
Unrefined Shea Butter: https://lolalongebotanicals.com/products/unrefined-shea-butter
In other seed oils, the healing fraction is very small, often in the range of 1% or less. While other seed oils may have a good to excellent moisturizing fraction, these oils contain little or no healing fraction, in addition to its moisturizing fraction, regular use of this natural cream can treat many skin problems including blemishes, wrinkles, itching, sunburns, small skin wounds, eczema, skin allergies, insect bites, frost bite, dandruff and other skin conditions. These unique healing properties result in the shea tree being called the Karite tree, which means the “Tree of life”.
One unique factor about the shea butter is that the moisturizers produced by it is the same as the ones produced by the sebaceous glands in the skin. Since shea butter mimics the effects of these naturally produced moisturizers that the skin itself produces, it is no wonder that shea butter is such a superior moisturizer and protectant. The positive biochemical and physiological effect of shea butter on the skin injuries makes this cream ideal for wound healing. Many users of shea butter report that shea butter promotes and accelerates wound healing and has anti-aging properties. Shea acts as an antioxidant and exerts a positive effect by increasing the skin’s microcirculation of blood.
Shea superiority becomes clear in comparison with other nut butters and oils.
Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter is obtained from the fruit of the Cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), which grows in the world’s tropical regions. The butter is extracted from the seed kernels and is further refined and deodorized to yield a tan, nearly odorless butter. It is relatively hard butter with a steep melting curve that is ideal for body care products. Cocoa butter is used in a variety of cosmetics, toiletry, and pharmaceutical applications to reduce dry skin and improve skin elasticity while imparting a natural color and relatively little odor. Cocoa butter does a credible job of moisturizing, but unlike shea butter, it has no demonstrable or inherent healing properties.
Hemp Seed Oil
Hemp seed butter is produced from the oil of expeller-pressed seeds of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa) and then is mixed with varying amounts of hydrogenated oils. Hemp seed oil is used in cosmetics and toiletries because of its high content of essential fatty acids. Hemp seed butter is produced using the fatty fractions and unsaponifiables (natural waxes and paraffins) that are collected during the refining process before being blended with hydrogenated vegetable (hemp seed) oil to produce a butter-like material suitable for use in cosmetics and toiletries.
Just as the regular ingestion of hydrogenated oil is unhealthy, so is their continued use in skin products. These oils are needed to make some nut oils thicker, creamier or more ointment-like for easier use but contribute nothing to health benefits. Unsaponifiables are the not-so-desirable fractions that coat the skin rather than promote healing.
Hemp seed oil feels relatively dry yet provides excellent lubricity without being greasy.
Illipe Tree Butter
The Illipe tree (Shorea stenoptera) is a magnificent tree that grows in the forests of Borneo in the South Pacific. Illipe butter appears light tan and has long-lasting moisturizing properties. It is most renowned as a skin softener. Illipe closely resembles cocoa butter chemically, yet it has a higher melting point,making it ideal for use in bar soaps, lip balms, lipsticks, and other stick-type applications.
Kokum Tree Butter
Kokum butter is obtained from the fruit of the Kokum (Garcinia indica) or “Kokam” tree grown in the central east region of India. The butter is extracted from its fruit kernels and further processed and refined to yield a very white butter with a fairly mild odor, a butter suitable for cosmetics and toiletries. Kokum butter exhibits excellent emollient properties and high oxidative stability, which can improve emulsion integrity. With its relatively higher melt point, Kokum butter melts slightly at skin temperatures, making it ideal for lipsticks and balms; the butter is also a great addition to bar soaps and skin lotions.
Macadamia Nut Butter
Macademia seed butter is obtained by cold pressing the nuts (seeds) of the Macadamia ternifolia tree, followed by a full refining process to render a light-colored oil with a mild odor. The natural oil contains essential fatty acids but also contains unsaponifiables, which are collected during the refining and deodorization process and are blended with hydrogenated macadamia seed oil to render a butter-like consistency suitable for personal care products.
Macadamia seed butter has exceptional emollience and lubricity yet allows good skin penetration. As is the case with most of these other butters and oils, macadamia nut butter is much less desirable for regular use it is expensive, is commonly adulterated with hydrogenated oils or fats, and has more naturally occurring paraffins or waxes.
Excerpts from:
Shea Butter: The Nourishing Properties of Africa’s Best-Kept Natural Beauty Secret; W.G. Goreja