Free shipping On orders of 7 items or more, CANADA & contiguous USA only

Raw Shea Butter Benefits: Complete Guide to Skin, Hair, Baby, Pregnancy, and DIY

May 15, 2026

Wayne Dunn

Last updated: October 2026

Hands working a small amount of raw shea butter into dry knuckles and palms

Raw shea butter benefits

Moisture, softness and a breathable barrier. Baraka's raw shea butter is an unrefined plant butter whose main benefits are moisturising and conditioning dry skin, hair, scalp and lips, handmade by the women of the Konjeihi cooperative in Ghana's Upper West Region. It forms a breathable, semi-occlusive layer that slows moisture loss, and it has a low comedogenic rating of 0–2. It has traditionally been used on dry skin, lips, hands, feet and hair, and it doubles as a water-free base for homemade body butters, balms and hair masks.

Baraka's raw shea butter is strained and filtered only, with no refining, bleaching or deodorising, so it keeps its natural ivory-to-pale-yellow colour and mild nutty smell. Nothing has been taken out of it after extraction: the butter you rub in is the butter the women at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa make by hand for Baraka. This guide sets out what that butter does for skin, face, hair and lips, how to use it at each stage of life, and how to build it into your own recipes.

Key facts at a glance

Property	What it means for you
Texture	Solid at room temperature, melts on contact with skin
Comedogenic rating	0–2 (low), against 4 for cocoa butter and coconut oil on the same published scale
Main fatty acids	Oleic and stearic acids, together about 85–90% of the fat; palmitic and linoleic acids are minor, usually under 10% each
Water content	None, so shea butter on its own needs no preservative
Keeps	2+ years when stored properly: cool, dark, dry, lid closed
Colour and smell	Ivory through cream to pale yellow, with a mild nutty smell; both vary between batches

The two big fatty acids do most of the work. The oleic acid gives shea butter its softness and spread, and the stearic acid gives it body and the protective layer that slows moisture loss. Their balance shifts with where the nuts grew: published analyses put the oleic acid in West African shea butter at roughly 37 to 55%, which is why one batch can feel a little softer or firmer than the next.

Benefits by use: where to go next

Raw shea butter covers more ground than any one section can hold, so each use below has a short answer on this page and a fuller guide elsewhere:

Dry skin on the body: moisture and a protective layer; the method is in the section on the benefits of raw shea butter on skin below.
Face: light, non-clogging moisture in small amounts; see the face section below.
Whipped body butter: the most popular way to use it at home, step by step in How to Make Whipped Shea Butter: The Complete Guide.
Babies: a simple, fragrance-free option for very young skin, set in context in The Complete Guide to Natural Baby Skincare: Safe Ingredients, DIY Recipes & Expert Tips.
Pregnancy, hair and lips: each has its own section further down.

Why processing changes what you get

Unrefined is the distinction that matters. Unrefined shea butter has not been refined, bleached or deodorised after extraction, and you can see and smell the difference: it keeps its colour and an earthy, faintly smoky or nutty scent, while refined butter is white and odourless. Filtering removes particles; it does not remove colour or scent.

Shea butter comes from the nuts of the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), which grows wild across the savannah belt of sub-Saharan Africa. In the traditional method, the nuts are cracked, roasted, milled to a paste, kneaded with water and boiled so the fat separates, then cooled and filtered. That multi-stage process has been handed down through generations of women in West African communities, and it is how Baraka's butter is made at Konjeihi, with water and heat alone.

Labels do not always tell you which method was used. Up to 85% of the shea butter reaching the market is industrially processed, typically with chemical solvents, and some of it can still be sold as "raw" or "unrefined" because it skipped the final bleaching and deodorising steps. "Raw" itself is not defined by any standard: it usually signals unrefined butter, but it carries no meaning that can be checked.

Hand processing is slower and gives less. In Baraka's experience, about 30% of the nuts' weight comes out as butter, and the higher yields of factory processing come from chemical extraction. For the full step-by-step story, see How is Handcrafted Shea Butter Made?

How to tell unrefined shea butter

Colour: ivory, cream or pale yellow, varying with the nuts, the region and the season. Bright white points to refining. A strong, even bright yellow is often added colour; shea butter has traditionally been tinted with borututu root or palm oil.
Scent: mild, earthy and nutty from the roasting step, fading once it is on the skin. A butter with no smell at all has been refined.
Texture: soft at room temperature and melting as soon as it touches skin.
Variation: colour and smell shift from batch to batch, which is normal for a handmade, wild-harvested butter.
Documentation: a supplier who can name where and how the butter was made, say whether any solvent was used, and supply the certificate of analysis for the batch.

Colour alone never proves that shea butter is unrefined or of good quality; it is one sign among the others above, and the certificate of analysis is what can actually be checked. The full buyer's guide is What Is Raw Shea Butter? The Beginner's Guide to Buying and Using It.

Shea butter benefits: what any shea butter offers, and what unrefined keeps

Moisture first, then versatility. Shea butter moisturises and conditions skin, and it is traditionally used on dry skin, lips, hands, feet and hair. Because it holds no water and keeps 2+ years, it is also one of the simplest bases for homemade body butters, lip balms and hair masks. Unrefined butter such as Baraka's raw shea butter adds the natural colour and scent that refining removes.

These benefits are about how shea butter feels and behaves on skin and hair. Shea butter as a food is a separate subject, covered in Is Shea Butter Edible: Health Benefits and Common Uses.

Raw shea butter for hair and scalp

Shea butter is used in three main ways for hair and scalp conditioning, each serving a different purpose and suiting different hair types. Choose by what your hair needs most: protection before washing, moisture held in after washing, or comfort for a dry scalp.

Method 1 — Pre-wash treatment

Apply shea butter to dry hair before washing, from mid-lengths to ends, avoiding the scalp. Leave it for 20–30 minutes, or overnight for very dry or damaged hair, then wash as normal. This coats the hair shaft before shampooing, reducing the hygral fatigue caused by water absorption and the stripping effect of surfactants. Best for dry, damaged, colour-treated or chemically processed hair that loses a lot of moisture during washing.

Method 2 — Leave-in sealant

Apply a very small amount to damp hair immediately after washing, working from the ends upward. The butter seals in the moisture the hair shaft has already absorbed, slowing moisture loss as the hair dries. Use a rice-grain-sized amount for fine hair and a pea-sized amount for thick or coarse hair; too much causes greasiness and build-up. Best for curly, coily or textured hair that loses moisture quickly, and as the cream step in the LOC (liquid–oil–cream) method.

Method 3 — Scalp treatment

For a dry scalp, massage a small amount directly into the scalp before bed and wash it out in the morning. The butter's barrier conditioning helps the scalp hold moisture overnight. Skip this on an oily scalp, where the extra occlusion only adds to the oiliness. Best for a dry, flaky or irritated scalp that is not producing excess sebum.

The complete method is in Shea Butter for Hair: The Complete Guide.

Raw shea butter for lips

Applied to dry or chapped lips, shea butter gives lasting moisture and a semi-occlusive layer that reduces moisture loss. A rice-grain-sized amount applied with a fingertip is enough. It absorbs more slowly than a commercial lip balm, so it conditions for longer but needs a few minutes before eating or drinking.

For a homemade lip balm, shea butter works best alongside cocoa butter, which gives the firmer structure a solid balm needs. A standard ratio is 60% cocoa butter to 40% shea butter by weight: the cocoa butter gives firmness and snap, and the shea butter gives the soft, moisturising feel. At this ratio, in a stick or a pot, the balm holds its shape at room temperature and melts readily on the lips.

Raw shea butter as a DIY formulation base

Shea butter is one of the most versatile single-ingredient bases in DIY skincare because it is anhydrous (it contains no water), needs no preservative and keeps 2+ years when stored properly. It works as the main ingredient in body butters, face moisturisers, lip balms, hair masks, foot creams and baby balms. A finished water-free product you make from it keeps 12–24 months when kept dry and cool; the butter itself keeps longer. To shop for a first set of ingredients, start at Baraka's DIY Starter page.

Anhydrous basics

Anhydrous means water-free. A formulation made only of oils, butters and waxes, with no water, aloe vera or hydrosols, is anhydrous and needs no preservative. All of the ratios on this page are anhydrous. If you add water to any formulation, you must also add a broad-spectrum preservative system; without one, a water-containing product will grow microbes within weeks.

Beginner equipment

Digital kitchen scale accurate to about 0.004 oz (0.1 g): always measure by weight, never by volume
Heat-proof glass measuring jug or beaker
Small saucepan for double-boiler melting
Silicone spatula
Clean glass jars or aluminium tins with lids

The complete ingredient guide is Shea Butter: The Ultimate DIY Ingredient.

DIY body butter: method, ratios and troubleshooting

Weigh the butters and the liquid oil into a heat-proof jug.
Melt them together over a double boiler and take them off the heat as soon as everything is liquid.
Let the mixture cool to just below its setting point, when it starts to look slightly hazy around the edges of the bowl, at about 68–72°F (20–22°C).
Whip with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 5–10 minutes.
Spoon into jars and let it set at room temperature before closing the lids.

Ratios by use case (by weight)

Use case	Shea butter	Cocoa butter	Liquid oil	Notes
General body moisturiser	50%	30%	20%	Baobab or shea oil as the liquid oil
Summer / warm climate	40%	40%	20%	More cocoa butter raises the melt point
Very dry / winter skin	60%	20%	20%	Softer texture, richer conditioning
Face moisturiser	60%	10%	30%	Shea oil as the liquid oil for a lighter feel
Baby body butter	70%	20%	10%	No fragrance; patch test before use
Lip balm (pot)	40%	60%	0%	Firmer texture from more cocoa butter

For the liquid oil, baobab oil absorbs quickly without heaviness, and shea oil is the liquid fraction of shea itself, lighter on the skin than the whole butter. If you would rather start from a kit than build a recipe from scratch, browse Baraka's Recipe Kits.

Deflation troubleshooting

Whipped body butter deflates, losing volume and turning dense or grainy, when it is whipped too warm or stored somewhere warm after whipping. To prevent it, cool the mixture until it is nearly solid at the edges of the bowl before you whip, whip in a cool room, and store the finished butter away from direct heat. If it deflates anyway, melt it down completely, cool it to the right point and whip again: deflation changes only the texture, never the ingredients. More fixes are in How to Make DIY Body Butter: The Complete Guide with Shea Butter.

How shea butter compares

Shea butter and cocoa butter

Shea butter and cocoa butter are both solid African fats used in DIY skincare, but they behave differently on skin and in a jar. Shea butter is softer, melts at a lower temperature and absorbs more readily, so it is easier to apply directly as a body moisturiser. Cocoa butter is harder, slower to melt and sits longer on the skin, which suits balms, solid bars and products that must hold their shape in warm weather. In a body butter the two work together: shea butter as the moisturising base, cocoa butter as the structure that raises the melt point; Baraka's cocoa butter, like its shea butter, comes from Ghana.

Shea butter and shea oil

Shea butter and shea oil come from the same source but behave very differently. Shea oil is the liquid fraction of shea, separated from the butter so it stays pourable at room temperature, and it absorbs much faster, which suits face oils, serums, light body oils and oily or combination skin. Shea butter is the better pick for rich, slow-absorbing moisture on dry, mature or normal skin. Many makers use both: the butter as the moisture foundation and the oil as a lighter finishing layer.

Shea butter and water-based moisturisers

Most commercial moisturisers are largely water, held together with emulsifiers and kept stable with preservatives. Shea butter is water-free and needs no preservative, so what you apply is entirely fat that stays on the skin as a layer rather than evaporating. That difference in composition is the whole comparison: choose a water-based cream for a light, quick-absorbing feel, and shea butter for richer, longer-lasting moisture.

African butters in their home climate

The butters and oils in these ratios have been applied to skin for generations in West Africa, including through the Harmattan season, when dry, dust-laden winds from the Sahara create harsh, drying conditions. They contain no water and need no preservatives, which is part of why they have lasted as everyday skincare in that climate.

Benefits of raw shea butter on skin

Softer, better-moisturised skin. Raw shea butter moisturises and conditions the skin: its oleic acid softens, and its stearic acid forms a protective layer that slows moisture loss through the day. It works best smoothed onto slightly damp skin, and Baraka's unrefined shea butter is made by hand by women at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa.

Raw shea butter for dry skin

For dry and dehydrated skin, shea butter combines softening and protection in one ingredient. The oleic acid softens the upper layers of the skin while the stearic acid leaves a light protective layer that slows moisture loss through the day. It sits between water-based moisturisers, whose water evaporates, and fully occlusive ingredients such as petroleum jelly, which seal the skin surface completely.

Start with damp skin. Apply straight after bathing or washing, while the skin is still slightly damp. This is the most important step: damp skin takes the butter in and leaves less sitting on the surface.
Warm a small amount. A pea-sized amount covers the face; a small walnut-sized amount covers the arms and legs. Rub it between your palms until it melts.
Press and smooth it in. Work it into the driest areas first: hands, elbows, knees, heels.
Check after 10 minutes. If skin still feels dry, it was too dry when you applied; dampen it again and repeat rather than piling on more butter.

How often: once or twice a day for very dry skin. For the body in dry climates or in winter, twice a day works well: in the morning on damp skin after washing, and in the evening as part of a night routine.

Raw shea butter for sensitive and eczema-prone skin

Shea butter is among the most commonly used traditional ingredients for dry, sensitive and eczema-prone skin. In its unrefined form it contains no synthetic fragrance, no preservatives and no surfactants, which are among the ingredients reactive skin most often struggles with. Many people whose skin does not get on with commercial moisturisers report that unrefined shea butter is a well-tolerated daily moisturiser.

Patch testing is always required before first use on eczema-prone or sensitive skin. Apply a small amount to the inner forearm and wait 24 hours. If no reaction occurs, go on to use it on the areas you want to moisturise, alongside whatever routine your healthcare provider recommends.

Benefits of shea butter for skin: what the research shows

Moisture, with early research behind it. The main benefit of shea butter for skin is moisture: it softens the skin and forms a semi-occlusive layer that slows water loss without completely sealing the surface. What this section adds is the evidence: small clinical studies and laboratory analyses support the moisture benefit, and the method for using it is under the benefits of raw shea butter on skin above.

What studies have measured

Water loss in very dry skin: a dermatology study at Diponegoro University in Indonesia compared 100% shea butter with petrolatum on older adults with very dry skin over four weeks, and found greater reductions in water loss through the skin, skin pH and dry-skin scores in the shea butter group.
Barrier repair: a 2018 review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences includes shea butter among the plant oils studied for their effects on skin barrier repair.
Minor compounds: shea butter carries a non-glyceride fraction rich in triterpene alcohols and their esters, which laboratory research has studied for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, and it contains tocopherols, the vitamin E family of antioxidants.

How much of that minor fraction a butter holds depends on where the nuts grew. A study of 36 samples from seven African countries, including Ghana, found the non-saponifiable fraction made up about 2 to 12% of the fat, and West African shea generally held more triterpene alcohols than East African shea. These are findings about shea butter in general, measured in laboratories, and they describe what the butter contains.

Semi-occlusive, not sealing

The practical benefit of that layer is comfort you can wear every day. Shea butter slows evaporation noticeably while still letting the skin breathe, so it can be used daily on face and body without the heavy, sealed feel of a fully occlusive ingredient. That is also why it pairs well with damp skin: it holds in water that is already there rather than adding any of its own.

What the comedogenic rating tells you

Shea butter's comedogenic rating of 0–2 is among the lowest of the common plant butters; cocoa butter and coconut oil are both rated 4 on the same scale. The scale is a rough population-level guide drawn from older laboratory testing, so individual skin can still react differently. On the face, the amount you use matters more than the number, as the next section explains.

Benefits of raw shea butter on face

Light moisture without clogging. On the face, Baraka's raw shea butter moisturises and conditions dry areas, and like other unrefined shea it has a low comedogenic rating of 0–2. A pea-sized amount or less covers the whole face; apply it to slightly damp skin, and use shea oil instead if you want a lighter feel.

The most common cause of congestion with shea butter on the face is simply using too much. If you notice it, cut the amount before switching to a different ingredient. For oily or combination skin, or for daytime under make-up, shea oil gives the same shea in a lighter, faster-absorbing form. A fuller look at skin types is in Is Shea Butter Good for Face.

A simple face routine

Cleanse and pat the face so it is still slightly damp.
Warm a pea-sized amount of raw shea butter between your fingertips until it turns to oil.
Press it gently over cheeks, forehead, chin and jaw rather than rubbing hard.
Use less on any oilier areas and a little more where skin feels tight.
In the morning, swap to a few drops of shea oil if you want a lighter finish.

Raw shea butter for mature skin

Mature skin naturally produces less sebum than younger skin and loses moisture more quickly, which makes a rich moisturiser such as shea butter especially useful. Its semi-occlusive layer helps hold moisture in through the day, and its tocopherols are natural antioxidants. A practical split is shea oil in the morning, lighter and fine under make-up, and shea butter in the evening, when the longer contact time overnight allows deeper conditioning.

Application for mature skin: use a pea-sized amount on clean, slightly damp skin in the evening. Concentrate on the areas that dry most: around the eyes (apply carefully), around the mouth and along the jawline. For the neck and décolletage, carry the same warmed amount downward.

Raw shea butter benefits for skin: through every stage of life

Moisture, conditioning and barrier support, at any age. Raw shea butter's benefits for skin are moisturising, conditioning and barrier support: it melts on contact with skin, softens dry areas and helps hold moisture in through the day. The full answer is under the benefits of raw shea butter on skin above; this section adds life stage, because the same butter is used very differently on a baby, during pregnancy and on mature skin.

Raw shea butter for baby skin

Unrefined shea butter is commonly used on baby skin. With no synthetic fragrance, preservatives or surfactants, it is one of the simplest things you can put on very young skin, and it melts easily for gentle application.

Application for baby skin: use a very small amount: a rice-grain-sized portion for the whole face and a pea-sized amount for body areas. Apply to clean, dry skin.

Patch test on a small area of the inner arm 24 hours before full use, and stop if any reaction occurs. For a baby's skin condition that is being medically managed, follow your paediatrician's advice. More on using shea butter with babies is in Shea Butter for Babies - Uses of Shea Butter for Babies, and parents can browse Baraka's Mother-Baby Skin Care Kits.

Raw shea butter during pregnancy

Shea butter is widely used during pregnancy as a topical moisturiser for the abdomen, breasts, thighs and other areas that stretch quickly. It is generally considered safe for topical use in pregnancy: in its unrefined form it contains no synthetic additives or chemical extractants, only the fatty acids and plant compounds of the shea nut.

What it gives is steady moisture through a period of rapid change, and well-moisturised skin is more comfortable as it stretches than dry skin. No topical ingredient has been clinically proven to prevent stretch marks; trials show mixed results, some with modest benefit against placebo and others with no significant difference. The evidence is set out in Does Shea Butter Help with Stretch Marks?

Application during pregnancy: apply daily to the areas that are stretching: abdomen, breasts, thighs and hips. Warm a small amount between your palms and massage it in gently with circular motions. Twice a day, morning and evening, suits the weeks of fastest growth. If you have a high-risk pregnancy or a skin condition during pregnancy, check with your healthcare provider before adding a new topical ingredient.

Where Baraka's raw shea butter comes from

Baraka's raw shea butter is made by hand by women's producer groups at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, in Ghana's Upper West Region, and Wayne Dunn has worked directly with the centre for over 15 years. The shea seeds are cracked, roasted, milled, kneaded with water and boiled, then the butter is cooled and filtered, exactly as described above. Batches are tested periodically by the Ghana Standards Authority against Ghana's national standard for unrefined shea butter.

Baraka is Community Certified Fair Trade, and a fair-trade premium is paid to the women who do the work. You can meet one of them in Shea Butter Producer: Zenabo Imoro, read the centre's story in Fair Trade Shea Butter: The Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre Story, and see the wider picture in Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report. The background on the ingredient itself is on About Shea Butter.

Every use on this page starts with the same jar. Baraka's Raw Shea Butter is the unrefined, hand-made butter this guide describes, so it is the one to reach for whether you are moisturising dry skin, caring for a baby or whipping your first body butter. The rest of Baraka's butters, including cocoa and kombo, are together in the Butters collection.

What We Know and How We Know It

The uses of shea butter on skin, hair and lips described here come from traditional use across West Africa and from reported experience. The fatty acid figures, the non-glyceride fraction, the moisture studies and the research on tocopherols and triterpenes come from published research, listed below. The application methods, amounts and ratios are common practice among home skincare makers, and the comedogenic rating is the widely published industry scale; clinical trials on stretch marks show mixed results.

To look further yourself, useful searches are "shea butter Vitellaria paradoxa skin conditioning", "shea butter unsaponifiable fraction cosmetic" and "shea butter comedogenic rating". For qualifying evidence, try "shea butter contact sensitisation", "shea butter stretch marks evidence limitations" and "plant butter facial use evidence review".

Quick answers

Raw shea butter benefits

Raw shea butter moisturises and conditions dry skin, hair, scalp and lips. It forms a breathable, semi-occlusive layer that slows moisture loss. It has a low comedogenic rating of 0-2 and has traditionally been used on dry skin, lips, hands, feet and hair. Baraka's shea butter is unrefined, strained and filtered only, and is made by hand by women at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana.

Shea butter benefits

Shea butter moisturises and conditions skin, and it is traditionally used on dry skin, lips, hands, feet and hair. It forms a breathable, semi-occlusive layer that slows moisture loss. It also works as a base for DIY body butters, lip balms and hair masks, because it contains no water and keeps 2+ years.

Benefits of raw shea butter on skin

Raw shea butter moisturises and conditions the skin. Its oleic acid softens, its stearic acid forms a protective layer that slows moisture loss, and its linoleic acid supports the skin barrier. It works best on slightly damp skin, and Baraka's unrefined shea butter is made by hand by women at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa.

Benefits of shea butter for skin

The main benefit of shea butter for skin is moisture. It softens the skin and forms a semi-occlusive barrier that slows moisture loss without completely sealing the surface. Smooth it onto slightly damp skin after washing, using a pea-sized amount for the face and a little more for arms and legs.

Benefits of raw shea butter on face

On the face, raw shea butter moisturises and conditions. It has a low comedogenic rating of 0–2, and a pea-sized amount or less covers the whole face. Apply it to slightly damp skin, and use shea oil instead if you want a lighter feel.

Raw shea butter benefits for skin

Raw shea butter's benefits for skin are moisturising, conditioning and barrier support. It melts on contact with skin, softens dry areas and helps hold moisture in through the day.

Disclaimer

The information in this article is for general education. It reflects traditional use, reported experience and, where noted, published research. It has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada. Baraka products are cosmetics and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition. Always patch test a new ingredient, keep products away from the eyes and out of reach of children, and speak to a qualified healthcare provider about any skin or health condition. Individual results vary.

A note: shea butter is a traditional plant-based skin conditioning ingredient. The properties described in this guide are cosmetic properties — moisturising, conditioning, barrier support. They are not medical claims. Shea butter is not a treatment for eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, acne, or any other skin condition.

A note before we begin: the ingredient information in this section is based on traditional use in West African skincare and a growing body of supportive research. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for professional care. Eczema is a medical condition — if your skin is actively flaring or being medically managed, please keep your healthcare provider in the loop before changing your skincare routine. Everything here is written for people managing eczema-prone skin day to day who want to understand what these traditional ingredients are and why people use them.

A note on the traditions in this post: the practices described here come from conversations with, and time spent among, the community members and cooperative partners we work with in West Africa. We share them as anecdotal, first-hand impressions — not as verified fact or expert accounts. These traditions vary from family to family and region to region, so what follows is indicative rather than definitive. We offer it with respect and humility: to share a little of what we've encountered, not to speak for these communities or claim any authority over their traditions.

About the Author

Wayne Dunn is the founder of Baraka Impact and a former Professor of Practice in Sustainability at McGill University. He holds an M.Sc. in Management from Stanford and has spent over 15 years working directly with the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region to source traditionally made shea butter and natural oils. He shares DIY skincare recipes and ingredient guides designed to be made at home with real ingredients — and sourced with full transparency about where they come from.

View More Articles