Shea Butter

[Spanky]

I have been using unrefined Shea butter in my hair and it is amazing.

I am in the process of stripping my black hair to blonde so I use Shea in between bleaching. Obviously when going from such a dark colour you will not get the immediate blonde results so I am taking my time.

I am bleaching once a week and there has been no hair damage so far (after 3 attempts of using hair bleach and 3 of baking soda) . I particularly focus on the ends and massage the Shea in when ever my ends get dry.

I went and got a trim the other day and the hairdresser commented on how beautiful my hair was.

Shea butter is awesome.

[MissDixie]

I love using Shea butter in my whipped creams! My favorite butter is coco butter. I get great moisturization from it!

[Sillage]

I love shea butter too. My favorite so far is Garden of Wisdom's West African shea. Very creamy and soft with no grains. My hair just eats it up!

[midsummernight]

How much you do usually use? also do you use it as a leave in? I want to get shea butt but i am afraid it will be too heavy for my hair. I once bought a store bought product called cantu shea butter, it weighed my hair down. But I really want to try pure shea butter. Any advice?

[PixxieStix]

You can purchase a few ounces of raw, organic shea butter from places like ebay or amazon, and what I do is melt it over a double boiler, whip it (I mix it with other oils, but you don't have to) with an electric mixer, allow to cool, whip some more, etc. until I get a whipped butter from it, making it much easier to take LITTLE and smooth in your hair or into skin. I only use it on my skin since I have found a routine that works for me, but if you want to give it a try I'd try that route. Too much of any oil will weigh the hair down, the trick is to take what you think you need, then dump half of that away, and start from there. Know that you will need to do some trial and error before starting, just like with anything else, and see how it goes for you. I think a lot of curly hairs enjoy shea butter as a leave in, but I'm sure just a many don't. Good luck.

[Sillage]

How much you do usually use? also do you use it as a leave in? I want to get shea butt but i am afraid it will be too heavy for my hair. I once bought a store bought product called cantu shea butter, it weighed my hair down. But I really want to try pure shea butter. Any advice?

Hmmm, I use at least a pea sized amount-- maybe 2 peas on my shoulder length hair. Normally I apply it to my hair while it is still damp. I take a little out of the jar, rub it between my palms til it melts and then distribute it thru my hair.

One thing you should know about shea butter is that it is a highly variable product. Some sheas are hard, others are really soft, some have grains, others are smooth. My favorite shea comes from Garden of Wisdom. I like their West African shea the best. It's very creamy, soft, and melts easily from the heat of your hand. You do not need to whip it for it to have a good texture.

If you do end up with a hard or grainy shea, you can whip it like PixxieStix said. Add up to 20% oil by weight to make it softer and whip it (I recommend a stick blender) in a metal bowl in an ice water bath. The rapid cooling of the shea will help prevent grains.

[midsummernight]

Thanks for the tips. I will definitly try shea butter sometime.

[midsummernight]

Btw where do you buy pure shea butter? any cheap places?

[gabee]

Btw where do you buy pure shea butter? any cheap places?

This seller on ebay has great prices: http://stores.ebay.ca/alhilm?_rdc=1

They sell pure raw shea butter, no additives. I'm very happy with the shea butter I ordered from them, I either whip it with some coconut oil and essential oils for smell, or use it straight.

[midsummernight]

This seller on ebay has great prices: http://stores.ebay.ca/alhilm?_rdc=1

They sell pure raw shea butter, no additives. I'm very happy with the shea butter I ordered from them, I either whip it with some coconut oil and essential oils for smell, or use it straight.
Thanks! There are so many sellers on amazon and ebay that sells shea butter that I dont know who to trust.

[Scarlett brooke]

Iv never tried Shea butter but Im going to get some next time I'm out! Sounds good

[LadyJJ]

just bought my first shea butter and hope I will like it ( and my hair too lol)

[Paraply]

I have used shea butter as a part of my haircare routine for half a year now. It keeps my ends touchable soft and less prone to damage. I mix it with an oil of choice, then add a little bit of pure aloe vera -gel and finally mix the whole mixture with a cone-free conditioner. My hair literally drinks up the moisturizing benefits :)

[elfynity]

I am revisiting this old thread because I was looking for an all natural leave-in conditioner for my hair ends, because they are dry and very fine and prone to damage, and I tried a little bit of shea butter smoothed on the very ends, and OMG, am I so surprised! The next morning, my hair ends are not greasy at all, but moisturised, they feel smooth and are bouncy. Shea butter is my new best friend for hair ends! The one I am using, just in case you want a product recommendation is this one :

https://m.faithful-to-nature.co.za/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/u/g/ugandan_shea_butter_1_.png

I buy it directly from the shops here in South Africa, not sure where else in the world you get SOIL products, but this one is working so well for me.

ETA: I use it on my hair ends every third day.

[Illia570]

Wow I'm interested because it's been a few years now that I've dumped creams or oils on my face, I use balms with rosewater. It has such incredible results that I'm wondering if something heavier than oils could benefit my hair too.

[mochichichi]

Happy to report Soil products are sold online in the US (not sure about stores). I recently ordered this butter sampler (https://bettersheabutter.com/product/butters-for-skin-care-samples/) to see if my ends will retain moisture a little better with something a little more sealing than plain oil. They also sell two variations of shea butter. Fingers crossed it will do what I'm looking for.

[elfynity]

Happy to report Soil products are sold online in the US (not sure about stores). I recently ordered this butter sampler (https://bettersheabutter.com/product/butters-for-skin-care-samples/) to see if my ends will retain moisture a little better with something a little more sealing than plain oil. They also sell two variations of shea butter. Fingers crossed it will do what I'm looking for.

Definitely let us know how it goes.

[mochichichi]

I decided to try the mango butter first, but I'm giving them each a whirl before I settle on it--when I touched them they all seemed fairly comparable, but I lean towards the non-scented ones more. I mixed a bit of EVOO in just to make it softer/easier to melt but loving the results so far. My ends are softtttttt

[eshta]

I love shea butter, I always use it on my ends after braiding. Like many I also melt and mix with another oil for ease of use. It's a lot more convenient, especially during colder weather when I use it more often. I have not dared to use it on my length, I am afraid won't be able to wash/condish it out again. I prefer avocado oil on my length, my hair soaks it right up and it never leaves my hair greasy.

I do make big batches because melting and mixing the stuff is messy, I hate the clean-up.

[elfynity]

Avocado oil is one of the lightest oils and even if I use one drop, my hair lands up being a greasy mess. Olive oil, I haven't tried as I know it is just too much for my fine hair. I don't know why, but Shea butter seems to be the only thing that sinks into my hair and actually leaves it shiny but not greasy at all the next day.

[mochichichi]

I love olive oil, but my hair is pretty course and also super thirsty. I'm pleasantly surprised at how non-greasy the butters are and somewhat wary that I will add too much oil and result in a greasy product.

What ratio do you mix at?

[eshta]

I use 2 parts shea butter and 1 part coconut oil, I also mix in some drops of lavender EO for scent.

Funny how different hair can react to oils, my hair soaks up avocado and coconut oil. Olive oil will make it limp and greasy if I apply to much.

[mochichichi]

Okay great, that's about what I used and I'm liking it pretty well. I have peppermint oil in my EVOO so I got a little light scent from that. Really loving the effects so far, doing exactly what I had hoped.

I'm also loving it on my hands and cuticles.

[rosmarinus]

I was looking for extra moisturize for days between washes as it was still -15 C or so.. I've been using shea butter for a week now and oh how I love it!! I've always thought it would be too heavy for fine hair, but Elfynity recommended it, thank you so much for the tip!! My hair drinks it so well that I can apply it every day and my hair doesn't get greasy(we still have very cold and dry weather here on march and often on april also, but I guess I won't need it as much during summertime.) My hair tends to annoyingly fly in winter because of the static electricity so I can apply shea butter to the lengths and near roots also. Very nice since hairspray is not an option for me. It is alao super easy to apply; when I was afraid I might have applied it too much, my hair still drank it up.

[AbbyJo]

I've been trying to use shea butter on my ends as a natural conditioner. It may be the brand I'm using, but it leaves a dense waxy feeling on my hair. Maybe I'll try one of the other brands mentioned in this thread and see if that's better.

[lapushka]

I've been trying to use shea butter on my ends as a natural conditioner. It may be the brand I'm using, but it leaves a dense waxy feeling on my hair. Maybe I'll try one of the other brands mentioned in this thread and see if that's better.

Try and melt it and mix it with a "lightweight" oil, like sweet almond. It may help make it smoother in texture and not such a "block" of wax, which in essence... it is. Mix it with a mixer, preferably, whipped it is so much better!

[mochichichi]

So I tried shea butter and mango butter--I'm not a fan of the smell of the shea butter but damn if my hair doesn't love it. I've been applying about a pea sized amount to my lengths shoulder down every few days and my hair just drinks it all up. It's not even shiny. I have a couple more butters to try once I get through the shea (which may be sooner than I realized) but so far it's amazing.