What is the consistency of 100% pure shea butter, and do you use it in your hair?

[alibi]

I know this may seem like a silly question, but does anybody know the consistency of pure shea butter? I ask b/c I've always seen the kind in the health food store that's white looking, rather hard at room temp, and kinda grainy until you emulsify it in your hand. Does anybody know what I mean? Well anyways, I was in this little neo soul type african shop today, and they had pure shea butter that was a deep yellow color, and was a smooth buttery consistency that was very pliable. It has a wonderful smell, simliar to coco butter, but much much lighter, and they said it was 100% pure shea butter. I immediately fell in love with it and bought a jar, and I can't stop putting it on my lips, feet, legs, and elbows! But I'm wondering, are there different types? Because I always hear naturals say they use shea butter in their hair, but I was thinking it was the hard stuff I always see in the health food store. Any shea butter experts out there? And for naturals that use it, how do you apply it to your hair?

 

[camellia]

Pure shea butter is very hard, like pure cocoa butter or pure mango butter. I like to melt it slowly for about 20 minutes in a double boiler and add papaya oil to it. If it is melted slowly and completely it will not be gritty when it solidifies. I add oil and then whip it to make it creamy.

 

[Tee]

Pure Shea Butter is Very hard and you have to warm it in your hands to use. I dont use it in my hair but I know many people do.

 

[alibi]

Okay, I did a search and was able to find a pic of exactly what I bought. It was in a big gourd just like this one, and they scooped it out and put it in a jar for me. This is definitely NOT the white hard stuff I'm used to seeing. Here are also some details I found on the net. It's call raw pure unrefined shea butter...

Photo: 25 lbs Raw, Unrefined, UNFILTERED African Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii) Natural Almond Color

DETAILS: Unrefined, Raw, West African Shea butter (Butyrospermum Parkii): in natural African gourds -- made in Africa, based on seven generations of effective natural methods. There are no hexane chemicals, no artificial coloring; no offensive smells, high quality.


GOURDS: add to the weight of your finished order.

OPTIONS (color): natural almond, or deep golden yellow.​

 

[*ElleB]

Shea butter comes from West and East Africa. The East Africa Shea contains more Olein, therefore it makes it more creamy...

 

[alibi]

Has anyone used the East African kind on your hair, and did it work well on your hair?

 

[alibi]

bump

 

[Miss*Tress]

I use liquified shea butter on my skin and hair. It's 100% pure but processed to stay liquid at room temperature. It is great - it makes my hair feel really silky and my overgrown roots are wavy and easy to comb.

I've never used the solid kind on my hair, but it is probably just as good if more difficult to melt and spread in winter.

 

[Blaque*Angel]

SHEA BUTTER

The pictures you put up look a little like Ghanian Shea Butter but the colour of the Ghanian one looks a little lighter!

i personally have East African and West African Shea butters, they are lighter in colour than the pics you posted...

But Shea butter can come in different colours.....

hope i was a little help! check this out....

Making Shea Butter in Ghana and Guinea This is how they make artesianal, handmade shea butter.Raw shea nuts are harvested off the ground, put into water and de-husked. The fleshy pulp is eaten, and the nuts are boiled for 30 minutes, then sundried 4-5 days. This is what they look like at this point:

The shells are cracked...

and winnowed....in Ghana a cloth was often used,
in Guinea, a basket tray

Here are the dried kernels or almonds. Ghana has a tradition of baking the dried almonds. We saw less knowledge of baking the almonds in Guinea. This extra step kills the natural enzymes in the nut which break down the oils and shorten shelf life. The baked nuts will have a higher oil yield as well.

Here the almonds are being cracked with a little water and further dried on a piece of plastic. We would like to see this step done more efficiently using raised drying racks and then baking. In this demonstration, 1/3 of the nuts remained uncracked.

Three stages of shea production: Almonds waiting to be cracked (note the grass mixed in), the "coffee" or ground, dried almonds, and the finished product cooling solid.

After cracking and drying, the "coffee", as we called the twice ground kernels are then pounded to release the oil.

Water is added and the product is kneaded to the "chocolate" stage

More kneading...

and more kneading... small amounts of water are added along the way. The quality of hand kneaded shea butter cannot be matched by mechanical means.

When ready (30 to 90 minutes of kneading later), water is added and a vigorous back and forth hand motion releases the grey oil to the surface.

The oil is carefully scooped off...

and washed several times.

It now looks like clay, and is drained and put into a pot.

There it is cooked for about 15 minutes.

The impurities are scorched off (see edges of the pot), and the warm oil is decanted to a clean bowl and cooled. We would like to see the oil filtered through a clean cloth at this stage.

Cooling shea butter...

And some finished product!

In Northern Ghana this is how shea is sold.

In Upper Guinea large balls of shea are
wrapped in Kapok leaves and tied.

Here is a well made drying rack from the Western Region of Ghana

And an excellent example of a multi use earth oven.

Shea Parklands, Ghana

The volunteers, at the end of a lot of miles.

 

[nurseN98]

Re: SHEA BUTTER

My shea butter is not as hard as cocoa butter. I can dig my finger into it and scoop some out. I get unrefined,unheated shea butter from Togo (www.afrikanrepublic.com) The color is a greenish color and it has a light, nutty scent. I've used shea butter from Ghana in the past which usually has a stronger scent to it and is harder and more a tannish color. I prefer what I'm using now. I usually melt a tsp. of it and mix it into my leave in (8oz). I can't use too much though because then my hair feels too coated.

 

[Spidergul]

Good questions. I ordered some as well and I am not as happy with it as I thought I would be. My shea butter is unrefinded and it looks like oatmeal. It is semi hard and grainy but it is not feel grainy. It does need to be really rubbed in the hands for it to melt. I really do not like the smell. To me it smells like cigarette butts. I want one that feels and smells nice.

 

[DahomeyAhosi]

I use refined pure shea butter. It is a bit harder than cold margarine. It melts when I rub my hands together. I have to use it in small quantities because a little goes a long way.

 

[Sweetcoco82]

I have refined shea butter too. Mine is nice and creamy. I haven't really used it on my hair only once.

 

[MizAvalon]

I love, Love, LOVE shea butter!! It's one of the best things that has ever happened to my hair. Helps me stretch for almost 6 months and keeps my hair and new growth super soft. I admit that it is pretty heavy and I don't use it if I'm gonna actually be "styling" my hair. But for general purpose moisturizing, it can't be beat!

I melt mine in the microwave until it liquifies, apply it and I'm good to go until next wash!