Shea Growth And Retention Regimen 2018

[IDareT'sHair]

Using:
Jakeala's Shea Amla Parfait (ETSY)
Ed.en Body.works Coconut & Sh.ea Bu.tter

 

[Chicoro]

Subjected to pure laziness, Shea Butter can keep my hair good for 2 weeks. Right now, I’m only going one week. It takes about 2 days for me to really feel the softness (that’s how long my hair takes to dry).

I made a batch with Cocoa Butter, and I don’t think I’d be able to make it 2 weeks, more like stretch a bit over 1 week. Considering that even whipped Shea can be a bit “heavy” on my hair, the added butter gives “lightness” without sacrificing results. If that makes sense. I still get a really nice softness that’s kinda unreal

Anyway, I’m happy with this little deviation, because SB is good for the winter, but with weather change soon come, heavy is going to work.

Do you apply water to your hair when you keep the Shea butter in for 2 weeks?

 

[Chicoro]

@ElevatedEnergy ,

Can you suggest a brand of scents that has a really strong vanilla scent? I love sweet smelling lotion and stuff. I would like to try adding this. I asked about this up thread but no one responded, so I decided I better ask someone specifically.

 

[Saludable84]

Do you apply water to your hair when you keep the Shea butter in for 2 weeks?

No. Nothing.

 

[Alma Petra]

@ElevatedEnergy ,

Can you suggest a brand of scents that has a really strong vanilla scent? I love sweet smelling lotion and stuff. I would like to try adding this. I asked about this up thread but no one responded, so I decided I better ask someone specifically.

I see that P&J have a vanilla fragrance oil on their website. Has anyone tried it?

 

[GGsKin]

@ElevatedEnergy ,

Can you suggest a brand of scents that has a really strong vanilla scent? I love sweet smelling lotion and stuff. I would like to try adding this. I asked about this up thread but no one responded, so I decided I better ask someone specifically.

I missed your post. I know Elevated Energy has some great recommendations coming. I ordered vanilla bean fragrance oil from here
https://www.gracefruit.com/item/312/Gracefruit/Vanilla-Bean-Fragrance-Oil.html
Its the only vanilla fragrance I've ever ordered so have no comparison (other than the real thing). To me, its vanilla scent is subtle, sweet and creamy. They also have a vanilla sugar fragrance oil.

 

[Chicoro]

Investing in Shea March 2010
​

Until recently, as much as 90% of exported shea product was raw nuts that were processed abroad. Presently that figure is 65% as processing operations in West Africa have increased in the last five years. Dr. Lovett estimates that 30,000 to 35,000 tons of butter are processed in Africa for export to Europe and Asia for further refinement into value added shea butter to be used in food and cosmetics.

Most refined shea butter is produced in Europe, which then exports the refined product to manufacturers of food and cosmetics. Most unrefined shea butter comes from producers in Africa who export the product for further refining. This is an important distinction because the higher value added products come from refined shea butter and fractionated stearin sought after by cosmetics and confectionary producers. As such, West Africa currently captures very little of the highest value portion of the value chain. However a notable exception is Ghana Specialty Fats, a joint venture between American agricultural processor Archer Daniels Midland Company and its Singaporean partner Wilmar Holdings, which is processing shea nuts into stearin and oil in Ghana and exporting refined product to confectioners and cosmetic producers in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. The plant has been operational since 2008 and sources its nuts from women’s collectives in the northern part of the country. Ghana Specialty Fats’ planned shea nut processing is expected to reach 25,000 tons a year, making it the largest shea processor in Ghana.25


http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pnadu686.pdf

 

[Alma Petra]

I see that P&J have a vanilla fragrance oil on their website. Has anyone tried it?

They also have a French Vanilla oil.

 

[Chicoro]

I missed your post. I know Elevated Energy has some great recommendations coming. I ordered vanilla bean fragrance oil from here
https://www.gracefruit.com/item/312/Gracefruit/Vanilla-Bean-Fragrance-Oil.html
Its the only vanilla fragrance I've ever ordered so have no comparison (other than the real thing). To me its vanilla scent is subtle, sweet and creamy. They also have a vanilla sugar fragrance oil.

When you used it with your Shea mix, did the Shea consume the scent so it was barely detectable? Or, can you smell the vanilla really well in your Shea mix?

 

[Chicoro]

I missed your post. I know Elevated Energy has some great recommendations coming. I ordered vanilla bean fragrance oil from here
https://www.gracefruit.com/item/312/Gracefruit/Vanilla-Bean-Fragrance-Oil.html
Its the only vanilla fragrance I've ever ordered so have no comparison (other than the real thing). To me its vanilla scent is subtle, sweet and creamy. They also have a vanilla sugar fragrance oil.

They also have a French Vanilla oil.

Okay, thank you ladies!

 

[GGsKin]

When you used it with your Shea mix, did the Shea consume the scent so it was barely detectable? Or, can you smell the vanilla really well in your Shea mix?

Lol I used the vanilla to calm the floral lavender essential oil I added to an already fragranced batch that I made with lemon verbena and pineapple. It did the job but is masked by the much stronger scent combination.

I'm going to mix up another batch today (using vanilla first) and will pay attention to the scent as it changes and report back.

 

[Chicoro]

Investing in Shea (March 2010)

http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pnadu686.pdf

[...] According to Dr. Peter Lovett, a shea expert and technical advisor to the West Africa Trade Hub, the potential nut production in Africa could surpass 1 million tons per year if all 20 nut-producing countries were fully participating in the market. But shea buyers seek product mainly from eight countries which are able to produce in the quantities and stearin content demanded by the market:

1. Burkina Faso
2. Mali
3. Ghana
4. Nigeria
5. Côte d’Ivoire
6. Benin
7. Togo
8. Guinea

I've not personally encountered any Shea butter from Guinea, yet. I had no idea that the majority of countries in the Shea belt are not sought out for their Shea butter. It's only these eight (8) that are listed above. That leaves twelve (12) countries that are wide open markets to joining the Shea production party.

(I've seen where there were more than 22 countries in the Shea Belt.)

 

[Chicoro]

Lol I used the vanilla to calm the floral lavender essential oil I added to an already fragranced batch that I made with lemon verbena and pineapple. It did the job but is masked by the much stronger scent combination.

I'm going to mix up another batch today (using vanilla first) and will pay attention to the scent as it changes and report back.

Thank you, I'd appreciate that. I Like ordering from Amazon. Lots of times Amazon UK won't ship to France, and France Amazon rarely has the products I want to order. People in the USA and the UK need to truly count your blessings!

 

[Chicoro]

Gorgeous image of Shea butter, located in Siby, Mali. I found this on the internet.

Bamako is the capital of Mali and Silby is about 55 minutes away by car. I have a friend who has relocated from Paris, via the island of Martinique in the Caribbean to now, Bamako. Between her and my friend I went to see in northern France, and my 7 pounds I was gifted with from another friend, Mali seems to be popping up on my radar and in my life a lot as of late!

I made my Shea butter mix using the butter from my friend's grandmother who made it in Mali. My Shea mix is beige and not quite as yellow as my other Shea butter gifted to me, also from Mali. This homemade Shea also is denser and heavier than my other butters. (It's not pictured in this post!)

Guess what?
People from Mali and Ghana have an incredible ceramic, pottery tradition. Guess who makes most of the pottery: THE WOMEN!

Now, imagine combining hand crafted Shea butter in beautifully, brightly colored, handcrafted, ceramic pots. I would pay for that!

 

[tapioca_pudding]

How much fragrance oil are you all adding to your butter?

 

[Chicoro]

How much fragrance oil are you all adding to your butter?

I'd like to know this, too! Including the ratio of Shea butter mix to ml of oil.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

@ElevatedEnergy ,

Can you suggest a brand of scents that has a really strong vanilla scent? I love sweet smelling lotion and stuff. I would like to try adding this. I asked about this up thread but no one responded, so I decided I better ask someone specifically.

I see that P&J have a vanilla fragrance oil on their website. Has anyone tried it?

I have the Vanilla oil from P & J but I have not tried it in a Shea Mix yet. I will soon and let you guys know.

 

[FadingDelilah]

My hair responded so-so to the shea butter, but I wasn't upset with this since my hair is so picky and hates almost everything. The shea butter added some flexibility and a little slip as I was finger detangling. It also added a little softness to my hair once fully dried, but not enough to be a hit or a reason to keep using it.

Sadly, the shine from it dulled as my hair dried, and now my hair has an odd, off-black sheen. I get an okay shine using it while my hair is still slightly damp, but once it dries it looks as if my hair is dark, dark grey. Overall, I'm not very happy with this.

I feel like I didn't get the amazing results that everyone else did, but that's honestly to be expected. I mean it when I say that my hair has almost never felt good using anything, so for it to give me just okay results just shows how lovely of a moisturizer Shea butter is. I think that whipped shea butter used lightly will work nicely for the majority of people.

I will continue trialing in on my hair in different ways, but I think I will mostly use it for my skin for now.

Edit: the shea butter actually does make my hair look jet black even when dry (I checked in a bad lighting situation before - dingy, yellow bathroom light), and made my hair feel very pleasant. It's just that for some reason my hair feels crunchy when it dries in twists. When I unraveled one my hair was actually nice and soft. I like shea butter for my hair and will continue using it when I don't plan on wearing them.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

How much fragrance oil are you all adding to your butter?

It depends on the fragrance being used. Fruits, florals, beach, or nature type scents can get very overpowering if too much is used.

For a 8 ounce Shea mix, I usually always start with 15 drops, mix in good, let it rest for a few days then test it on my hands. If it is not strong enough, I'll add in another 5 drops. However, I usually stop at 15.

For sweet, bakery scents, I usually always start at 25 and follow the same procedure.

I would say it's best not to overdo it. Someone upthread said they put an entire bottle in one of their mixes. We can very much become nose blind to fragrances and keep adding when it's not really necessary. The scent usually settles in and attaches on to the butter after a few days. It's just like adding fragrance to wax, it needs time to "cure".

 

[Alma Petra]

My hair responded so-so to the shea butter, but I wasn't upset with this since my hair is so picky and hates almost everything. The shea butter added some flexibility and a little slip as I was finger detangling. It also added a little softness to my hair once fully dried, but not enough to be a hit or a reason to keep using it.

Sadly, the shine from it dulled as my hair dried, and now my hair has an odd, off-black sheen. I get an okay shine using it while my hair is still slightly damp, but once it dries it looks as if my hair is dark, dark grey. Overall, I'm not very happy with this.

I feel like I didn't get the amazing results that everyone else did, but that's honestly to be expected. I mean it when I say that my hair has almost never felt good using anything, so for it to give me just okay results just shows how lovely of a moisturizer Shea butter is. I think that whipped shea butter used lightly will work nicely for the majority of people.

I will continue trialing in on my hair in different ways, but I think I will mostly use it for my skin for now.

Did you whip the butter on its own or with something else? Also did you use it on naked hair or on top of a leave-in?

 

[FadingDelilah]

Did you whip the butter on its own or with something else? Also did you use it on naked hair or on top of a leave-in?

I whipped it with a little safflower oil. I use it on naked hair.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

Y'all, I had the best wash day of my hair journey and I owe it all to Queen Shea. After so many years of flip flopping and looking for that "perfect line up", who woulda thought that it was an actual ingredient that would bring my hair to her knees and demand it to bow in respect?!

I started off washing with a shampoo bar. I took my time by pre dividing in my recycled parts. I washed in 7 sections. That was alot for me but I was able to not disturb the parts too much and keep the hair going in its designated direction.

Next I airdried while I made my Shea deep conditioner listed upthread. I like to deep condition on clean, dry hair which works in my favor as it gives me time to have assessed my hair and whip up something accordingly.

When I deep condition with Shea, I find that my hair likes it better when I allow it to work for long periods. So I kept the conditioner in overnight. Rinsed with warm water the next day while putting my hair in 4 braids to air dry. I still had a small amount of deep conditioner left, so I thinned it out with aloe Vera juice and squeezed it into my braids. Sealed it in with a chunk of Queen Shea and airdried. I don't even know how to descibe my hair. It's better than silk, satin or any fancy fiber I have ever encountered.

Queen Shea, I love you Girl and we shall never part!

 

[Alma Petra]

I whipped it with a little safflower oil. I use it on naked hair.

It might be that you need to add more oil to your mix and whip again? Also I'm not sure how pure the shea moisture 100% shea butter is, but we could assume that it is.

Have you tried adding a leave in first and then using shea butter as a sealant?

 

[Alma Petra]

Y'all, I had the best wash day of my hair journey and I owe it all to Queen Shea. After so many years of flip flopping and looking for that "perfect line up", who woulda thought that it was an actual ingredient that would bring my hair to her knees and demand it to bow in respect?!

I started off washing with a shampoo bar. I took my time by pre dividing in my recycled parts. I washed in 7 sections. That was alot for me but I was able to not disturb the parts too much and keep the hair going in its designated direction.

Next I airdried while I made my Shea deep conditioner listed upthread. I like to deep condition on clean, dry hair which works in my favor as it gives me time to have assessed my hair and whip up something accordingly.

When I deep condition with Shea, I find that my hair likes it better when I allow it to work for long periods. So I kept the conditioner in overnight. Rinsed with warm water the next day while putting my hair in 4 braids to air dry. I still had a small amount of deep conditioner left, so I thinned it out with aloe Vera juice and squeezed it into my braids. Sealed it in with a chunk of Queen Shea and airdried. I don't even know how to descibe my hair. It's better than silk, satin or any fancy fiber I have ever encountered.

Queen Shea, I love you Girl and we shall never part!

I should try one of your recipes one day. They sound amazing!

 

[Chicoro]

Y'all, I had the best wash day of my hair journey and I owe it all to Queen Shea. After so many years of flip flopping and looking for that "perfect line up", who woulda thought that it was an actual ingredient that would bring my hair to her knees and demand it to bow in respect?!

I started off washing with a shampoo bar. I took my time by pre dividing in my recycled parts. I washed in 7 sections. That was alot for me but I was able to not disturb the parts too much and keep the hair going in its designated direction.

Next I airdried while I made my Shea deep conditioner listed upthread. I like to deep condition on clean, dry hair which works in my favor as it gives me time to have assessed my hair and whip up something accordingly.

When I deep condition with Shea, I find that my hair likes it better when I allow it to work for long periods. So I kept the conditioner in overnight. Rinsed with warm water the next day while putting my hair in 4 braids to air dry. I still had a small amount of deep conditioner left, so I thinned it out with aloe Vera juice and squeezed it into my braids. Sealed it in with a chunk of Queen Shea and airdried. I don't even know how to descibe my hair. It's better than silk, satin or any fancy fiber I have ever encountered.

Queen Shea, I love you Girl and we shall never part!

Let me check my understanding. Is it the Shea butter ingredient that gave these fabulous results? Or, was it the process? Or both? Could you clarify? Thank you!

 

[Chicoro]

I whipped it with a little safflower oil. I use it on naked hair.

It might be that you need to add more oil to your mix and whip again? Also I'm not sure how pure the shea moisture 100% shea butter is, but we could assume that it is.

Have you tried adding a leave in first and then using shea butter as a sealant?

This is what I would suggest as a possible next step, too.

 

[FadingDelilah]

It might be that you need to add more oil to your mix and whip again? Also I'm not sure how pure the shea moisture 100% shea butter is, but we could assume that it is.

Have you tried adding a leave in first and then using shea butter as a sealant?

No, I wanted to use the Shea as my leave in. I updated my post to reflect my true results.

 

[Chicoro]

It depends on the fragrance being used. Fruits, florals, beach, or nature type scents can get very overpowering if too much is used.

For a 8 ounce Shea mix, I usually always start with 15 drops, mix in good, let it rest for a few days then test it on my hands. If it is not strong enough, I'll add in another 5 drops. However, I usually stop at 15.

For sweet, bakery scents, I usually always start at 25 and follow the same the same procedure.

I would say it's best not to overdo it. Someone upthread said they put an entire bottle in one of their mixes. We can very much become nose blind to fragrances and keep adding when it' not really necessary. The scent usually settles in and attches on to the butter after a few days. It's just like adding fragrance to wax, it needs time to "cure".

This is pure gold. I've added it to the first page for our "findings" about Shea butter. I modified it a bit, due to length, not due to content:

Shea butter needs time for a scent to 'cure' within the mixture. Fruits, florals, beach, or nature type scents can get very overpowering if too much is used. For a 8 ounce Shea mix, start with 15 drops, mix in good, let it rest for a few days then test it on the hands. If it is not strong enough, add in another 5 drops. However, it is suggested to stop at 15 drops. For sweet, bakery scents, it is suggested to start at 25 drops and follow the same procedure. The scent usually settles in and attaches onto the butter after a few days. It's just like adding fragrance to wax, it needs time to "cure".

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

Let me check my understanding. Is it the Shea butter ingredient that gave these fabulous results? Or, was it the process? Or both? Could you clarify? Thank you!

A combination of both. I've been working on my technique for about 6 months and adding Shea in to each process a little at a time. Once I included Shea in each step is when the process came full circle and the results were amazing! Hope that makes sense.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

This is pure gold. I've added it to the first page for our "findings" about Shea butter. I modified it a bit, due to length, not due to content:

Shea butter needs time for a scent to 'cure' within the mixture. Fruits, florals, beach, or nature type scents can get very overpowering if too much is used. For a 8 ounce Shea mix, start with 15 drops, mix in good, let it rest for a few days then test it on the hands. If it is not strong enough, add in another 5 drops. However, it is suggested to stop at 15 drops. For sweet, bakery scents, it is suggested to start at 25 drops and follow the same procedure. The scent usually settles in and attaches onto the butter after a few days. It's just like adding fragrance to wax, it needs time to "cure".

Awwww, thanks @Chicoro I was hoping you fixed some of my typos too! LOL My tablet won't let me be great!