Shea Butter

[Animal Craze]

Thanks to the thread on massage oils, I am really interested in Shea butter. I live in Mexico but am travelling to Florida for Thanksgiving. I'd like to order some to try and have several questions. First, please respond with good sources for online orders of Shea butter. I noticed Brambleberry (right?) has both refined and unrefined. Preferences? Has anyone used it with Ashiatsu OBT or Ahh..shiatsu? Since it is still a nut based product, do you have clients who are sensitive to it?Tell all!Thanks, (scrambling to order in time for Thanksgiving)Sally

 

[Miss Pierce]

Shea Butter

Though I generally use Biotone's gel in much of my massage I also am an enthusiastic user and distributer of shea butter products.

I simply cannot justify spending tons of money on pricey products when nature avails so many quality ingrediants for a fraction of the cost of other complex hydrogenated body products. I personally like my products natural, simple and organic. Which is why I often support products coming from Africa.

Shea butter is the absolute BEST in containing natural properties that are ideal for dealing and treating most dry skin conditions. I use it daily on myself and love it. It is one of those be-all products that has many uses. Some of it's suggested usages are for dry chapped skin, treating minor burns and skin irritations, scarring, eczema, psoriasis...and treating dry scalp issues. I also spoke w/ a woman from Ghana who said her grandmother used to melt it and give it to her any time she had any chest congestion! You can add peppermint and tea tree oil for the feet, lavendar for relaxation, lemon grass for rejuvenation...etc...etc. I do use it for massage...not all over...but reserve for feet, hands, scalp (if requested), and scented butter for the neck and upper back region. It really depends...sometimes knees and ankles need it...you get the picture.

Here is a great site that offers bulk shea butter in various seforum.xxxes of refinement. I must warn you though, that the yellow unrefined butter...though is WONDERFUL for moisture has a very STRONG scent that most western thinking people do not appreciate. Add any natural essential oils to create your own special butter.

http://store.africansheabuttercompany.com/bulkproducts.html

Another shea butter product I personally use is from the "Shea Moisture" company affiliated w/ Nubian Herieforum.xxxe in Harlem NY. It is the best butter I have ever used and it is one of my best sellers. The shea moisture "lotion" is also the "queen mother" of lotions in my opinion. Though I am an affiliated distributer with the Harlem store, their product line can also be seen on sheamoisture.com

Do not be sceptical that these products that come from Africa and are only for Africans. They work on ALL skin types. Africa is simply a wonderous place of natural beauty, and offers many quality products ideal for many uses.

 

[Sara W]

Shea Butter

I am big fan of shea butter. I use it in everything. There are many companies out there that will ship to countries outside the US.  Here's one in Flordia for ya http://www.tropicalbutters.com/

I agree with Tracey there is no product out there as wonderful as Shea Butter. In it's natural state, shea is very healing, moistruzing, rich in vitamins, etc.. The unrefined shea is said to have more healing properties than the refined version.

Here's a place where you read up on Shea

http://www.sheainstitute.com/

 

[Amrud the Tacosupremo!]

I have been using a body butter that I blend myself:shea butter, virgin coconut oil, jojoba,fract coconut oil,  vit e and e/o's.Doesnt matter what part of the body I use this butter on, it is absorbed well into the skin.  Great for deep or lite work.  I have been using it, instead of oil, for about a year.I like the refined shea.  The company I order from:camdengrey.com.  They are out of Florida.  Their shea is not refined using a chemical process.  They have excellent prices and timely deliveries.  I live in Calif. and the products are always packaged very well.

 

[tanaz]

Shea Butter

I checked out that site...looks good. I'm going to try some things. I've always wanted to try different butters and these look within my price range  - thanks for the link!

The link however is.... http://www.camdengrey.com -not- camdengray

 

[jared_e42]

Shea Butter

Thanks everyone! This gives me several options.Is this the greatest board, or what!Sally

 

[Georgie P]

While taking an NMT class last year we needed such a "butter".  I cannot stand the scent of cocoa butter..I know, weird.I had gotten a few tins of L'Occitane Shea butter as gifts.  I loved this stuff and it must have gotten out in my family...I have about 5 tins of it.  I tried it for NMT and loved it.It being expensive I wanted to buy it somewhere else.  I bought an unrefined tub of it(don't remember where) and the odor was awful.I still have some tins left so I will use mine until it's gone.I would also like to know how you all found other shea butters to be...especially the scent.ThanksRobynPSThe shea for NMT was wonderful.

 

[Greg Macquarie]

Shea Butter

nybor,if the scent bothers you, you can get refined shea butter, or deodorized cocoa butter.  it doesn't have that strong nutty smell.forgot to mention that white cocoa butter is also quite odorless.

 

[Sgt Remeriz]

Shea Butter

Yes...the butter that still retains it's odor is more in it's natural state and unrefined. I found that butter...in spite of it's odor to be incredibly smooth, buttery and emoliant...and like Cheri mentioned, retaining much of it's healing properties rich w/ vitamins. With natural butter I did find the smell did eventually dissipate once applied. But you still had to get past that initial hit of strong scented smoked nut, which if I had to use on an unsuspecting client....well....smile...ye might interupt their bliss. There are many places that sell "cosmetic grade" or "ultra refined" shea butters but it is good to do some research and make sure that it is done with natural processing. Some shea butters are waxy and hard...and I think those butters are processed with unnatural additives, with many of the natural properties taken out.There are some good links provided on this thread to various distributers worth checking out.

 

[life-lover]

Shea Butter

I have a growing concern about using refined product on people.I've heard it said that massage oils should be "good enough to eat", but I'm learning that most of the oils and fats we think of as "good enough to eat" really aren't.Perhaps the odor of unrefined shea butter can be changed with essential oils? Or perhaps it should always be used in a blend with other oils?

 

[xenonoh2]

Now that I've read through this thread I think I will try some shea butter.  EgoMagickian,"I have a growing concern about using refined product on people." "I've heard it said that massage oils should be "good enough to eat", but I'm learning that most of the oils and fats we think of as "good enough to eat" really aren't."--------I agree with the above statement and I find the suggestions in this thread about natural processing and the like dealing with shea butter intriguing and wonder how it applies to shea butter and to the other products we use.The instructor who taught the nutrition course in the massage school I attended said that heat processing changed the molecular structure of the item being processed whereas using items that were cold processed were closest to the original -- retaining vitamins and the essential goodness of the item.  The example she used was with the different varieties of olive oil: extra, extra virgin olive oil was cold pressed and considered the highest quality, while the lesser quality olive oils were heat pressed.  I also know cold pressing is used with high quality essential oils.I don't know how accurate this information is -- does anyone here know for sure?

 

[Nurse Beth]

Shea Butter

Here are some descriptives from Africansheabutter company:

PREMIUM REFINED SHEA BUTTER: (cosmetic & food grade) This highly refined shea butter is so white and clean that it is literally edible. The raw material is imported from Africa and sent to a state of the art refinery in Europe where the butter is cleaned through clay and any naturally occuring odor is vacummed out. This butter is ideal for lotions, creams and lip butters where a completely white and refined butter is necessary. If you are looking for a highly refined, cosmetic grade shea butter, then this is the one for you. There is no better refined shea butter on the market.

PREMIUM VIRGIN SHEA BUTTER: Our premium butter is sourced from Bolgatana in Ghana. Our butter has been lab tested for its high vitamin A and cinnimic acid content as well as its low moisture content, all very important for a top grade shea butter. Our butter is of very consistant quality, creamy color, with a typical shea butter aroma...(umm.. shall we say odor?)

Here is their new butter from Uganda:

Organic East African shea butter is made from fruit kernals collected in Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan. This species is known as vitellaria nilotica. This region is fed from the Nile River. Cold pressed, this butter retains all of its wonderful properties. Very soft, this shea butter is considered to be of superior quality to West African shea butter for moisturization. It has little to no odor. It is pure white, to cream yellow, to off white. It is almost impossible to find outside of Uganda. Our shea butter came as a result of a USAID project which taught groups of women in Uganda to extract and process it. Because of civil skirmishes in Uganda it is often difficult to get this butter out of the country. In addition, extreme over pricing of this butter in America has made it unaffordable and thus unattractive for potential markets. We are aware of only one other company in the US who is importing this butter. We have had unlimited requests for this nilotica variety and so are very pleased to finally offer it.

If you want raw shea butter but can't stand the smell then this is the butter for you. This butter has not been deodorized, yet it naturally has only a very faint aroma.

http://www.Africansheabuttercompany.com

 

[Shay P]

Shea Butter

Intuit, a lot depends on fat profile of the product--saturated fats being the most stable and polyunsaturated being the least. There's a huge fat & oil chapter in Healing With Whole Foods, and just about the only company Paul has recommended to us for oils is Rapunzel.

 

[vacant]

Shea Butter

Shea butter protects, heals and improves skin better than any other single oil presently known.Highest in unsaponifiables: anywhere between 7-12% unsaponifiables found in good quality shea butter is far higher than avocado (2-4%) and soybean oils being researched by rheumatologists for their ability to reduce inflammation. The high perceneforum.xxxe of unsaponifiables found in shea butter contribute to its ability to heal eczema, psoriasis, rashes, severe dry skin, burns, wounds, parasitic infections, and more.Vitamins A & E: shea butter is very high in vitamin A. in combination with vitamin E shea butter is highly effective in cell regeneration and anti-aging. Shea butter greatly improves the look and feel of skin. After a few days of use skin looks noticeably younger and healthier.Stigmasterol: known as the "anti-stiffness factor", the stigmasterol in shea butter gives shea butter its ability to relax tired muscles as well as provide relief for swelling and arthritis.http://store.africansheabuttercompany.com/3shbuampr.html

 

[Down]

Shea Butter

*this is in response to the above questions on oils and nutrition*As far as oils to be ingested are concerned, cooked, heavily processed, refined and heated oils are adulterated oils...I suggest reading Udo Erasmus' book "Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill" and using his oil, "Udo's Choice" for eating (never heat this or other EFA oils!). I am a Nutritionist and I have personally, on numerous occasions, met with him and asked him many questions about health and oils and read all of his literature and I must say that I trust his research and findings.Unheated, raw, extra virgin and cold pressed oils are the healthiest. Hydrogenated, saturated (in excess) and deep-fried are the most toxic.

 

[XArmed For BattleX^3]

Shea Butter Massage Lotion

If you don't want to make your own blend of shea butter and other oils, there's a new product on the market:

Evo Solutions Massage Lotion: It's made from shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, olive oil and grapeseed oils. http://www.evosolutions.us

I haven't tried it yet, but I like that it contains all-natural ingredients, with no chemical additives.