Shea Butter

FrankieG

FrankieG

Joined
Thursday November 15, 2012
Location
London, UK
After having my curiosity piqued about unrefined shea butter I finally caved in and ordered a small amount that arrived yesterday. (Unrefined or raw shea butter is not to be confused with the refined variety which apparently loses much of its benefits during the refining process). The net is full of praise for this natural moisturiser extracted from the nut of the African shea tree, also known as karite tree, and I was curious to see how it performs.

The 100g I purchased came in a resealable plastic bag but I transferred it into a small tin to make it more manageable. First of all, the scent is very nutty/earthy, not particularly pleasant but not unpleasant either and the smell seems to dissipate quickly when applied. It really has a buttery consistency that liquefies when rubbed in your hands or applied to warm skin.

As a lip balm it worked very well on my dry lips, but when applied to the face as a moisturiser it remained oily to the touch all day and didn't seem to get absorbed, although my skin felt great afterwards.

Has anyone used this product and what are your thoughts? How do you or did you use it?

shea_butter_cup.jpg
 
my wife uses it as a body moisturiser - i've read its not good as a face product as your experience bears out.

the stuff my wife uses comes in a great tub i use for creams :)
 
As an overnight moisturiser, this stuff is great. A little goes a long way, it's fairly inexpensive and the skin care qualities are excellent. As an after shave treatment I find that even used sparingly the scent is a little strong and it can remain oily/greasy/waxy, even when only the tinniest amount has been used. If you've had a particularly rough evening shave or you happen to work on a trawler in the Atlantic, this stuff is perfect.
 
I use it on my hands which can dry out at times, as FrankieG said not a pleasant smell very earthy and nutty, but very oily doesn't seem to be easily absorb into the skin, if you are looking for a really good balm after shave moisturiser I would say go for the Kiehl's aftershave balm a wonderful product, or the L'Occitane Baux balm in my opinion two top of the tree products.
 
I had heard of it but never seen it for sake in a block format, always assumed it was an ingredient. Like you wouldn't go out and buy a box of hundreds and thousands just to eat them would you :angel:

I do like the Shea Butter soaps, they have a feeling of luxury and nourishing lather but I don't go for it every day. Some days I like a slightly drying lather like Proraso and then I use a Bodyshop moisturiser.

This ine is my favourite non oily one, well worth the money;

http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/shop-by-range/seaweed/seaweed-day-cream.aspx
 
i tried it and had the same experience. i wasnt overly impressed by the smell, when i put it on my face it wouldnt absorb and felt tacky or greasy. it didnt cost a great deal of money and was worth trying out, im not a fan though.
 
Oh for God's sakes,

I recently asked the Good Doctor what he was gonna use his for and he played some damn sarcasm on me again! Even the Spanish guys are doing it.......sheesh. The stuff he had looked nice and smooth and buttery.

He tells me it's for his damn toast. Says it with a straight face.
 
Audiolab said:
:icon_rolleyes: a marmite comment if ever there was one.
Click to expand...

For the life of me I can't be sure what that means. Even tried looking it up but nothing. I know marmite is real controversial as far as liking it or not, with opinions from both sides. So I guess that phrase would be a negative one, based on the context here?

Now if the snake oil salesman reads this, please keep in mind a freely sprinkled bit of sarcastic humor is in these posts.
 
This is starting to sound like a blog on Oil Pulling!!
Someone sent me a 'hunk' of unrefined Shea Butter with a shaving soap order. No explanation and was not trying to sell the stuff. Still have it somewhere.
 
Sorry Martin, sometimes we add some extra subtext to the subtext, I blame the meds.......I could do with some snake oil, can never find a snake oil salesman when you need one :icon_razz:
 
55mstg.jpg


Whipped some up with a couple of spoons of jojoba oil and a few drops of tea tree oil.

No idea if it's at good for it's intended purpose (body butter for eczema) but I was bored and the girlfriend was on at me to go to Body Shop in town for her.
 
pugh-the-special-one said:
I use it on my hands which can dry out at times, as FrankieG said not a pleasant smell very earthy and nutty, but very oily doesn't seem to be easily absorb into the skin, if you are looking for a really good balm after shave moisturiser I would say go for the Kiehl's aftershave balm a wonderful product, or the L'Occitane Baux balm in my opinion two top of the tree products.
Click to expand...

Im with you on the Kiehl's a little goes a long way too. Baux is excellent too.

Now if anyone suffers with really dry or cracked skin on their hands this is good stuff. No connections with this supplier, I purchased some form this seller, great seller.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131154280920?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

SWMBO suffered terribly with split skin close to her nails. For her it's due to washing her hands many times a day. No she hasn't OCD, she's works in a hospital. After every contact with a patient they remove their gloves and wash their hands, as they should.

She once went to occupational health who made her have a few days off, they were so bad. They also gave her cream and soap to use. It worked but she still got the odd break out. I saw this and got her some to try. Within days the cracks had healed over and disappeared. So much so she's used it for two months now and not a single problem. Some of her colleagues have also started using it.

It's used sparingly and goes a long way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom