Cold pressed from the seeds of the cape mahogany tree aka mafura/trichillia tree, unrefined mafura butter is moisturising and very effective as a hair/skin conditioner.
Essentially rich in fatty acids, mafura butter leaves the hair bouncy and shiny.
It absorbs well into the skin and is said to have antimicrobial/anti-inflammatory properties which may help relieve rheumatism.
Mafura butter can be used for lip balms, soaps, creams, hair products and body butters.
Mafura locally known as miti-mai is a large evergreen tree. The tree which has a smooth bark and belongs to the meliaceae family of trees (such as neem) can grow up to 30m high.
The tree provides timber for fuel + furniture. The seeds produce a yellowish oil which is solid under cold temperatures and can be used in the treatment of cuts and bruises whilst decoction of the roots/bark used as a purgative - hence the name emetica.
The natural 1% content of myristic acid also helps to soothe the scalp - (as used in our scalp butter for years). Due to the low stearic acid content (2 - 3%), the butter should be kept away from direct heat - melts at 20°C.
Our purchase of unrefined mafura butter helps to generate income for the women who collect/process the wild seeds.
This batch is naturally soft and can be added to unrefined cocoa butter for more yummy goodness
Unless otherwise stated, our exotic butters are natural and unrefined.
NATURAL + UNREFINED: We work directly with cooperatives and artisanal producers who process our range of pure natural raw butters without the use of chemicals. Some of these are organic in nature and filtered for use retaining the natural characteristic scent and quality.
We sell our range of exotic butters by weight. Since most of these butters are not re-melted for sale, we use slightly bigger jars.
UNDERSTANDING BUTTERS: Most butters and oils are made up of two components - olein (liquid) and stearin (stearic). This is why some butters easily melt depending on the amount of olein and some solidify under colder temperatures depending on the amount of stearin. This does not affect the product in anyway.
Butters are mainly naturally occurring. However, there are new butters emerging within the cosmetic industry due to market trends. These butters are vegetable oils which are hydrogenated. Hydrogenation yields a saturated butter and these include but not limited to Almond butter, Avocado butter, Coffee butter, Hemp butter, Macadamia butter, Olive butter, Ricebran butter, ..... the list goes on
Naturally occurring butter on the other hand are normally pressed from seeds and do not go through any hydrogenation:
Cocoa, Cupuaçu, Kombo, Mango, Murumuru, Shea, etc.
These are all solid at room temperature depending on both the palmitic and stearic acid content and need heat to melt.
Cocoa butter has 33% stearic and 25% palmitic acid compared to shea butter with 40% stearic and 4% palmitic acid. Looking at these two profiles, cocoa butter is more of a solid butter than shea which makes the latter more easy to apply. However, due to the high stearic content of shea, the butter becomes quite solid in very cold temperatures.
Unlike most butters, the texture of shea changes during the year. Much softer in summer and much harder in winter. This does not affect the natural properties of the butter.
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COMPOSITION / INFORMATION |
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Trade Name: |
Mafura butter : unrefined |
Inci Name: |
Trichilia Emetica |
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Status |
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Solid |
Application: |
Skincare/Cosmetics |
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Not restricted in the Cosmetics Directive |
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PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL PROPERTIES |
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APPEARANCE: |
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Off white/creamy - solid. Melts at 24°C |
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ODOUR: |
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Characteristic, slightly nutty |
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SAPONIFICATION VALUES: |
.139 (NaOH) .196 (KOH) |
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YEAST MOULD |
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<10 CFU |
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PEROXIDE VALUE |
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7,3MgE/Kg |
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ADDITIVES |
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Nil |
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IODINE VALUE G L2/100G |
56,9 |
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INCI : Trichilia Emetica
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN : TANZANIA