Shea butter: two kinds

[Idun]

I don't know which one is supposed to smell stronger? I just know that the beige/off white one has a stronger scent and the yellow one was less scented but harder. I also don't know which one is supposed to be 'superior' except that the East African is more difficult to get(and more expensive) because of war & violence in the area. I wouldn't be surprised if the East vs. West African Shea Butter prices was just marketing. Not that it's not really harder to obtain, but that it's worth paying twice as much for. Many people will pay more $$ for something that is more elusive and supposed to be better. I would definitely rather pay for unrefined butter vs. refined butter - but I think all natural butters have their benefits so I'm not as concerned about which area it's from and if it's nilotica or the other one.

Like you say virgo75, it is likely that the difference in price is caused, to a large extent, by factors other than the quality! And they must ofcourse find a way to justify that in marketing. Still, according to the discriptions the two butter have different properties and it is nice to know what they are from people´s real experiences. I kind of like to know what I buy .

[Idun]

Thank you so much for your comparison kwaniesiam!

Shea butter comparison:

Vitellaria Paradoxa (West) : Slightly grainy texture, color a very pale yellow. I’ve had other western shea butters before that varied from nearly white to a dark grainy tan. Scent is very rich and nutty. Stronger than the scent of the Eastern butter, but I love the smell of shea butter so take that in to consideration when purchasing. Definitely a firmer texture and harder to melt. It almost has a waxy feel to it and seems to sit on the skin much longer rather than being absorbed.

I would not recommend putting this straight on hair unless you live in a very warm climate or are blending it with other oils that have a lower melting point as this would probably just sit solidly on your hair feeling waxy. It does however feel nice being massaged in to the scalp. This is also great for rough, dry, or cracked skin. DBF has very rough hands from working at FedEx moving boxes all night and western shea butter has worked wonderfully for him in the past. I also use it on my feet at night as a moisturizing treatment by wrapping my feet in plastic wrap and then putting on socks over the butter.

Note: See my album for how much hair I actually have, so ymmv when using this on your own hair

I was thinking perhaps the Paradoxa might be good to protect the ends of the hair in winter because of the waxyness? Hmm. Maybe one should still blend them with other oils. Great tip about the feet! My daughter has problem feet, an I am definitely going to try using shea!

Btw, I noticed the Paradoxa was back-ordered from Garden of Wisdom right after you bought it! So I have to get it from somewhere else.

Nilotica (East) : Arrived melted. Put in the fridge for a few hours, it took a very long time to solidify again and remained in a very soft state that resembled chicken fat or emu oil before hardening fully. Has a much lighter, different scent than the western butter. Scent also reminds me of emu oil. Not as rich and nutty, I prefer the natural scent of the west better personally. Definitely have a silkier, softer texture and a far lower melting point. Not at all grainy though that could have been contributed to it being fully liquidized and having to re-harden it. Absorbed very quickly on skin and left feeling very moisturized and soft. This is excellent skin butter; I think I will be using it very much in the summer and fall, as it doesn’t leave that waxy feeling that the west butter does and does not linger, also very spreadable. I have very dry skin, if you’re of a more oily nature this may be too much for you. Too oily for my hair except for maybe a deep oiling. My hair does feel very soft and seems to absorb it decently. I think when I actually have longer hair I will like using this.

East butter has a darker color than my west shea butter that lightened when it fully solidified. East is much more yellow than the west variety. They’re both fairly similar in color but completely different in texture. So far I like both, they just have different uses and properties. I will most likely be using the soft eastern butter in the warmer months when I don’t quite need as much skin protection and the west butter in the winter months when my skin and hair get very dry. I may try melting down the western butter to get rid of the grainy texture or blend some of it with coconut oil to lower its melting point.

Edit: After a few hours I'm noticing that my East shea butter is a thick liquid at room temperature. I hope it is just because it is very warm out because it's far too runny to really be considered a butter.

I don´t have a problem with heat where I live (currently 9 C/48.2 F), so I guess the Nilotica won´t be fluid when it arrives here . For some reason I thought the Nilotica would be more white than the Paradoxa? But then, like you say, the colour of the Paradoxa can vary a lot. Maybe the Nilotica varies too?

I´m glad to hear you like it on skin. We clearly fall into the dry-skin category in my family . I´m so looking forward to try this, - both on skin and hair!

[Idun]

kwaniesiam, after looking in your album I can see how it might be a little difficult for you to judge the effect of shea butter in hair, at this time...

[Lilelfen1]

I know only that pure shea is white to ivory. The yellow is actually called African butter, which is not technically shea. Also, some suppliers mix shea with palm oil, which makes it yellow, or colour their shea yellow. Hope this helps

[Aggie]

Subbing to read later.