Shea Butter Unrefined

Shea Butter Unrefined is extracted from wild crafted nuts of the Karite tree in Africa. In many parts of the world it is known as just Karite Butter. Used for centuries, in all manner of body treatments, Shea Butter Unrefined delivers a wealth of skin nurturing benefits making it suitable for all bath and body products. Shea Butter is known for nurturing benefits where it will help to keep skin soft and moisturized.

This is our unrefined version which has a different profile than our Shea Butter Refined. The differences are significant and care should be taken to choose the one appropriate for your application. The Shea Butter Unrefined differs from refined in both visual and odor profile as well as in absorption rate. Shea Butter Unrefined has a darker color, a higher natural odor, and a higher level of fatty acids and these difference will vary from lot to lot because we're getting what nature gives us. In hair care the higher fatty acid profile is very beneficial where it offers more moisturizing and coating performance to control frizz and offer more shine. Care should be taken, however, as it will be heavier making it more suited to thick, coarse, hair types. In bath and body care the higher fatty acids offer more moisture barrier function and a slower absorption rate. This is ideal for very dry skin types however, it is not suited to oily or congested skin types except when formulated to compensate with improved absorption.

When Shea Butter Unrefined has too much odor or color you may prefer to work with our Shea Butter Refined.

Shea Butter Unrefined is one of nature's best emollients and is well known for it's smoothing, and softening, effect on skin and hair. High in vitamins A and E, it adds skin healing benefits to bath and body products, especially salves, balms, and conditioners. Shea Butter Unrefined is also loaded in fatty acids, making it a great choice for dry, damaged, skin.

Shea Butter Unrefined, used In formulation, is a little tricky just like the refined Shea Butter. It's important to make sure that you take the oil phase to 170F to prevent the Shea Butter from precipitating and making your product gritty. Even when used in anhydrous formulations it's important to make sure it gets hot enough, and is cooled quickly, to prevent grittiness in the final product.

SPECIFICATIONS

GUIDELINES

• creams and lotions: 2 to 7%
• salves and balms: 10 to 100%
• w/o body butters and creams: 5 to 25%
• conditioners: 1 to 3%

APPLICATIONS

• Dry Skin Treatments
• Skin Care Creams, Lotions, Scrubs, Salves, Balms
• Bath and Body Creams, Lotions, Scrubs
• sun protection products
• Lip Products
• Hair / Scalp Conditioners

TIPS

• Shea Butter is a great choice for whipped butter products. To create a whipped version that will absorb into the skin more quickly: heat it until its soft and mix it with a standard mixer for about 5 minutes, then refrigerate it for about 15 minutes, and mix it again. Repeat the whole process, without the heating, and you're done ... Whipped Shea Butter
• To turn your oil blend into a gel (salve) add about 15 to 25% Shea Butter Unrefined, or Refined, and mix it while it cools. This creates a lovely salve that absorbs more quickly, depending on your other oils.

NOTICE

* Unrefined oils and butters should be used with the expectation of variations in all parameters, but especially color and odor, from lot to lot. It is the nature of plants to modify their chemical makeup, to ensure health and vitality, in reaction to their environment.

All butters should be handled, and stored, with the same preventative care that you would use for your oils or any other precious material as they are just as fragile.

As we know that excessive and repeated exposure to heat is damaging to the quality of Shea Butter we do not heat it to fill jars. All Ingredients To Die For butters are scraped, shaved or scooped, as needed to package them into jars to avoid any heat. Because of this practice butters will always be packed into a container that is, roughly twice the size, of the melted butter. This means that if you order 16oz (1lb) of shea butter it will be packed into a 32oz (2lb) container as it requires twice the space. We would rather spend a little more for the package, in this case, than jeopardize the integrity, and quality, of the butter. If you receive your butter in a warmed condition, due to transit, the container will appear to be less than full. This is normal, and expected, as they are packaged by weight, not by volume.