The many benefits of Shea Butter for Hair

Do you know which Rufs ingredient we hold especially dear?
Her name is shea butter – a natural moisture bomb that’s perfect for detangling knots and making everyday hair moments softer and easier. Join us on her journey – from sustainable cultivation in West Africa all the way to your bathroom.

Why Shea Butter?

Shea butter comes from the shea tree, which grows across large parts of Africa and in India. The tree is sometimes called the butter tree because its nuts are rich in fats and vitamins. In many parts of Africa, the tree is considered sacred, and traditionally it’s women who harvest and process the nuts into the creamy butter.

Shea butter has many wonderful qualities:

• Deeply moisturizes and locks in hydration in the hair.
• Reduces dryness, adds shine and strength.
• Soothes an irritated scalp (anti-inflammatory).

I first discovered shea butter as a teenager visiting my family in Ghana. I brought back several jars and used the butter as a skin cream for my dry, atopic skin – and I’ve loved it ever since.

Our Choice : Organic shea butter

In the Rufs products we use organic shea butter from AAK – a supplier that works sustainably and responsibly:

• Partners with the Kolo Nafaso program, supporting hundreds of thousands of women in countries including Burkina Faso and Ghana.
• Ensures high traceability for most of their raw materials.
• Plants thousands of new shea trees and contributes to clean water access.
• Meets our standards for gentle, fragrance-free and dermatologically tested products.

From Nut to Butter- How it is made

The journey begins in West Africa, where women collect fallen fruit from the shea trees, boil, shell, and dry the nuts before extracting the kernels. Through Kolo Nafaso, they receive training, fair payment, and access to microloans.

After the initial processing, the kernels are sent to AAK’s factory in Europe, where they are refined into the organic shea butter used in our products, before making their way to our factory in Sweden. When we asked AAK why the refining doesn’t take place directly in Africa, they explained that they have explored this in depth, but current capacity, infrastructure, and electricity supply make it difficult to run consistent, large-scale production on site.

How Shea Butter works in your Rufs products

All products in our Tangled Hair series and our Curl Defining Cream contain organic shea butter.
Picture spraying our Moisturizing Detangler over your knots. It instantly makes the hair more manageable and soft. You will feel the difference straight away. It also helps protecting the hair from cold and sun.

Tips to boost your daily routine

Let the conditioner sit a little longer than usual – like a mini hair mask. Perfect after days at the pool, the swimming hall, or during the winter months when hair needs extra love and protection.

Shea butter is more than just an ingredient – it’s a little everyday superhero that cares for tangles and gives hair softness, shine, and strength. And there’s something extra special about its story and traditions.

We dream of visiting one of the women’s cooperatives that produce our shea butter – to say thank you in person and learn even more.