LivingInPeace
Well-Known Member
Twisted my hair for the night. Sealed the ends with melted shea butter.
Shea Growth and Retention Regimen 2015
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LivingInPeace
Well-Known Member
Used Komaza Care Califia Leave In today to twist my hair. I need to melt some shea butter soon and put it on my ends.
Chicoro
5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
I know this thread was for 2015. Much of what was said within this thread, held true for me in 2017 as well. I learned that I have to whip shea butter in order to make it work for me. The benefits have been amazing!
Phenomenal growth and retention were the biggest surprises. I started using these butters because of the growth and/or retention I saw on women with afro-textured hair who use it faithfully. Although I have afro-textured hair, what works for most people, rarely works for me. Shea butter has proven to work for me as well.
In addition, now, I can spot who uses shea butter in their regimen by the health, and most importantly to me, usually by the length of their hair. I will continue to use shea butter in 2018
- no tangled hair
- fewer to no single strand knots
- super shine
- buttery soft hair
Phenomenal growth and retention were the biggest surprises. I started using these butters because of the growth and/or retention I saw on women with afro-textured hair who use it faithfully. Although I have afro-textured hair, what works for most people, rarely works for me. Shea butter has proven to work for me as well.
In addition, now, I can spot who uses shea butter in their regimen by the health, and most importantly to me, usually by the length of their hair. I will continue to use shea butter in 2018
LostInAdream
Well-Known Member
Do you use it as sealer? Are you using it alone or with other oils?
Chicoro
5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
Hi @LostInAdream ,I use it as in the last step of my grooming process, I guess as a sealer.
Are you using it alone or with other oils?
I am not sure I understand your question. I use a Shea butter blend. It consists of Shea butter, coconut oil and olive oil. I whip that up. That is the Shea butter mix I put on my hair.
As far as my process, I wet my entire braid of hair with water and put SCURL on it. Then I dab my roots with gel. Then I put on a generous amount of my Shea butter mix on my braid, starting at the ends and slather it up to the roots of my hair. Then, I braid my hair tightly and I'm done.
Sometimes I do this daily, sometimes I do it weekly. As of late, I've been doing it daily because I love dipping my hands in that creamy, buttery Shea butter.
naturalagain2
Well-Known Member
I used shea butter as a prepoo a week or two back....any tangles I had easily slid out. Different feeling than when I use just oil or conditioner and oil. I knew it was the shea butter I added. I detangled my hair last night and retwisted using my water mix then sealed with my shea butter mix and it was so easy to slide out the shed hair. I can not wait to see what this does for my hair over time. Shea butter actually makes detangling much easier.
Chicoro
5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
I agree with you. Shea butter really does make the hair easier to detangle. I am no longer losing whole curls when I detangle. The shed hairs slide out for me, too. In addition, my hair stays clumped together so that hairs that unravel do not tangle around my braid.
I hope you take pictures of your hair to keep a record. I believe that Shea Butter is truly a magical ingredient/product. I've been using it for 1 year and my hair has transformed.
If you are noticing all these changes now, imagine what you will see in the next two to three months!
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IDareT'sHair
PJ Rehabilitation Center
Chicoro
5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
Short Answer
I don't know.
Long Answer
It is hard to tell the quality, especially when one is picking it up on the ground, like in a beauty supply. I use whatever is available. Just recently I saw some in my local beauty supply. But it was in a white bucket that was sealed. They had some yellow kind in a bag I could see as well. I bought the bucket and it had a funny odor and it looked like it had moisture in it. I was disappointed to say the least. I paid about 6 Euros for 500 grams. I'm not trying to be fancy with the metric system. It's easier for me to recount what I paid and the amount, as I found it.
The product was from Senegal. It reminded me of all the reasons I used to hate Shea butter. The difference this time is that I know Shea butter works for me hair, and I know I have to work with Shea butter to make it work for my hair.
All this to say that you may want to buy online from a reputable seller who indicates in writing that their product is high quality. Maybe use their products as a point of reference for buying future products. For example, I started off with Naissance Shea butter, a company that indicated in writing on their site that their product is high quality. I had someone over my place from Burkina Faso where some Shea butters originate. She said, "Where did you get this from? This looks and smells like the [real] Shea Butter that comes from my home. This is the real kind." Interestingly, I can't find the country origin of their Shea butter on their site. I could be overlooking it. I first discovered this brand via amazon.UK.
https://www.enaissance.co.uk/organic-shea-butter-unrefined
Here's the caveat. Shea Butter looks and smells slightly different based upon from where it comes and on how it is prepared. Remember that Senegalese Shea butter I mentioned in paragraph 2 of this post? Well, that Shea butter is totally different than the Shea butter from Naissance. It looks like yellow cottage cheese. It feels slightly damp and the odor is pungent. But guess what, the operative power here is me. I'm starting to build the knowledge and know-how to make any [decent] natural Shea butter work for me.
I am starting to think that the Shea Butter from Senegal, and the Shea butter that looks and smells like it that I encountered in the past, IS the REAL DEAL.
After I mixed down the Senegalese Shea butter down with oils and whipped it, that stuff was still grainy. So, I took that mixture and steamed it over some hot water to break down the graininess which was only solid balls of shea butter. I put it in my fridge and let it get hard. Then, I whipped it a second time. It came out like butter!
Going from left to right, the Shea belt tells from where the Shea butter originates. So, the first step is to probably know the origin of your butter.
Picture 1: Shea belt
Picture 2: Senegalese butter when I opened it
Picture 3: Jar logo, company of origin
Picture 4: Closer view of the cottage cheese like texture of the butter
Picture 5: Whipped 1x, melted over heat, hardened from the fridge
Picture 6:Whipped 2x, (whipped the second time). Totally changed in color and texture!
Picture 7: View in jar
Picture 8: Top of jar
Picture 9: Top of jar
Picture 10: Size of jar
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Chicoro
5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
The jar on the left is the amount of finished Shea butter I ended up with. The white bucket on the right is the amount of pure Shea butter that I started with. This will probably last from 1 month to 1.5 months. I use it for my hair and body. I keep it in the shower. I do not add ANYTHING with water to my butter. With no water added, I do not get microbes in it.
My feeling is that if you know how to mix down your butter, you can make any natural Shea butter work for your hair and your mixture. Look at the origin and make notes of the texture, color and smell. Like learning your own hair, there is no sure-proof method. One has to do analysis, document and go from there!
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IDareT'sHair
PJ Rehabilitation Center
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IDareT'sHair
PJ Rehabilitation Center
NappyNelle
Kinky Coily 4A, Fine Strands, WSL
So... who's gonna host the challenge?
Chicoro
5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
It's in comparison to the same person's hair before and after hair photos. If I see where they started and where they are, I can tell that way. But to pick someone out in a crowd, no, I can't do that!
IDareT'sHair
PJ Rehabilitation Center
Aggie
Well-Known Member
Wow, thanks for pulling this one up out of archives @Chicoro. I already bought some shea butter, ivory and yellow. I will see if their texture and performance are different on my hair and skin and document it here. I bought quite a bit so it should last me a while - I'm hoping at least 6 months.
Chicoro
5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
My access is limited unlike in the US. I buy what I can get. I used to go for the ivory that was unrefined if I could get it. Now, I'm going for the pungent, yellow cheesy looking Shea. I believe that has minimal processing.
YvetteWithJoy
On break
This video has great info about what Shea butter does, where it comes from, real vs. fake, white vs. yellow, texture, graininess, etc. The video's info box has links to quality sellers/product.
Evolving78
Well-Known Member
So that stuff that comes in that plastic clear container and has that yellow label is not Shea Butter?!?! Now I have ordered shea butter before and it was a faint yellow color, but I forgot the vendor.
YvetteWithJoy
On break
Some shea butter is white, some ivory, and some faint yellow, if I'm understanding the video correctly.
Then, there is a different African butter, from a different tree, that is good but not shea butter. The video showed it. I can't remember its texture and color.
Dark yellow shea butter is either (1) good quality yet dyed or (2) poor quality yet dyed or (3) fake and dyed, IIRC from the video.
Evolving78
Well-Known Member
Right! That stuff that is being sold all around town isn’t Shea butter, it’s that other African butter... smh
IDareT'sHair
PJ Rehabilitation Center
YvetteWithJoy
On break
You're more than welcome, sis!
I'm glad you posed those questions! I needed to have those same questions and answers, and didn't even realize it.IDareT'sHair
PJ Rehabilitation Center
Aggie
Well-Known Member
I'm subscribed to this channel and didn't even realize it. Good posting @YvetteWithJoy.
I was supposed to go back and watch a few of the DIY videos and just never got around to it.
Pygmy_puff
Well-Known Member
I LOVE Shea butter! I whip it with my favorite oils and use it on damp hair before I braid it up. I’ve been using it every week for months and my hair is definitely thanking me for it. It keeps my braids moisturized for the whole week underneath my wig. And like others have said, detangling is a breeze!
grownwomanaz
Love and Harmony
I haven't read through the entire tbread yet but how are ya'll whipping the shea butter, with a blender?
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