Any Shea butter fans?

beautyscientist

Akua_Wood wrote: »

There is some confusion over yellow shea.
Some say there is the addition of unrefined palm oil, I have been told that it is the addition of a root of a plant. I will however get to the bottom of this and report back when I return from Ghana.

With regards to the colour of raw unrefined shea, this should never be white - white is normally shea refined with hexane - commonly used in refining/extracting vegetable oils. White shea I find a bit porous and does not have the same dense texture as raw unrefined shea. White shea does not also have the characteristic nutty/earthy scent of shea so it might be ideal for those who love shea but can't stand the scent - a bit like marmite

Depending on the process of raw shea, the colour could be slightly muddy. This could be due to so many factors including bad nuts and water used. Raw shea does not have a uniformed colour.

Although shea has a high percentage of tocopherols making it quite stable, it can still oxidise if not processed or stored properly. Rancid shea is very putrid - a bit like fermented alcohol.

I will be processing some shea in Ghana next month and will document the whole process on my return.

I am really looking forward to that account.

joyfull

I've just bought some unrefined from ebay. The smell, as others have noted, is strong & not particularly pleasant. I used a small amount (pea sized) rubbed between my hands & smoothed over my hair & it is great. The smell only lasted a couple of hours maybe, & my hair is soft with a good sheen. I also used it on my face overnight. Smell disappeared & it was very moisturising - felt good.

loopy_lass

doesnt it make your hair sticky? ive got really flat straight hair... and my skin is prone to horrible massive infected spots (sorry) and everything irritates it, so wouldnt SB clog it up more?

loops

joyfull

loopy_lass wrote: »

doesnt it make your hair sticky? ive got really flat straight hair... and my skin is prone to horrible massive infected spots (sorry) and everything irritates it, so wouldnt SB clog it up more?

loops

You'll need to experiment. Try a very small amount smoothed over the hair, particularly away from the scalp. I only use it on my skin at night as shea butter is greasy. It hasn't clogged my pores, but I don't have that tendency. You can only give it a try!

clairibel

flippin36 wrote: »

I bought mine from this ebay seller lizjoy79 I paid £12.50 for a kilo of organic shea butter. They were very quick with delivery, and I was happy with the product when it arrived. But its my first purchase so I would also like to know if there are other places to by this. I know bodyshop sell it but its £12.50 for 200ml. L'Occitane do organic shea butter for £24.00 for 150ml *gasp*

I also have some of this from the same seller and have found it very good and reasonable price, my son has excema patches on his legs from time to time and it has cleared them up great this last week.

I can suffer from clogged skin with lots of stuff and use shea at night and have had no probs yet.

flippin36

clairibel wrote: »

I also have some of this same seller and have found it very good and reasonable price, my son has excema patches on his legs from time to time and it has cleared them up great this last week.

I can suffer from clogged skin with lots of stuff and use shea at night and have had no probs yet.

It has been so good on my daughters excema that I don't need to use her prescription steriod cream anymore. I wish I had known about this when she was little. I've had no problems with clogging either. My dry skin is looking pretty good at the moment . Also great for after when I have shaved, I don't seem to have any rash when I've applied shea butter.

flippin36

loopy_lass wrote: »

doesnt it make your hair sticky? ive got really flat straight hair... and my skin is prone to horrible massive infected spots (sorry) and everything irritates it, so wouldnt SB clog it up more?

loops

I would say its great for dry frizzy hair, or people with damaged ends, so may not be great for you. I don't put shea butter anywhere near my roots as it would be really greasy. I usually moisturise my face/body, then any residue left on my hands will get run through my ends to tame the frizz. Its not sticky. HTH

ladySaver_2

I use shea butter mixed with coconut oil. I whisk the two together into a smooth paste. The coconut oil makes it easier to glide the cream on the skin.
It really helps with my skin.

flippin36

Yes, thats what I do to make it more managable. I have also used olive oil, but coconut oil is really a lovely combination.

IlonaRN

What ratio of coconut oil to shea butter do you use for this combination, please?

I ordered some shea butter from ebay, and it arrived today. So far it's rather soothing on the nasty sunburn I got on Sunday. It feels slightly "bitty" to start when I put it on my skin, but the bits do fade away. The smell reminds me of bonfires (does it remind anyone else of that?).