Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I just wondered if it was easier/better to use than coconut/olive oil or smelled strange.
The unrefined would be yellow and the refined is white and odorless. I use the unrefined daily. The yellow unrefined is a great moisturizer. I use it on my hair, face, and feet. It has a nutty smell. Is it better than coconut/olive oil, that depends on how you are using it. I do not put the coconut oil or olive oil on my face because it can clog your pores and leave it greasy. Shea butter does not.
Actually, coconut oil doesn't clog your pores at all. It is a medium-chain fatty acid, one of the few ones, which means it actually bonds to bacteria and dirt and neutralizes it.
I've had acne for about 15 years, nothing was making it go away, and coconut oil wiped it out within 2 weeks. I use it as a hot oil treatment for my hair as well. For daily use though, I use shea butter. It absorbes nicely on the skin, where coconut oil stays very oily feeling. I didn't like the smell at first at all. To me, it smells like licorice, with a fatty, nutty smell as well. The first time I smelled it I wasn't sure I'd be able to stomach using it. But actually it takes essential oil extremely well, and it will cover up the smell with just one drop.
I use lavender and tea tree essential oil with shea butter for my feet to keep them soft and free of bacteria. Nothing heals the skin like shea butter, it really is the best.
As far as cost, I get mine from mountainroseherbs.com, I bought the 8oz size at first and it lasts forever, for $6.50. The value alone is well worth it.
shea butter smells nutty and has a very distinct scent....and it not supposed to be yellow it is supposed to ivory/off white colour, yellow shea butter has something added to it!! it is an amazing moisturizer and absorbs easily and mealts to my body temp easily it also packed with vitamins so it can rejenerate skin.hope this helped
Unrefined color ranges from a creamy butter color to a pale yellow. If it's white, it's been not merely refined, but highly refined, possibly with hexane. There are a few grades of shea. Grade A is unrefined, grade C is highly refined. Grade B is refined. D and E denote either containing contaminants or not - so you'd want either grades A or C depending on use.
Raw unrefined shea is inconsistent - one batch won't necessarily be identical to another. Usually the stuff I get feels almost gritty, because the water hasn't been completely evaporated out and it's mixed in with the butter and as you know, the two don't mix, so you end up with tiny little globules instead of a smooth creamy substance. It melts just fine in my hand though. The smell is very vague. A little nutty, but nothing overt and will mix nicely with any essential oil.
However, shea butter -does- have a shelf life, so don't stock up unless you plan on using it craft (such as making soaps or bath balms to sell). Like all nut oils, it will go rancid eventually.
^^Cocoa butter is really good but it's too hard in its natural form. I like a mix of pure shea butter and cocoa butter. Now that's a concoction! Very few places sell something like that, but boy is it a miracle body cream!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
