I get asked so many times about what the original color of the shea butter should be- “should it be ivory or yellow color”? Now that so many people are appreciating nature and beginning to understand that packing various chemicals on the skin surface is nothing short of a death warrant (believe it, every cream/lotion/ointment we rub on our skin get through the pores of our skin and enter into our bloodstream), many want to know the type of shea butter to purchase since a unique factor about the shea butter is that it has the same natural moisturizers produced by the sebaceous glands in the skin. No wonder many of these chemically manufactured creams/lotions still contain a bit of shea butter which unfortunately is bleached and stripped off of its natural benefits.
Ivory Shea Butter: It is derived from the Karite tree in Africa. This is the shea butter that hasn’t been tampered with in any way, very much in its unrefined form. It doesn’t contain any dye or colorant. It is an off white color with a nutty smell, somewhat hard in texture but when compared to yellow shea butter, ivory is softer and melts easier.
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It has been observed that people with more severe rashes and inflammation of the skin often found out that the yellow shea butter absorbed slower and provided longer periods of relief from these unpleasant symptoms.
Yellow Shea Butter: It is also derived from the karite tree in Africa. Many stores (both brick & mortal and online) sell the yellow shea butter. This type of shea butter is considered unrefined because it has not been chemically manufatured or stripped of its natural benefits except for the fact that other yellow substances (borututu and palm oil) are added to give it the bright yellow look.
Yellow Shea Butter, mostly found in Ghana, West Africa.
Borututu bark is derived from the Borututu tree native to Africa (Cochlospermum angolensis). It is rich in active ingredients such as quinones, catechins, phenols, and bio-flavonoids. Palm oil and borututu bark are added to the shea butter during the traditional milling process which eventually changes the entire color of the shea butter making it bright yellow to make it look more appealing. It has not be clinically proven that the yellow shea butter works better on the skin than the natural ivory colored shea butter.
Sometimes, the yellow color of the shea butter may fade away after a period of time revealing the natural ivory color which is perfectly normal. Purchasing either the yellow or ivory color shea butter is a matter of preference. The yellow shea butter may stain a little bit as we would obviously imagine if any oily substance bears color.
White Shea Butter: It is basically the ivory shea butter that has been altered for cosmetic purposes. It is often referred to as the refined or ultra refined shea butter.
This type of shea butter has been bleached with all the essential nutrients stripped away. It is extremely soft and mass produced to satisfy the bulk of the cosmetics manufacturer’s demand and supply process. It contains little or nothing of the essential vitamins A and E which the skin needs. The white shea butter can be sold alone or found in many chemically manufactured skin and hair products. It provides no relief for skin inflammation but benefits the manufacturer’s pocket who offer them to the masses.
Chemically processed White Shea Butter