There’s a lot of talk about how Raw Unrefined Shea Butter is so much more effective than its refined sibling. 24Karite Gold is head-over-heals in love with raw shea butter and proud to bring you the most deluxe version on the market! But, while refining techniques were once destructive to all of Shea’s incredible healing properties, 24Karite Gold has found a way to offer you premium, refined shea butter that’s just as nourishing the raw stuff. So, let’s get into the real science behind the difference between Unrefined vs. Refined Shea Butter.
Raw, unrefined shea butter offers nothing less than the miraculous! This supreme body butter contains copious amounts of Omega-9, Omega-6, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and catechins (a kind of antioxidant previously thought only to exist in green tea). Raw shea butter can be used to both beautify and heal. When you use it in your hair, on burns, scratches, scars and bruises, as a lotion or massage crème, as a wrinkle reducer, for eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, razor bumps and rashes, or protect your skin from sun damage (raw shea butter has a natural SPF 6), you’ll be astounded by the medicinal results of this lavish treatment!
When people talk about refined shea butter, it’s often to highlight how substandard it is in comparison to the unrefined, raw version. It’s true that commercially refined shea butter offers almost none of the exquisite properties of raw shea butter. Commercially refined shea butter removes color, anti-oxidant content and vitamins from the shea in order to make it more usable in the cosmetic process. The result is a white, grainy product that’s highly moisturizing, but not curative.
Commercially refined shea butter has also been suspect in that the refinement process often uses intense chemicals that can leave a residue in the final product. 24Karite Gold cold-pressed refined shea butter is different. Cold-pressed refined shea butter is extracted using a high-pressure process, and refined using temperatures under 120°F.
This process reduces the nutty, smoky fragrance associated with raw shea butter, but the gentle technique and cold temperature preserves the delicate Shea oils and nuanced healing benefits. It’s a great option for those who are sensitive to fragrance but love the profound restorative and beautifying properties that raw shea butter can offer.
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to refined vs. unrefined shea butter. Some people would never use raw shea butter because of its natural fragrance, but then they miss out on the luxuriant properties. Others believe anything that says refined on it has been put through a gas chamber before reaching the shelves. The reality is that raw shea butter is the most incredibly healing and beauty agent on the planet, but if the fragrance is not to your nose, a cold-pressed refined shea butter is equally remarkable. At 24Karite Gold, we are pleased to offer you both spectacular treatments!