For the longest time, I used to think shea butter was exclusively a West African affair. I thought the crop only thrived in the dry West African savannah. It’s not until a few months ago when I learnt that there was an East African variety and it’s nicknamed ‘luxury shea butter’ due to its soft and buttery feel.
I sought to find out the difference between East and West African varieties, aside from the difference in texture that I mentioned earlier. Shea butter is basically fat that is extracted from the nut of the shea tree. It’s a superior moisturizer due to its ability to seal hair cuticles and the skin’s upper layer, locking in moisture. In its unrefined form, shea butter is yellow.
East African.
- It grows mostly in Uganda and some parts of Sudan. The tree that produces it is of the Nilotica variety.
- It has a higher concentration of oleic acid. Oleic acid is what gives shea butter it’s smooth feel. It’s also what gives it it’s moisturising abilities.
- It has a lower melting temperature, making it smoother and easier to spread over your skin or hair.
- It has a light yellow colour compared to the West African variety.
- In East Africa, it grows as a wild plant making it rarer than the West African variety. It also fetches more money off the region. In Kenya though, it tends to be slightly cheaper than the one from West Africa because it’s closer to home.
- In Acholi language, shea butter is called mo yar.
West African.
- It’s the most popular variety of shea butter. In Ghana, it’s grown as a cash crop.
- It has a higher concentration of vitamin A the East African variety. Vitamin A helps in accelerating your skin’s ability to heal from scars, cuts and minor burns.
- It’s harder than East African shea butter due to its higher melting point making it a little harder to spread over your skin or hair.
- Lower concentration of oleic acid makes it a less superior moisturizer compared to the East African variety.
Neither variety is better than the other. It all depends on your skin and hair care needs. If for example, you want to use it to heal your skin from scarring then the West African variety is better due to its higher vitamin A content. If you are in the market for a super moisturizer, then our local shea butter works better due its higher oleic acid concentration.