Raw shea butter

[stubby123]

I have made some body butter with refined shea butter. After reading some info, I thought I would try Raw shea butter. Will this raw shea still whip up nice and white or will it have a yellow tinge. I know when I make butter cream frosting from butter which is yellow, it does turn whitish. Any advise for me?

 

[Trix]

Hi stubby, from memory raw Shea butter, can become lighter when whipped, but also depends on which oils your going to whip,it with....but yes it would go lighter, but not necessarily White....

 

[KristaY]

I've used it in soap but not other products so I can't say if it will whip the same or become lighter on it's own. But be prepared to have to put it through a fine sieve. The raw stuff will have bits of debris in it that can be plant material, bug parts, etc. A bit off-putting to see that stuff when you squirt out a bit of lotion or scoop body butter!

 

[galaxyMLP]

I make a whipped body butter with raw Shea. It makes it lighter but not stark white. Still looks pretty though in my opinion. Watch out for the natural fragrance raw she has. Sometimes it's very strong!

 

[Obsidian]

I recently made body butter with raw shea and was surprised that it was pure white. I only used shea, coconut and a tiny bit of avocado.

 

[galaxyMLP]

Ah, I use yellow beeswax too so that could be leaving the color.

 

[stubby123]

Thank you all for your replies. I will give it a try this week. I use Coco Butter, Mango Butter, Shea butter and avocado oil. Very nice.

 

[jenneelk]

I have raw Shea and the smell is blech. It's a darker beige/yellow so maybe mine is truely raw due to those things.
It would likely lighten if whipped but not sure how white without a lighter item in there like some refined also.

My similar color cocoa butter with refined shea gets pretty light.

 

[cmzaha]

I have raw Shea and the smell is blech. It's a darker beige/yellow so maybe mine is truely raw due to those things.
It would likely lighten if whipped but not sure how white without a lighter item in there like some refined also.

My similar color cocoa butter with refined shea gets pretty light.

Scent in raw shea can vary immensely. It can have a light to strong scent, light beige to yellow color. I am sure some of the yellow color is apparently dyed to enhance the color with peppers, since I have found many an orange pepper pod in my raw shea which is yellow

 

[misera]

I have made some body butter with refined shea butter. After reading some info, I thought I would try Raw shea butter. Will this raw shea still whip up nice and white or will it have a yellow tinge. I know when I make butter cream frosting from butter which is yellow, it does turn whitish. Any advise for me?

The raw shea butter I buy is ivory colored. When you temper it you can get rid of all the little dirt/bugs in it. It usually falls to the bottom. I just discard the bottom of the pot instead of trying to filter it since the dirt particles are pretty tiny. Mine just smells like nuts.

 

[FerrisWheel]

Scent in raw shea can vary immensely. It can have a light to strong scent, light beige to yellow color. I am sure some of the yellow color is apparently dyed to enhance the color with peppers, since I have found many an orange pepper pod in my raw shea which is yellow

This is pretty concerning.

What if you are allergic to peppers?

Is this actually a genuine thing to happen?

 

[cmzaha]

I only run into the peppers with the yellow shea. Yes it happens quite often with shea straight out of Ghana. Don't forget people can also be allergic to shea due to the latex properties in it. I cannot use shea on my lips.

 

[amd]

I only run into the peppers with the yellow shea. Yes it happens quite often with shea straight out of Ghana. Don't forget people can also be allergic to shea due to the latex properties in it. I cannot use shea on my lips.

Oh! Good to know! I just had a lady request a scent (she's willing to buy a full lb batch) and when I asked her about allergies she mentioned latex. Guess I'll be reformulating to not include Shea in that batch! Better safe than sorry.

 

[FerrisWheel]

I only run into the peppers with the yellow shea. Yes it happens quite often with shea straight out of Ghana. Don't forget people can also be allergic to shea due to the latex properties in it. I cannot use shea on my lips.

But where is this mentioned anywhere?

Raw Shea plus Orange Pepper does nopt equal RAW SHEA!

Worrying to be honest.

 

[shunt2011]

I too use natural shea and it whips up nicely and is a bit off white.

 

[cmzaha]

But where is this mentioned anywhere?

Raw Shea plus Orange Pepper does nopt equal RAW SHEA!

Worrying to be honest.

Actually yes it does, but do not buy the yellow shea and do not buy shea that comes straight in from Ghana. Trust me you can find all sorts of goodies in raw shea... . Buy refined shea that has had most of the good properties refined out and you will not get anything extra in your shea. Ghana tribes are not quite under our control as to how they process their shea

 

[FerrisWheel]

Actually yes it does, but do not buy the yellow shea and do not buy shea that comes straight in from Ghana. Trust me you can find all sorts of goodies in raw shea... . Buy refined shea that has had most of the good properties refined out and you will not get anything extra in your shea. Ghana tribes are not quite under our control as to how they process their shea

Please elaborate on goodies?:wtf:

 

[shunt2011]

It's been stated what other things can be found in shea on the previous page....bug parts, dirt, etc.....that's why you temper your shea to remove the impurities. They settle to the bottom. I just strain it through cheesecloth once tempered. However, I prefer unrefined shea over refined.

 

[Dharlee]

It's been stated what other things can be found in shea on the previous page....bug parts, dirt, etc.....that's why you temper your shea to remove the impurities. They settle to the bottom. I just strain it through cheesecloth once tempered. However, I prefer unrefined shea over refined.

I would love to know what is the difference between unrefined and refined butters? Are they the same differences across the board? In other words with cocoa butter, shea, etc.?

 

[shunt2011]

I would love to know what is the difference between unrefined and refined butters? Are they the same differences across the board? In other words with cocoa butter, shea, etc.?

I've use refined Cocoa so can't speak on that one. However, refined shea is generally bleach and cleaned. It doesn't have the strong nutty smell that unrefined has.

I've just recently purchased some refined for some body butters. Unrefined can be a bit strong so it's mostly a personal preference.