In Africa, they have been using Shea Butter for thousands of years now. On the West Coast in the Savannah Grasslands, you will be able to find many Shea trees which they grow in order to produce Shea Butter. Such a tree will take about fifty years to grow into maturity usually around sixty feet tall. To ensure a better quality yellow Shea Butter product they do not cultivate the trees and let them grow as nature intended. It is only once during the year in which they can harvest the trees to make the Shea Butter we love so much. This time called the rainy season is in full swing. They are able to harvest millions of different nuts from these trees. One thing which makes the harvesting a little difficult, is the fact that they have to separate the white nuts from the yellow nuts.
The color of the Shea Butter will depend on the color of the nuts. The have no other choice than to separate the two. If you mix both these color nuts with each other you will end up with a horrible looking paste, which is not Shea Butter. People with very curly hair prefer to use Yellow Shea Butter because of the consistency. There is no real difference in the benefits of the two colors although both of them creates a different product. It takes these women about three to four weeks to produce enough of the Shea Butter to export to other countries.
Your hair and scalp is not the only areas in which you can use Yellow Shea Butter. Some of the other things Shea Butters works well for are bumps on your skin from shaving, scars or burn marks, people with arthritis or sore muscles. Some believe it takes the pain away and you can also use it if you suffer from dry skin.