Shea Butter

[Kelikea]

I want to try some shea butter for my hair over the winter. I am currently using coconut oil, but want more for those cold, windy, dry days. A lot of you use Panacea, but that is too expensive for me. Has anyone tried any of the Nubian Heritage shea butters? I have been looking at the ones sold at Vitacost.com and wondered what ingredients to look for (neem oil, hemp oil, vitamin E, etc.) in the different varieties and which are best for hair.

Indian Hemp and Vetiver has shea butter, hemp oil, neem oil, vitamin B5
Honey & Black seed oil has shea butter, nigella sativa (black seed) oil, honey, tocopherol vitamin e)
Coconut and Papaya has Coconut oil, shea butter, papaya enzymes and comfrey root extract.
Raw Shea Butter has Raw shea butter, soy milk, vitamin e, frankincense and myrrh.

[Kelikea]

anyone? :(

[ScorpioMouse]

I just discovered these this week, weird coincidence! I bought the Honey and Black Seed lotion, plus the Black Soap lotion. While I haven't tried the butters on my hair (I actually would like to try them on my face in future), I am adoring the lotions on my face and body. They smell great, absorb quickly without being greasy, and my skin's clearer already, on day 4.

Sooooo probably not the most helpful review in terms of hair, but I can definitely vouch for the quality of the products the company makes! HTH.

[Amber_Maiden]

I used shea butter a couple of times but found it way to sticky, and I also had more hair loss with it. I stopped using it.

[Kelikea]

I just discovered these this week, weird coincidence! I bought the Honey and Black Seed lotion, plus the Black Soap lotion. While I haven't tried the butters on my hair (I actually would like to try them on my face in future), I am adoring the lotions on my face and body. They smell great, absorb quickly without being greasy, and my skin's clearer already, on day 4.

Sooooo probably not the most helpful review in terms of hair, but I can definitely vouch for the quality of the products the company makes! HTH.

Thanks! I've tried their soaps, and love them. Waiting for some lotion for the holidays...

[HintOfMint]

I've used my roommates pure shea butter that she bought in bulk on amazon, and it worked REALLY well for me. There's no neem, or vitamins or scent and it was great. I have some panacea and it's a blend of oils with shea butter, so you could, in a pinch mix a bit of shea butter with your coconut oil to take a little of the heaviness out of the shea butter.

I would start off with a teeny-tiny amount since your hair is fine, even though it is thick. Also, use it when your hair is damp or wet.

[ktani]

Just look at the original thread on mixing the two, coconut oil and shea butter. ETA: almost original thread. This was not started by Fox.

The recipe there should help you.

Here it is, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4586

[Kelikea]

I've used my roommates pure shea butter that she bought in bulk on amazon, and it worked REALLY well for me. There's no neem, or vitamins or scent and it was great. I have some panacea and it's a blend of oils with shea butter, so you could, in a pinch mix a bit of shea butter with your coconut oil to take a little of the heaviness out of the shea butter.

I would start off with a teeny-tiny amount since your hair is fine, even though it is thick. Also, use it when your hair is damp or wet.


Yes, that is exactly what I was thinking! Making my own version of panacea and saving about $30 :)

[Kelikea]

Just look at the original thread on mixing the two, coconut oil and shea butter. ETA: almost original thread. This was not started by Fox.

The recipe there should help you.

Here it is, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4586

Awesome! How do you keep track of all these threads?

[ktani]

Awesome! How do you keep track of all these threads?

You are very welcome. Long memory, lol. And I can search very well now on these boards. It takes patience, lol.

[ktani]

Hemp is a drying oil, you do not want that to cause a problem, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=190 and it can.

You can buy fragrance oils, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1883947&postcount=3

[CurlyCap]

My hair loves oils, and it ADORES shea.

Weirdly, though, shea is one of the few oils where I really do have to use a teeeeeeeeeny amount. I scrape the bucket with my fingernail and rub vigorously to melt it. That's usually enough for 1/2 of my head and then I do the other.

To make oil mixes or conditioners, I microwave the shea in 15s bursts until it is warm and drippy, but not hot. Once it's melted, it mixes well with just about anything and stays in solution.

[SpinDance]

I've not used the blends you reference, but for the last year or more I've been mixing a blend of Shea butter, coconut oil various other oils, depending on what I want to use it for. For my skin I mix jojoba (penetrates the skin, not the hair), coconut oil, Shea butter, mango butter (http://www.camdengrey.com/essential-oils/Raw-Materials-Butters-Waxes/mango-butter.html), sweet almond oil and/or whatever other oils I want or have on hand. I use enough Shea butter, coconut oil and mango butter to make it semi-solid and enough of the oils that are liquid at room temperatures to be sure it melts almost instantly on touching the skin.

Even a simple coconut oil and Shea butter blend is nice for the hair, and you can mix it to proportions based on what your hair likes or you want to test.

[cocoahair]

I put raw shea on my ends during the winter time. I buy mine from amazon. I find it very effective at sealing in moisture.Good luck!

[Kelikea]

I've not used the blends you reference, but for the last year or more I've been mixing a blend of Shea butter, coconut oil various other oils, depending on what I want to use it for. For my skin I mix jojoba (penetrates the skin, not the hair), coconut oil, Shea butter, mango butter (http://www.camdengrey.com/essential-oils/Raw-Materials-Butters-Waxes/mango-butter.html), sweet almond oil and/or whatever other oils I want or have on hand. I use enough Shea butter, coconut oil and mango butter to make it semi-solid and enough of the oils that are liquid at room temperatures to be sure it melts almost instantly on touching the skin.

Even a simple coconut oil and Shea butter blend is nice for the hair, and you can mix it to proportions based on what your hair likes or you want to test.

Does mango butter penetrate the hair shaft? There is a shea butter with mango butter I could try.

[ktani]

None of the butters penetrate hair much, http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/butter/mango.php

Too much stearic acid and the other fatty acids will not penetrate hair well either.

They are nice surface conditioners.

[Diamond.Eyes]

I love shea butter and cocoa butter so much! I used to be a coconut oil addict, but once I started using butters instead of oils I never went back! :D

[ktani]

When you mix coconut oil and shea butter, the shea butter prevents the coconut oil from penetrating the hair as much as it can used as an oiling without heat or added to shampoo under certain conditions but the coconut oil prevents the shea butter from being as sticky, and the result can be very satisfactory.

[Kelikea]

I just realized they make a mango butter:
Mango Butter, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Avocado Butter, Aloe Vera & Vitamin E

Would that be the best one? It has so many of the butters all in one tub!

[ktani]

I just realized they make a mango butter:
Mango Butter, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Avocado Butter, Aloe Vera & Vitamin E

Would that be the best one? It has so many of the butters all in one tub!

The butters can be heavy. You have to experiment with them to see which one(s) work best with your hair. They are all different in their own way, with different properties.

Shea butter can be sticky.

[Kelikea]

The butters can be heavy. You have to experiment with them to see which one(s) work best with your hair. They are all different in their own way, with different properties.

Shea butter can be sticky.

These are the ingredients for the "Mango Butter":
Mango Butter, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Avocado Butter, Aloe Vera & Vitamin E

It has all 4 butters in one. Would they be ok all together like that or should I start off with a simple shea butter without all the others mixed in?

[SpinDance]

I love some of the butters on my skin, but haven't been using them on my hair, at least not yet. I'm still in the slow process of experimenting with stuff and haven't gotten there. Not positive I will, actually, since I'm more interested in things that will penetrate the hair to improve condition and I don't believe the butters penetrate. However, if you are looking for something to seal the hair, they may work, as might jojoba.

(I love the way mango butter soaks into my very dry skin. Not greasy like Shea, it feels dry.)

[ktani]

These are the ingredients for the "Mango Butter":
Mango Butter, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Avocado Butter, Aloe Vera & Vitamin E

It has all 4 butters in one. Would they be ok all together like that or should I start off with a simple shea butter without all the others mixed in?

I would start with Fox's recipe, which is very close to what you want to duplicate and is central to its composition.

The mango butter I posted is on its own, http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/butter/mango.php

ETA: The basic Fox's recipe as posted, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4586, is all you need to start and consists of 3 major things, coconut oil, shea butter and conditioner. You can add other ingredients if you like, and play with proportions.

ETA: 2 The conditioner helps keep the recipe lighter and blend better because of the emulsifying wax(s) in most conditioners and it cuts the heaviness that can occur with the other two ingredients used on their own.

[jacqueline101]

I might try mixing both. My hair seems dry and drinks up the oil mixture I make. I will try this.

[ktani]

Fox's Shea Butter Cream receipe goes back to 2003, at least, http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4487 and predates all other versions that followed.

ETA: This looks like the original version, from the thread above
"1 part Shea Butter
1 part Conditioner
1/2 part Oil
A few drops of essential oils that compliment your hair type and scent preference"

And has Fox's permission for use here,
"Special thanks to Fox for letting me submit this on the boards!"

ETA: 2 No oil is specified so that leaves it open to try one you particularly like. Coconut oil is one only option.The 3 basics, shea butter, conditioner and oil make the recipe unique, not just 2.

ETA: 3 You can buy emulsifying waxes separately to use, if you do not like a particular conditioner for the mix.

[ktani]

I might try mixing both. My hair seems dry and drinks up the oil mixture I make. I will try this.

It should be easy enough. Just use this, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1891312&postcount=25 as your guide and choose an oil you like.

ETA: Tips from Fox, on this page, http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4487&page=8 and here, http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4487&page=9

ETA: 2 and here, http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=490613&postcount=58