Shea Butter Republic - Chalfin, Brenda

Indigenous to the savanna zone in West Africa, shea (Butyrospermin parkii) has been produced and sold by rural women and circulated on the world market as a low-priced and little-known raw material for more than a century. Locally, shea butter is used for cooking, making soap, leatherworking, dying, and as a medical and beauty aid.