Since 2000, Shea Terra has been on a quest for natural beauty wisdom throughout Africa, exploring remote villages, trekking through miles of desert on camel back, and sailing into the depths of Nubia. Our journey has allowed us to tap into a wealth of indigenous knowledge and share these remote beauty secrets with the world. Through our diverse line of skin and hair care products, you can embark on this journey of beauty wisdom with us.
The Cold Pressed Method Preserves Potency
Please be aware that our 100% pure, cold-pressed extra virgin oils are not the same as infused oils or essential oils. Distillation is commonly used to derive essential oils from most plants: flowers, trees, vegetables and nuts. The distillation process involves high temperatures, as well as steam and water or a combination of both. For example, plants are sealed in a specialized still as water and/or steam is forced inside. The pressure squeezes out the oil, which is then condensed and collected.
Unlike essential oil, which is distilled from the seed, our cold-pressed extra virgin oil is the whole, complete oil cold pressed from the seed. The seeds for our oil are wild harvested by local inhabitants and sent to the mill for pressing before being sent by air to Shea Terra in its most desired virgin state. This method preserves the fragile vitamins and phytonutrients of the plant. Our oil is not pressed by hand until we order it, it's also not refined or deodorized so it has a unique, natural aroma.
The first step to extracting oil is to ground the seeds or nuts into a paste. The paste is then mixed in an effort to make the oils better coagulate. In the cold pressed method, oil extraction relies solely on the pressure. No heat is added to the paste. This differs from heated oil extraction methods, which involve heating the paste. Adding heat to the paste increase the amount of oil produced, but the heating process degrades the quality of the oil. Oil created through heating sometimes loses its color, as well. Cold pressing usually produces lower yield, but higher quality oil. That's why we prefer the using the cold pressed method for our oils.
Is Your Carrot Seed Oil the Real Deal
Shea Terra is one of the few sellers of pure, cold-pressed carrot seed oil. Please be aware that 100% pure Egyptian carrot seed oil is not the same as carrot infused oil or carrot seed essential oil. Unlike carrot seed essential oil, which is distilled from the seed, carrot seed oil is the whole, complete oil cold pressed from the seed. While carrot seed essential oil should not be used directly on the skin, our Egyptian Carrot Seed Oil is safe to apply directly on the skin.