Video Here : How to make Whipped Unrefined Shea Butter
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare

free skin care · Thu Jan 01, 2009 10:04 am

A few years ago when i first bought Shea Butter straight from Africa I couldn't find any clear instructions on how to make shea butter.

This video helped me alot !

I order my Shea Butter from someone else but might give this site a try next time being mine comes straight from Africa..less waiting time for shipping if I order here next time and the cost is about the same.

Change it up to add what you want of course.

Video Here:
http://www.coastalscents.com/cfwebstore/index.cfm/feature/325/how-to-make-whipped-unrefined-shea-butter.cfm

Enjoy Smile

Blue

free skin care · Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:52 am

The video is very good. Thanks for posting that.

free skin care · Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:25 am

One thing to add, is you don't need all the extra ingredients listed there:
I am talking about silica, boron nitrade and rice powder etc.
You do need the liquid oils if you want your butter to stay in whipped soft form..

Haven't watched the video, but there are generically two ways to do it -
one is to melt shea, wait until it cools off and then start whipping - this may take an hour or more.

Second way is much simpler and doesn't require melting. Shea butter at room temperature - just start beating it with a hand mixer (like you'd whip whipping cream), it's like whipping softened butter (the one you eat kind), takes only few minutes, add your oils - like jojoba or grapeseed, essential oils and you are done.

The liquid oils you add you might want to keep in mind how light or heavy they are as this will influence the end product.

free skin care · Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:41 pm

Hi zverenok

Thanks for the additional info...Good tips Very Happy

Blue

zverenok wrote:

One thing to add, is you don't need all the extra ingredients listed there:
I am talking about silica, boron nitrade and rice powder etc.
You do need the liquid oils if you want your butter to stay in whipped soft form..

Haven't watched the video, but there are generically two ways to do it -
one is to melt shea, wait until it cools off and then start whipping - this may take an hour or more.

Second way is much simpler and doesn't require melting. Shea butter at room temperature - just start beating it with a hand mixer (like you'd whip whipping cream), it's like whipping softened butter (the one you eat kind), takes only few minutes, add your oils - like jojoba or grapeseed, essential oils and you are done.

The liquid oils you add you might want to keep in mind how light or heavy they are as this will influence the end product.

free skin care · Tue Jan 06, 2009 6:45 am

You are very welcome - I make my whipped shea too. At first I added a bit of cornstarch to reduce the 'greasy' feeling, but to be honest cornstarch is calming and drying and I didn't like it. So if you just whip shea butter add a bit of liquid oil it should be good enough.

Shea soaks in nicely if you allow it, it just feels greasy at first.

Also the longer you whip it the better - more airy and light it becomes. Personal preference of course.

Sat May 23, 2009 11:09 am

Hi, I made whipped shea with 1 pound unrefined shea, 1 pound cocoa butter, 1 pound grapeseed oil, and 6 oz of jojoba oil. I also added a tiny bit of boron nitride, and a fair amount of rice powder, hoping it would help with the greasy/oily feeling.

Unfortunately the lotion is still really oily. I feel like I want to wash my hands after I use it and avoid touching my face or my touch screen cell phone or my glasses to avoid smearing oil on things. Did I do something wrong? Is that just how body butters are? Is there anything I can add to reduce the oily/greasy feeling and appearance? I thought maybe adding silica powder would help, but I just really don't know.

free skin care · Sat May 23, 2009 1:33 pm

Hi, short answer, that's characteristic of body butters. You can reduce the greasiness by adding wheat starch or corn starch.
You should notice a 'sink in' feeling if you use cornstarch and all.
Also if you whip it longer it will get more air in, and so will actually require less to spread on skin...
Also, for a less greasy feeling chose really light oils - grapeseed is a good choice. first one I made with was castor, but i compensated with cornstarch...

Sat May 23, 2009 4:16 pm

Thanks for the reply!

So is cornstarch more effective than rice powder? I think the woman in the video says you can use either, but maybe rice powder isn't as strong? So silica powder is not necessary then?

~less important questions~
Butters and oils are really the only natural moisturizers right?

Has anyone ever added bitter almond oil to a lotion? It's in my body wash (Dr. Woods), but I heard it's actually quite dangerous since it's primarily benzaldehyde. Unfortunately, I love the smell. Does sweet almond oil have a similar smell? I was thinking I might use some of that next time to (hopefully) overpower the earthy shea butter smell.

Sun May 24, 2009 12:52 pm

What is the proportion for the addition of cornstarch?

free skin care · Sun May 24, 2009 8:08 pm

Bitter almond is dangerous. It's not used in aromatherapy for that same reason. Should be avoided. If you want less of a smell in shea butter, buy the refined one - I buy it and love it. It's refined without the use of solvents or synthetic chemicals. The process uses diatimatious clay that pulls out the impurities and excessive odor. It is then naturally sun bleached to whiten the product further. I love this kind.

Sweet almond is very good and has a sweet nutty smell.

Butters are not the only moisturizers out there, carrier oils like Almond, Hemp, Apricot, etc - are moisturizing as well along with other wonderful characteristics.

Silk powder will add that - silkiness to your butter, and silk is considered good for the skin, it's an optional ingredient.

In terms of how much cornstarch - ok start with a teaspoon per lb of butter, and up it as you go - add it, mix and try - if you want more absorption - add a bit more. I think wheat starch is the best I think in terms of absorption. You can add a bit of Vit E or rosemary oil extract as an antioxidant if you are adding it with short shelf life oils.

Sun May 24, 2009 10:08 pm

Thanks for the replies! And of course I have more questions Smile

So if I add cornstarch, how much less oily would the product be? Does anyone have any tips for reducing the oiliness even further? Is shea more or less oily than cocoa butter? I mixed both together. What are the least oily carrier oils? I used grapeseed and jojoba, but I'm hearing that coconut oil might have been a better choice?

I have eczema and dry skin, but really, I'd prefer something MUCH less oily, even if it were less moisturizing.

I have also been told silica powder and Kaolin clay may help with oiliness but I don't have any definitive answer as to what is most effective: rice powder, cornstarch, or any of the above.

And silk powder is added... to provide more glide and texture? Or does it absorb some of the oily/greasy feeling?

Please help!

free skin care · Mon May 25, 2009 5:24 am

Grapeseed and jojoba are the less oily carriers.

Silk doesn't really absorb any greasiness, however starches and clays do.

You will get that 'sink-in' feeling the more starch you add, however I personally don't like to go too wild with starches - some people have sensitivity to them. Be especially careful with clays - chose the mildest one - kaolin is a good choice, as clays are usually drying out, so it's more of a trial and error if you are developing a product for yourself. Add a pinch, a teaspoon, try it, and see if you like it. Perhaps make small batches at first until you find your perfect

Oh yes, and coconut oil is a wonder - try it and see if you like it better than grapeseed. It's also usually much cheaper than grapeseed.

Mon May 25, 2009 1:13 pm

Hey thanks again. So I'll try to play around with cornstarch and see if I can make my current batch a bit less oily. In the future, I think I'll use a lot less oil, and try out coconut.

How do you feel about adding water as a carrier? I know it creates preservation issues, but wouldn't it serve to dilute the product so it lasts longer, dilute the oils so it feels less oily, and also moisturize better? If I went the water/clay/cornstarch route, maybe I could reduce the oiliness a lot?

free skin care · Mon May 25, 2009 2:27 pm

ok if you are going to add water, you aren't really having a butter anymore, you are creating a cream/lotion. And no it won't have a longer lifespan, but a shorter one because water is a breeding ground for mold and bacteria.

You need to start going into the chemistry of preservatives, not just antioxidants.....

Mon May 25, 2009 4:18 pm

Yea I guess that's a bad idea. Maybe I just used too much oil, because a massage bar called Wiccy Magic Muscles has cocoa butter and shea butter (I actually thought it was a soap bar, it was a gift) and it never left me feeling oily at all.

Where do you get your refined shea butter? Are you sure it has the same healing properties as unrefined?

free skin care · Tue May 26, 2009 8:33 am

Yes I am sure. It's just refined from impurities - it's collected by people, dried by people, touched by people. So I'd rather it refined.

I get mine from NDA - newdirectionsaromatics. If you are in US there are lots providers.

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