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Guess what I bought...Man Shanu!


Ever heard of man shanu? Well if you are a Nigerian then you must know the Fulani people  who are predominantly herds men.  The nomads move from place to place providing food for their families and cattle... aaand other reasons I'm not so sure about:). Having spent a lot of my years in Abuja I've had the opportunity of  having Fulani classmates and acquaintances. One thing I've heard them rave about is man shanu. They claim that it is good for the hair and that it reduces breakage and leaves the hair soft.
Yesterday, I followed my Mom to a Village and while she was busy conducting a Survey I went off into the market. I saw two Fulani girls selling fura da nunu (yogurt) to an orange seller. Knowing that they understand neither English or Pigin English -and I understand Fulani NOT -I went to talk to them under the pretense of buying orange so that the trader could do the translations. After much pricing I bought a bowl of man shanu for N300.
I tried to get them to tell me more about the product but communication trouble left me with no info. on the ingredients and the production process. The only thing I could get out of them- apart from smiles and the man shanu -was it's use:

  • Used for flavoring
  • Used in cooking yam and rice ( I have eaten yam and rice boiled with a spoon of man shanu and I think I liked it)
  • Mix with body lotion
  • Apply directly to the hair as a hair cream. Hmmm....I don't think I want to smell like yogurt for the the whole day.
When I brought it home my brother told me he thinks it is made of milk and animal fats. I wont be surprised if this is true because it smells like yogurt but contains a lot of oil. He also told me that his friends melted it in a pan before putting it in cooked food for the flavor.
         melting....                                      melted man shanu. See clear oil.
Anyways, I washed my hair and I've got the product in my hair as I type. Next will be a review on the product and if I can find a friend who can tell me what man shanu is I will let you know.

8 comments:

  1. missjayFebruary 17, 2012 at 3:00 AM

    Itty-bitty correction: it's actually called man-shanu, which translates to cow's butter in English. Maishanu actually means herdsman! :) (Just a quick correction from a Gombe girl)

    In any case, man-shanu is basically ghee/butter. It's milk fat that's been separated from fresh milk, but hasn't been churned so it doesn't become "hard" like real butter. It is EXCELLENT in food, and it's great for the skin and hair. I miss being able to use the stuff :(


    You can probably use it to pre-poo if you don't want to smell like yogurt all day. At least you get some of the benefits!
    Been lurking on your blog for a while now! Natural for 2 years and going strong!

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  2. JenJenFebruary 17, 2012 at 3:26 AM

    Very interesting. Waiting for your review.

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  3. NatmaneFebruary 17, 2012 at 7:51 AM

    Wow...thanks for the correction and the info. Sis!! I really appreciate it. I recently spoke to a Fulani lady who is working on packaging man-shanu. so hopefully you would see it on the counters.
    One review coming up Jen:)

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  4. African NaturalistasFebruary 21, 2012 at 5:58 PM

    Wow, so you know how to speak fulani. Na wa o

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  5. NatmaneFebruary 21, 2012 at 8:25 PM

    ^_^...Dont I wish...I said NOT o.

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  6. GeriJanuary 20, 2013 at 5:15 AM

    I just picked some of this stuff up today. Excited to try it on my hair. But that smell tho... :-(

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  7. NatmaneJanuary 21, 2013 at 4:32 PM

    Sweet! Would like to get another review online apart from mine. As for the smell, I got mine fresh so it smelt like yogurt.
    Waiting for your review.

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