Is Shea Butter supposed to be hard or soft?

[shellblue1]

I purchased some shea butter from a seller on ebay and it is so hard. I thought that shea butter would be softer. Should it be heated up in the microwave before use? I purchased the unrefined raw kind. Is there a different kind that I should purchase if I want it to be soft? I hope these aren't silly questions! I have never used shea butter on my hair before.

[manderly]

Hard as a rock.

Just scrape a little bit and rub it in your hands to warm and soften it, then apply where desired.

[Velvettt]

Not silly at all! When I bought my first shea butter, I was surprised and confused, too. It was hard and grainy. I learned to melt it down and let it re-firm up to get rid of the grainy texture. I only use it in mixes, so I melt it in the microwave (lots of people prefer putting it in a container and sinking it in hot water to melt it but I'm lazy and impatient and that takes too long!) after it melts, I add my other stuff and let it get hard again.

What manderly said. Melt a bit in your hands.

[sapphire-o]

You can melt it and mix with some liquid oils. I mixed mine with olive oil. Much easier to spread after that.

[shellblue1]

Thanks for all of your replies! :)

[Miss Murphy]

You can also try to buy whipped shea butter next time. It usually has added oils and some Vitamin E, and is then whipped into a souffle-like texture.

[AntiHairSlave]

What difference does it make on your hair?

[Wanderer09]

It makes my hair feel softer, and I've heard it helps strengthen brittle hair as well? I could be wrong here. I like to use it on my ends and I've mixed some melted shea butter with conditioner before...

[Patrycja]

try adding EO's when you get it to a liquid.I hate the smell of 100% shea butter so I added Lavender EO like someone suggested on here for me.

[LilyMunster]

I melted half coconut oil and half shea butter. Shook the contents up and then just put it in the cupboard to harden. Much softer than straight shea.
Also the same mixture could be poured while still liquid into a Kitchen Aide food mixer and beat with the egg whip attachment. Slowly cools and clings to the sides.
EO's added are great. This whipped method has to be refrigerated in the summertime to stay solid. Still much less hard than straight shea, even chilled.

[peachy.pudding]

Hard, but not to hard, it supposed to melt very easily in your palms. I usually sit a tin of shea butter in warm water and it melts so easily. Hope that helps. Unrefined shea is generally the best kind