0 Tips For Making Whipped Shea Butter

I get so many questions about making homemade whipped shea butter for the hair and body that I figure I should  make a post with the answers. Making your own shea butter mix is a easy once you get the hang of how butters and oils work. 

Shea Avocado Butter 

Where can I get ingredients for my mix?
Internet:
Brambleberry
Wholesale Supplies Plus
DIY Hair Care Products
Etsy
Elements Bath and Body
Locally:
WholeFoods
EarthFare
The Vitamin Shoppe
Wal-Mart


How do you get the grit out of your shea butter?
Melt the shea butter down. You can use a double boiler (if you don't have one, just make sure to watch it on the stove and keep it on LOW) or a microwave. Once the shea butter is melted completely, place in a container and place the oil in the freezer for about 30-45 mins. or until hard again. Should be a smooth consistency when you take it out and free of grit.


How do you keep your whipped mix from getting hard?
If your mix goes back to being hard, you need to re-whip it. If you don't let the shea butter harden all the way when you place it in the freezer after melting it before you whip it, then it will harden up all the way and you will have to re-whip it. 


My mix keeps coming out greasy, why is that?
You may need to cut back on the amount of oils you're using or you may need to change the oils your using. Some oils are heavier than others and you don't want to use too much of those oils. You can also add cornstarch to your mix to cut the greasiness. Adding a bit more shea butter will also help balance out the mix.


My whipped shea butter melted, is it ruined?
No, just place it in the freezer or refrigerate until hard and re-whip the mix if you want to. 


I don't like shea butter can I use something else?
Yes, you can use kokum, mango, illipe, avocado, almond and some places even sell coffee butter. Just remember not all butters are the same, some are heavier than others and some may be better for the skin than the hair so read the descriptions and reviews carefully.


Do I need a preservative?
No. If you don't add water or another perishable ingredient, you won't need to add a preservative. If you add aloe vera, make sure it is preserved already. Whipped shea butters can last up to 12-24 months.


Can I use my mix for my hair and skin?
Yes, you can use it anywhere.


What do I have to do to sell my shea butter mix?
Test it and get reviews from family.


These are the questions I get the most and I hope I answered some of the questions you may have had as well.


Thanks for reading!
For Your Body & Hair Butters Visit: DIY Hair Care Products

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For Your Body & Hair Butters Visit:DIY Hair Care Products

0 How To Make Whipped Shea Butter, Formulating A Recipe

Making Whipped Shea Butter isn't always as easy as 1,2,3. To understand how to formulate your own recipes, you need to decide how your are going to be using the Whipped Shea Butter.  You will also need to have a basic understanding of how certain carrier oils work.

Whipped Shea Butters, are mainly heavy body cremes that you can use to moisturize your skin or hair. Since, most Whipped Shea Butters, do not contain water, there is no need for a preservative. If you add water, extracts or any juices such as Aloe Vera Juice, you need to use a synthetic preservative in your mix.

Now, on to choosing the oils for our mix! You may be thinking, why add any oil at all? Can't you just whip the shea butter alone? You can use shea butter alone but, keep in mind that most authentic shea butters, don't provide much shine and don't have much glide. I relate it to the feeling of beeswax, without the waxy coating. Adding carrier oils help make applying the shea butter easier and also gives added benefits to the hair and/or skin.

Coconut oil- This oil helps provide, shine and moisture. For a lot of people coconut oil alone just sits on the top of their hair and gives their hair a greasy feeling. Remember- Since this oil melts very easily, the more you add to your mixture the softer your end mixture will be.
Sweet Almond Oil- This oil provides shine and is very light. It does not moisturize, as it doesn't penetrate the hair very much. Great oil for skin and hair.(Benefits of Sweet Almond Oil)
Olive Oil- This oil to me, is very heavy. I personally do not like it in butters for my skin and use it in small amounts in butter for my hair. This oil adds a large amount of shine and is also known to penetrate the hair shaft. Bear in mind that this oil can leave the hair or skin feeling greasy or weighed down so use sparingly.
Castor Oil- This oil is a humectant, it aids in adding moisture to the hair shaft. This oil is best used in hair butters as it can be a bit sticky and hard to smooth onto the skin. Be careful, if you live in a dry climate, since this oil takes moisture from the air and adds it to your hair, if there is no moisture in the air...well you may end up with dry hair.
Avocado Oil- This is a light oil, that can penetrate the hair shaft. It adds shine to the hair and skin. This oils has a lot of benefits to the hair and skin. (Benefits of Avocado Oil)

Other oils you can pick from are Safflower, Sunflower, Babassu, Apricot Kernel, Emu and many other oils!

Here are 2 basic Whipped Shea Butter Recipes you can try and also tweak to your liking!

Whipped Shea Butter for Your Hair: (makes approx. 8oz.)

6 oz.- Shea Butter

1 Tablespoon- Sweet Almond  Oil

2 Tablespoons- Coconut Oil

1/2 Tablespoon- Olive Oil

1/2 Tablespoon- Sunflower Oil

Whip this mixture together and enjoy!

Whipped Shea Butter for Your Skin: (makes approx. 8 oz.)

6 oz.- Shea Butter

2 Tablespoons- Coconut Oil

1 Tablespoon- Apricot Kernel Oil

1 Tablespoon- Jojoba Oil

Whip together and enjoy!!

What do you mix with your shea butter?

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0 How To Get Smooth Whipped Shea Butter When Shea Butter is Grainy

A recent problem I have run into when making whipped shea butter is grainy shea butter. Gritty/ grainy shea butter is shea butter that has what feels like, little tiny balls mixed into it. The "grit" melts into the skin within seconds but, can be annoying if you're trying to make a smooth and creamy mixture.

What causes the "grit" in gritty or grainy shea butter?

"During transit, vegetable butters can melt or partially melt. As they re-cool, some butters, most particularly Shea Butter, can crystallize or become grainy. This does not impact the quality or usability of the butters. " [Source]

So, of course if you order your shea butter during warmer months, you run the risk of receiving gritty or grainy shea butter. Here are the steps I take to make my shea butter smooth and grit/grain free!

• Measure out shea butter.
• Heat small pan on medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes (until it gets hot).
• Place shea butter in pan and keep on medium high heat for 1 more minute.
• Turn heat down to medium and stir shea butter for 1 more minute.
• Turn heat off and allow shea butter to melt to about 50-70%.
• Remove pot from stove and mix the shea butter, the heat from the melted shea butter will melt the rest of the shea butter.
• You can add your extra oils now or wait until you whip the shea butter.
• Allow shea butter to cool to room temperature. *If you place warm/hot shea butter in the refrigerator you run the risk of introducing water from the condensation to the shea mixture and this may cause mold in your final product if you are not using a preservative.
• Once the shea butter mixture has cooled to room temperature, place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. You can take it out after about 5-10 minutes and blend it with a hand mixer but, I find this doesn't help speed up the process.
• Allow shea butter to get completely hard. (like it was when you received it)
• Break shea butter into chunks and whip it with your hand mixer for 3-5 minutes depending on how whipped you want your mixture!

Additional info: If you whip the shea butter before it has the opportunity to fully harden, your whipped mixture may become hard. If this occurs, just re-whip the shea mixture to the consistency you desire.

Make sure that you are simply heating up the shea butter, to allow it to melt. Do not cook or boil the shea butter. Keep the temperature between 130-175 degrees!

Enjoy your new whipped butter!!

Picture source: DIY Haircare Products

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