Shea butter...

[nitavcc]

I have read that many of you ladies use shea butter, either to seal, or to moisturize...

How do you use it? Simply on the scalp?

how about melted and used after a good conditioner?

My problem is that I love its moisturizing abilities, nothing really keeps my 4a permed hair more moisturized.. But when I apply it on my wet hair after a wash and condition, my hair is just too greasy the next day..

This is after i melt it and apply it on wet hair. My hair is great day 3 or 4, but my hair can't retain any curl from the wet set, if I apply the shea butter..

I really dont believe that I am applying too much shea butter.

I believe I can have it both ways,....
Moisture and curl...
Bling bling shine and fabulous moisture..


HELP ..... PLEASE...

 

[BermudaKISS]

I have a similar issue after I use it.....i find it weighs my hair down too much. My hair really doesn't like a lot of heavy moisture...I may need to find another moisturizer and leave this for when I wear my hair in a bun or twist outs etc

 

[nitavcc]

I'm totally with you Bermudakiss.... but I hope someone will tell me how to be moisturized and maintain curls...

Any suggestions ladies?

 

[nitavcc]

bump, bump, bump

 

[vestaluv1]

I use it to moisturise... its great! Sometimes I don't even seal as its such a great moisturiser for my hair.

 

[Solitude]

I don't use it, but I am pretty sure a lot of people use it as a moisturizer, focusing on the ends since it is so heavy. I was thinking about ordering some unrefined shea butter to replace my elasta qp mango butter.

 

[nitavcc]

vestaluv, how do you use it so that it doesn't weigh you hair down, ie, curls?

I think it works, but i think i'm missing something.. TIA.

 

[Irresistible]

Put some in a blender with oil, Shea Oil, or Coconut or any oil and whip it up, making it not as heavy with easier spreadability , which gives you more control over application amounts, plus with it being a lighter consistency with a lighter oil will absorb faster

 

[baddison]

Put some in a blender with oil, Shea Oil, or Coconut or any oil and whip it up, making it not as heavy with easier spreadability , which gives you more control over application amounts, plus with it being a lighter consistency with a lighter oil will absorb faster

This is along the lines of what I'm thinking of doing. I want to make for myself the "perfect" moisturizer. Distilled water, pure unrefined shea butter, aloe butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil, emu oil, a pinch of tea trea oil (for the scalp)....hmmm....maybe some fragrance. All blended together 'til smooth and watery enough, not too thick. Mmmm..... I wonder what that would be like....

 

[CoffeeBean]

I use it in my daughter's hair faithfully. It is the only thing that will keep it behaving.

 

[pmichael52172]

Put some in a blender with oil, Shea Oil, or Coconut or any oil and whip it up, making it not as heavy with easier spreadability , which gives you more control over application amounts, plus with it being a lighter consistency with a lighter oil will absorb faster

This is what I do. I was using it for my skin and then put some in a small jar for my roots (I'm relaxer stretching). It's PERFECT!

The lady that sells them over the internet told me that how ever much shea butter I used (say 4oz) use the same amount with other oils totalling that amount to mix with it. I used 2oz coconut oil and 2 oz. EVOO. Put it in a bowl and used my hand mixer to whip it until it was light and creamy like frosting. Spooned it into my little jars and that's it.

I'm making another batch tomorrow except I'm just using shea and coconut oil this time. My hair or skin does not get slick and greasy either, just moisturized and soft.

 

[NikStarrr]

I melt my unrefined shea butter in the microwave and add a little extra virgin olive oil to it. Once it re-cools to room temperature, it has a smoother "buttery" feel. I use this on my hair and my skin!

 

[lilsparkle825]

my hair HATES shea butter. always greasy, never moisturized...even when i baggy. it's weird though, it looooves baby buttercreme. ha!

 

[Violets-are-blue]

I take a little shea butter in my hand and some castor oil. Like maybe a thumbnail full of shea and a dime to nickel to quarter (depends?) amount of castor oil and smush it together in my hand. That's usually enough for half of my head after moisturizing to seal. I tried using straight shea butter before but it wasn't good for my hair. But, after trying it again for a braidout, it worked really well. Might have also been the seasonal shift.

 

[nitavcc]

Thanks guys for the help.. Maybe I need to use less shea butter and more oil..
You all are just awesome!

 

[gabulldawg]

I just bought some 100% unrefined shea butter from a local BSS and was trying to figure out how I was going to use it. I figured it would be a great hair/body item to have and I was so surprised that I found it somewhere other than online! I'm taking notes from some of the ladies that offered tips for its use. Anymore would also be welcome.

 

[lovenharmony]

I've always wanted to try shea butter and I'm getting great tips from you ladies I love this site!

 

[Misshairdiva]

This is along the lines of what I'm thinking of doing. I want to make for myself the "perfect" moisturizer. Distilled water, pure unrefined shea butter, aloe butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil, emu oil, a pinch of tea trea oil (for the scalp)....hmmm....maybe some fragrance. All blended together 'til smooth and watery enough, not too thick. Mmmm..... I wonder what that would be like....

It would be good MINUS the water! I see this all too often on here. If you add water to the oil base you HAVE to add a preservative! And vitamin E will not kill moldies and bacteria. So, this would be good, minus the water. Add water, and you will have bacteria and moldies.

 

[baddison]

It would be good MINUS the water! I see this all too often on here. If you add water to the oil base you HAVE to add a preservative! And vitamin E will not kill moldies and bacteria. So, this would be good, minus the water. Add water, and you will have bacteria and moldies.

Wow....thanks for the info Misshairdiva!!

 

[luckiestdestiny]

Put some in a blender with oil, Shea Oil, or Coconut or any oil and whip it up, making it not as heavy with easier spreadability , which gives you more control over application amounts, plus with it being a lighter consistency with a lighter oil will absorb faster

great idea! I'm trying this with olive oil.

 

[anherica]

I love shea butter, it's really the only thing that keeps my hair soft and moisturized. However it can definitely be too heavy, and as other posters have said, cutting it with something helps. I mix mine with castor oil, pure aloe vera gel, olive oil, and sometimes coconut or sapote oil. Make sure to whip it up really well, and it's just lovely.

 

[baddison]

I love shea butter, it's really the only thing that keeps my hair soft and moisturized. However it can definitely be too heavy, and as other posters have said, cutting it with something helps. I mix mine with castor oil, pure aloe vera gel, olive oil, and sometimes coconut or sapote oil. Make sure to whip it up really well, and it's just lovely.

What are you using to mix your shea and oils? A spatula? A blender? A handmixer? A wooden stick?

I have just ordered my butters from www.fromnaturewithlove.com and I need to know what to use to mix these thing with. Are metals OK for mixing without worrying about interaction?erplexed

 

[Misshairdiva]

Try a stand mixer. What I do to keep the graininess out, is heat it in the oven at 170 degrees for 20 minutes, then I take a glass pan and pour it and put it in the fridge. QUICK cool down will help your shea not to become grainy. Then once its a solid form, I take it out the frigde and let it sit to room temp, then I put my ingrediants in a stand mixer. Its best to have a bowl that turns around so it can be mixed evenly.

Hope this helps!

 

[anherica]

I sometimes use my cake mixer to blend when I'm doing a really big batch, and I soften the shea butter beforehand. Usually I use my Braun handprocessor though. It has stainless steel parts and no problems with interaction. The main thing you have to worry about with shea, is using water or water based products. They can cause mold to form in your mixture if you do not use a preservative, so that's why I stick with oils and aloe that doesn't have any water in it.

 

[betty-boo]

I sometimes use my cake mixer to blend when I'm doing a really big batch, and I soften the shea butter beforehand. Usually I use my Braun handprocessor though. It has stainless steel parts and no problems with interaction. The main thing you have to worry about with shea, is using water or water based products. They can cause mold to form in your mixture if you do not use a preservative, so that's why I stick with oils and aloe that doesn't have any water in it.

Thanks Anherica, this is really useful. But how do you soften the shea butter beforehand?
I'm scared of using the microwave...

 

[IntelligenceisBeautiful]

I use it as a moisturizer

 

[anherica]

Thanks Anherica, this is really useful. But how do you soften the shea butter beforehand?
I'm scared of using the microwave...

I put what I'm going to use in a dry plastic container with a lid on it. Then I put the container in a large bowl with very hot water and leave it until the water cools. As long as the container has a tight seal, I just put something across the top to keep it from floating around too much. The shea butter is usually soft and pliable by this time and the perfect consistency for mixing once I add the oils. You can also melt it completely, like Misshairdiva described. I don't melt mine, because I couldn't get the temp correct, and never thought about using the oven. (good idea!) I read a recipe where softened shea was used instead of melted, and that's been working for me and I haven't experienced graininess thus far.

 

[Ms. Analeise]

To Anherica or anyone who knows- is it ok to use pure aloe vera juice (the kind you get in the pharmacy part of the store)? It is very watery-like.

TIA

 

[adw425]

My shea butter is mixed with camellia and almond oils and olive butter. I melt it down on very low heat in the microwave and add the oils, put in the fridge overnight to solidify and bring to room temperature the next day for its final consistency. I like it as a soft solid. My other shea butter mixture is SB, glycerin, rosewater, MSM, aloe vera whisked to a pudding consistency. I love it, but in its original state, it is too hard and too heavy for my hair, but wonderful for my hands and melted into conditioner with other things like aloe vera and honey for a deep conditioning treatment. Of all the oils and butters I have added to my conditioners, the shea butter gives me the best results.

 

[nitavcc]

Ladies, I want to thank each and every one of you for your posts. I have melted the shea butter, and mixed it with castor oil.. Let it cool, and then it came out like another butter...

WOW!

I kinda use it like a grease, but not too much, and my hair has kept a nice shine AND is not weighed down too much...

I don't think My hair has kept such shine in a long time... I think I am on the brink of making my own hair butter...

Luv you guys soo much!