Guest guest Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 I love the effects of the shea butter, but I can't imagine a customer liking a grainy lip balm. It was so weird, the balm would be fine, perfectly smooth, then it'd sit in my pocket, the heat from my body would warm it, and it'd turn grainy. ------------------------------ Hi, It seems to be an imperfect preparation by some suppliers. I too used to have problems with grainy shea until I started reprocessing it myself. I now reheat all shea to 70C (58F) and keep it there for about 15 monutes. This seems to do the trick and I've had no problems since I began doing this. Nerys On-line workshops. Herb & Aromatherapy books. www.neryspurchon.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Ravenna, You can heat your shea in a double boiler to 155 degrees and hold it there for 30 min, then put in the freezer overnight. It's a difficult call for suppliers because some people do not want unprocessed shea butter to be tampered with at all. Others think grains mean bad butter. I have begun to melt mine because there were more complaints about the graininess, than concern about me melting it. Like everything else stories abound about what is good shea butter and what isn't. I think it is most important that the shea be fresh, kept cool and have been tested for fungi, mold, etc. Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Hi Anne....I just got some really great unrefined Shea Butter that has had a pretty direct route from the women who make it in Togo I'm about to heat and freeze it so this post was timely for me.I was told to heat at 170 degrees and hold, but I'm happy to know it works for you at 155 degrees.I would think that the higher the temp the more beneficial properties would be destroyed.Thanks for the tips, Blessings, Jet ********************************************************************* You can heat your shea in a double boiler to 155 degrees and hold it there for 30 min, then put in the freezer overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 By " kept cool " do you mean to cool enough to avoid melting, or do you mean stored in the fridge? Should I be keeping my butters in the fridge? I don't currently and really didn't realize that maybe I should? How do you guys store your butters shea/mango/cocoa? Thanks, >> I think it is most important that the shea be fresh, kept cool and have been tested for fungi, mold, etc. Anne --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.598 / Virus Database: 380 - Release Date: 3/1/2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 , Cool to me means at a temperature of 70º to 75º but it certainly won't hurt to keep in the fridge if you have the space to do so. One of these days I could like one of those big coolers like where they keep milk and such at the grocers but I expect that is just a dream since I don't have space for it. I can just see all my oils and butters measured out and alphabetized so that I just reach in and grab my recipe and go to work. LOL This from someone who can't even get her labels filed. I buy in as much bulk as I can afford so I do keep Mango & Kokum in the freezer so I don't lose it. Those two start to smell after awhile. Anne http://www.annelees.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 Jet, I had a bucket of shea that sat in the garage during our cold spell (temp 40º) overnight. I was amazed to find that the long cool period caused the grains to disappear when it came back to room temp. I don't know if that is something that will work every time so I have to check it out. May have just been one of those fluky things. Anne http://www.annelees.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 Thanks, Anne!! ~ Re: Problems with shea butter , Cool to me means at a temperature of 70º to 75º but it certainly won't hurt to keep in the fridge if you have the space to do so. One of these days I could like one of those big coolers like where they keep milk and such at the grocers but I expect that is just a dream since I don't have space for it. I can just see all my oils and butters measured out and alphabetized so that I just reach in and grab my recipe and go to work. LOL This from someone who can't even get her labels filed. I buy in as much bulk as I can afford so I do keep Mango & Kokum in the freezer so I don't lose it. Those two start to smell after awhile. Anne http://www.annelees.com Lavender! Lavender! Lavender Sale!Going on NOW !Yuzu Fragrance oil on Sale .We have many hard to find items like citric acid,empty capsules,red clay,best priced essential oils and more! http://glenbrookfarm.com/store/specialsseeds_1.html To unsub send an e-mail to : -unsubscribe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 Ohooow'Ohooow.....The shea in my shop should have hit 40 at night. I'll have to go play with it and check it out.I'm so excited . Thanks Anne....another experiment...I love it. Blessings, Jet ******************************************************************** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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