What happened to my shea butter?

[DMJ's Mom]

So I usually just melt my shea butter in the microwave but today it did it on the stove top in one of my pots. When I put it in the pot it was that yellowish color but after i'd let it simmer for about 25 minutes and I poured it out the pot it was a brownish color. Like strong tea or watered down coffee. Does anybody have a clue what happened? (and yes I'm positive the pot was clean before I used it)erplexed

 

[myronnie]

You burnt it..FNWL tells you how to melt shea butter and not burn it: Tip: Improper heating of shea butter can cause the butter to crystallize as it cools. This crystallization can cause lip balms, body butters and other formulations to turn gritty. To avoid this, shea butter must be melted and heated to about 175 degrees and kept at that temperature for at least 20 minutes. This will allow the butter to melt completely so that crystals will not form after it has cooled.

http://fromnaturewithlove.com/product.asp?product_id=butsheax&searchflag=1

 

[lilsparkle825]

yeah i was about to say you probably burned it.

 

[DMJ's Mom]

I didn't think the stove was that hot! So is this shea butter a lost cause now? It seems if its burnt it wouldn't do its job right?

 

[Irresistible]

you cooked it!

there is no need to nuke or cook shea butter, I think it probably destroys its properties that way anyway. You could sit the container of shea butter in a pot of hot water so it melts inside the container without direct heat to it or just buy Shea oil if you dont want the thickness of the butter

 

[loved]

Someone gave me some shea butter when I was complaining about my hair being dry. We were in the sun & I put some on my ends & my hair felt great but I don't know what to do with the rest of it. Is there a thread on how to use it?