Shea Growth And Retention Regimen 2018

[Alma Petra]

Thank you @Chicoro for your troubleshooting advice.

I bough some coconut oil and added it to my shea butter mix then whipped again. This time I got a much lighter and fluffier mix. I am so happy. And I am in love with the vanilla smell. I used a small amount of it today to seal for my wash and go and I got soft, moisturized curls. I will be more heavy-handed when I come to bun.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

Bought a couple more Frag.rance Oils from Bulk Apothecary to scent my SB creations with.

 

[cravoecanela]

I'm joining! My sister bought some shea butter and whipped it without me even telling her about it . She had so much surplus she gave me a mason jar full. I've been dabbling in shea butter recently and I haven't seen any results yet.... I'll be looking forward to see if that changes.

 

[Jade Feria]

I am IN! 2018 is all about retention for me. Like others have stated, I too, couldn't stand shea butter for my hair, which is fine to medium. I have SSI's Seyani Butter, which I barely used up until recently. I also have raw shea butter, which I always keep in house for my skin. It's cheap and easy to find in NYC. I will make a whipped shea mixture using my CP oil and some other things.

 

[Sally.]

Glad to hear that your knots are at the minimal range and tangles, too. Shea Slide strikes again!

i'm gonna whip up my shea butter tonight and i hope to have this same testimony one day soon.

 

[Sally.]

so for clarification, do i need to use coconut oil for it to have a fluffy whipped consistency or will any oil do?

 

[Sally.]

I have been thinking of ways to utilize the Shea Butter to its fullest potential in our hair because after all, it was GIVEN to US by GOD to be used by US in Africa. I don't think it grows anywhere else. - @ThatJerseyGirl

This is such a paradigm-shifting statement for me.

 

[Chicoro]

I am definitely trying to incorporate more natural, healthier products. I would love to use Shea Butter in my routine as I like a heavier, creamier product to twist with, but every time I tried Shea Butter it weighed my hair down. I am trying to experiment with shea butter products like the Keravada Creme Brulee and thinking of the Qhemet Biologics Amla (open to suggestions) but it seems like my hair needs more moisture.
I was also thinking of trying Mango Butter (as I have heard it is lighter but still packed with tons of good benefits). Anyone have any experiences with Mango Butter? Do you think using Mango Butter could provide the same unicorn hair results as Shea Butter? I saw a few mentioned shea butter mango butter blends and that has me quite curious...

Hi @SunkissedLife ,
Welcome to LHCF! I see you are a new member.

I can't speak to mango butter. I can only speak about shea butter.

Many of the women whose hair I admired are long gone from this board. The other group I used to find on a site called Fotki, and most are gone from there, too. What is consistent with the women that "I" admired, and why @ThatJerseyGirl 's observation was so profound is that all the women with hair beyond waist length [who I admired before I realized they had a common denominator in their routines] all used Shea butter consistently in their regimens.

You can try working with mango butter and other options. I have not seen or observed a commonality with my favorite long-hard afro-textured hair idols in the use of mango butter. That doesn't mean mango butter can't provide the same value and results. But I have no idea because I have not observed a significantly large group of women with super-long hair using it over a 5 to 10 year period of time. I have observed all of this with shea butter.

Shea butter is not the only way to gain length. It's just one of the many ways. If it doesn't work for you, don't fret. I've encountered lots of naturals with waist length hair who never used it. I was one of them.

For 'me', there seems to be a certain 'look', and thickness and 'otherworldly' length retention that women who use shea butter consistently seem to have.

That was the impetus for me to figure out how to make shea butter work for me. Because, I have been a shea butter hater for most of my hair journey until 2017. So, because I wanted to at least try it and have some peace and enjoyment, I experimented to find ways to make it work for my hair and my lifestyle. It took trial and error.

Ultimately, the possibility may exist that shea butter doesn't work for your hair. And that's okay, too. The goal is to listen to you hair and to listen to yourself. Everything does not necessarily work for everybody. There may be something even better for you out there!

 

[Chicoro]

The last time i didnt have a relaxer but i did have color with plenty of heat damage. I added different oils like coconit and castor, I also added glycerine and water (I didnt know not to add water back then) the shea butter was unrefined it was whipped. I used water as my leave in. This year I used refined shea butter and added a little bit of my leave in and whipped it. I used my leave in (care free curl moisturizer) underneath the mix. My hair is completely natural now but i noticed that heavier oils and butters worked better when my hair was colored or damaged.

My suggestion is to try an unrefined butter one more time, like you did before. Here are some caveats:


You mentioned that when you used the refined butter you couldn't get your fingers through your hair or comb it. When I use unrefined shea butter, which I love, I personally cannot wear my hair 'out'. The shea butter leaves my hair hard, dry and greasy. I ONLY use shea when I am wearing braids. If I am going to wear my hair loose, I don't use it. I had to figure out how to make it work for my hair. That was because my three top favorite afro-textured naturals all used shea butter. I only realized this common denominator this year.

That was the impetus and and the inspiration for me. IF shea butter can work in a regimen, sometimes it takes trial and error to figure out the best formulation for one's hair, the best style to use with it, and the best products to use in conjunction with the shea butter on one's hair.

You know your hair better than anyone. If your conclusion is that the heavier oils worked better before, perhaps your hair has what it needs now. Perhaps the shea butter product and application you are using are not necessary for the current state of your hair.

Hair changes in texture and in its needs. Thus, my suggestion is to trust yourself and listen to your hair! Shea didn't work for me either before and I successfully grew my hair past my waist without using it. It's okay if shea is not something that works for you. There are many other options to support your afro-texured hair on its journey.

 

[Chicoro]

i'm gonna whip up my shea butter tonight and i hope to have this same testimony one day soon.

It takes time to see a difference. That is assuming you have found the right mix for your hair and are using it in combination with what your hair likes. Some tweaks and changes may be required. Thus, you may want to document what you are doing and track what is working and what is not. Then, you can use that information to modify and improve your process so you may be able to have the same testimony! Good luck.

 

[Chicoro]

Thank you @Chicoro for your troubleshooting advice.

I bough some coconut oil and added it to my shea butter mix then whipped again. This time I got a much lighter and fluffier mix. I am so happy. And I am in love with the vanilla smell. I used a small amount of it today to seal for my wash and go and I got soft, moisturized curls. I will be more heavy-handed when I come to bun.

@Alma Petra ,

I'm glad the small modification worked out for your batch of shea butter. It is wonderful to hear that your mix turned out closer to your ideal this time around. I'm happy that you are happy! One of my favorite scents is vanilla. Perhaps I can find something similar around my neck of the woods here in Lyon, France. I'm sure I just have to put in the effort to look for it. How wonderful that your wash and go and shea butter mix produced moisturized curls!

 

[Chicoro]

Farmers never make money. The money is with the consumer. Farmers are all the way at the other end of the process (farmer to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer). Vertical integration is how you monetize raw materials you have unique access to. They shoulda been making stuff. They have a monopoly.

Thank everybody for all the shea butter knowledge. I'll be well informed when I go haggle on 125th st.

Also, shamefully, I used to keep at least ten of those L'Occitane shea butter lotions stashed all over my house, in purses, back ups...

You make some really good points. The difference with farmers though is that they have their own land. But that still does not change the fact that they are far away from the individual consumer.

My understanding is that the shea nuts are on 'parkland', and that rings of being public or commonly owned, or government owned, or owned by somebody who is not the women collecting, to me. But I don't know.

Like so often is the case, making stuff and processing things to end user products requires access to technology, machinery, equipment and specialized knowledge beyond that which goes into creating the actual butter. It takes time, focused effort and money to create an industry. Shea is used for cosmetics and food and those two are highly regulated, requiring specialized environments and equipment and certifications. I think it is going to happen eventually! In fact, it's already happening but on a very limited scale.

There is no need to have any shame regarding your use of L'Occitane products. I like their products, too. As we learn more and our priorities change, so does the direction of our money [changes]. Your purchases benefited the women of Burkina Faso. Now, we are working on ways to understand how we can benefit ourselves even better, which also includes having more of a direct, positive impact on the women who are gathering the shea nuts and doing the manual labor.

 

[Chicoro]

so for clarification, do i need to use coconut oil for it to have a fluffy whipped consistency or will any oil do?

I have not the personal experience, but @Virtuosa has. She is using a mix that is whipped and it does not contain coconut oil. You can find the discussion starting at post # 209 and #217, specifically.


I'd like to try a mix without coconut oil in the future as well. I don't have an issue with it, but the less stuff I can put in my shea mix and have it be just as effective and lovely to use, the better for my pocket and wallet!

 

[Chicoro]

At first we were puzzled. We struggled. We failed. We researched and did analysis on how to become hair unicorns...

 

[Chicoro]

​

Then it become an obsession. Each of us, in quiet desperation made our own analyses.
Hoping to find the answer.​

 

[Chicoro]

And then...one of our VERY OWN..made the discovery! @ThatJerseyGirl spoke [typed] those fateful words!
"It's shea butter! Naturals [with afro-textured hair] with super long hair use shea butter!"​

 

[Chicoro]

​

Because we ALWAYS got to check 'facts' here on LHCF -or at least have links to go back and corroborate what was stated , I went back and looked at all my favorites with super long afro-textured hair.

Sure enough! She was right.
They all had one common denominator in their hair regimens: shea butter.​

 

[Chicoro]

​

At first, there were only a few unicorns here and there. But just before 2018, the word began to spread...testimonies started to pour in...and then the unthinkable happened....​

 

[Chicoro]

The LHCF Hair Unicorn Population grew to an amazing size...

​

Here we come ya'll!​

​

 

[Chicoro]

2018 is the Year to Create the Largest Number
of Afro-Textured Hair Unicorns
LHCF Has Ever Seen! ​

​

 

[Chicoro]

It is amazing to me that this thread has reached 500 posts already! We've got two (2) more days before it's 2018.

Happy Shea Slide
to us all!



​

 

[lalla]

I grew up using shea butter religiously on the skin. Even know, most of my skin care (for the body) contains shea butter. It gives the smoothest, glowiest, softest skin.

As for my hair: the Scurl + shea butter combo is great at maintaing moisture and keeping the hair detangled.
My routine is super simple these days:
- wash every two to three weeks
- use Aphogee 2 step (once a month. My hair is relaxed and loves protein)
- DC with steam for 30 mins
- rollerset and wear hair straight for 2 to 3 days
- every night, spray Xcel21, then use Scurl on the hair, and shea butter on the new growth and ends.

I don't use a comb except on wash days.

 

[Soaring Eagle]

I bought a 8oz jar of refined Shea butter two days ago. I actually didn’t go into the store for Shea butter, but when I saw “smooth” on the label my interest was peaked. Didn’t even realize it was refined until I read the label some more after seeing you all talk about it on this thread.

Upon reading this thread and doing some research of my own, fully refined Shea butter is noticeably white or off white, has no odor, and is smooth.

However, only the “smooth” characteristics of refined Shea butter fits into the one that I bought. The one I bought has the typical Shea butter odor and is light beige in color.

In doing further reading I found that there are various degrees of refined Shea butter, just like unrefined. The one I have in particular was altered to change the consistency of the Shea butter, but not altered to the point of removing odor and color. Therefore, all refined Shea butters are not equal, just like all unrefined Shea butters are not equal.

I plan to use it one of braids today. I’ll update in a few days to let you know how my hair feels.

 

[mzteaze]

This is my second time watching this video. Thanks for sharing.

The mannerisms are unique.

Yes, ma'am. She has beautiful hair.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

Yes, ma'am. She has beautiful hair.

She knew all about bentonite clay and shea butter EARLY on.

 

[Virtuosa]

so for clarification, do i need to use coconut oil for it to have a fluffy whipped consistency or will any oil do?

My whipped shea is just shea butter and sweet almond oil. It is light and fluffy and I love it. I purchased from Ameerah’s Naturals on Etsy (black owned). She also has a whipped shea with olive oil and one with just coconut oil.

 

[mzteaze]

My video contribution about Shea butter and skin issues:

 

[Sally.]

So just to again confirm @ThatJerseyGirl and @Chicoro idea that Shea Butter is meant for kinky, coily Black hair and will take it to new heights, this morning I watched the video below on how her hair grew and became so much thicker in 7 months. The second piece of advice she lists is to use products with ingredients you can pronounce and then she takes out one of her favorite products called Fro Butter and the first ingredient is of course Shea Butter!

 

[Chicoro]

So just to again confirm @ThatJerseyGirl and @Chicoro idea that Shea Butter is meant for kinky, coily Black hair and will take it to new heights, this morning I watched the video below on how her hair grew and became so much thicker in 7 months. The second piece of advice she lists is to use products with ingredients you can pronounce and then she takes out one of her favorite products called Fro Butter and the first ingredient is of course Shea Butter!

It's so in your face ONCE you realize the answer! It's so simple. It's so obvious! Now that we know.

That's why @ThatJerseyGirl 's
observation was so profound. It's going to become common knowledge now. But I continue to sing her praises and I DARE SOMEBODY to say, "I knew that all along." No.YOU.Did.NOT! I don't want to forget who made this connection and observation.

 

[Chicoro]

If Shea Butter Does Not Work For You For Whatever Reason, please do not be discouraged...


Shea butter alone is not enough. You need knowledge and good processes, too. So, just to show those of you who struggle with using shea butter, here are some photos of someone's hair I cared for and shea butter was NEVER used!


Before: August 2015


After: February 2017



These are her results after 1.5 years.

I know because I sat her down and explained to her what to do. I taught her about hair from a scientific and practical standpoint.

As her reward, I flat-ironed and trimmed her hair. These results were based on knowledge. She used basic shampoo and conditioner and no shea butter. After we took this photo and I had to cut about 1 inch of her ends, I told her about shea butter. I have not seen her hair since then, though.

My Hair When I Was a Shea Butter Hater:


I used vaseline and Scurl and the baggie method. No shea butter was used to gain this length.