smiley_miley Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Hi, I have been experimenting with making the shea body butter, and I have used a few different oils and things, and tweaked it a LOT. I can't even say all the things I have tried. I also tried adding a little cornstarch and a lot of cornstarch, but I can't seem to get it right!My shea butter doesn't FEEL (very) greasy, but it LOOKS very greasy on my hands. They are all shiny on the palms, and it takes a while for the shine to go away. Even when I use just plain pure shea, it still looks greasy. What can I do???I also like my butters sort of firm, especially because of the hot weather right now. My shea butter is refined and deodorized, and it is actually pretty soft because of the heat. I used sweet almond oil, and also added a little beeswax to stiffen it a little. I also tried whipping it, and just melting and pouring. In one 12 oz. (approx) recipe, I tried using from 1 tsp, all the way up to 3 tsp. of cornstarch. I tried using 10% oil up to 40% oil in my testing. I don't know what else to try. Anyone have any advice? Or is this the best I am going to be able to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indescent Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Did you want to use just shea in your recipe? No expert by any means, but do you think a little cocoa butter would help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiley_miley Posted August 3, 2005 Author Share Posted August 3, 2005 I tried adding a little cocoa butter, it didn't really help. Cocoa also makes my hands look really shiny. I don't know what else to do! LOL This is driving me crazy. Is it supposed to be that way? Am I just wrong? I had my boyfriend try the best one I made, and even HE thought it was greasy, and he uses this weird lotion that I hate because I think it is greasy. So, it must be bad if a person who USES a greasy lotion regularly says it is too greasy, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indescent Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 LOL Im sorry. Mine does add a bit of a sheen but its very very temporary and not greasy. I use a mix of shea, mango and cocoa butter with grapeseed, sweet almond and sunflower oils and a bit of cornstarch. I'm so sorry this is happening for you. Hopefully someone will be able to help out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiley_miley Posted August 3, 2005 Author Share Posted August 3, 2005 Thanks a lot. And thanks for the suggestions! BTW, I looked at your site, and I love it! Very creative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystical_angel1219 Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Do you melt the shea and let it cool? Also, you really have to whip the *shit* out of it. Whip it, let it sit and whip it some more. Try adding some more of a few lighter oils. Perhaps Meadowfoam oil or some IPM as well. You can also try some Dry Flo instead of cornstarch. You can get a free sample here:http://www.personalcarepolymers.com/Site/Sample.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linnyeg Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Shea is generally a greasy butter. I've found that whipping it up with fractionated coconut oil is better than whipping it up with sweet almond oil though. To me it seems less greasy in the end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiley_miley Posted August 3, 2005 Author Share Posted August 3, 2005 Okay, I just ordered a sample of the dry flo, I will see if that helps when it comes in! Thanks for the link! How much does it cost to buy, by the way? I didn't see a price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiley_miley Posted August 3, 2005 Author Share Posted August 3, 2005 Also, if you make butters, since they have no water in them, do you need a preservative? I got some LiquaPar Optima for my water based lotions, but it can be used in oils too, which makes it nice. Do I need to add some if I decide to sell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsallgood20 Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Shea is generally a greasy butter. I've found that whipping it up with fractionated coconut oil is better than whipping it up with sweet almond oil though. To me it seems less greasy in the end!I never would have thought about adding fractionated coconut oil. Hmmm...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Make sure it's not something as simple as using too much Butters, without water, tend to be greasy and you really need a very very small amount to be effective. The starches and lighter oils can help a lot, but if you're trying to duplicate the feel of some of the commercial body butters, many of them are emulsified products and it's the water that's making them "lighter".I tend not to put preservative in mine, but I probably would if I were adding a starch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 What I do when putting lotion or butter on my hands only is to put a little on the back of one hand then rub it in using only the backs of my hands, not my palms. This keeps the oils away the palm and greatly reduces the greasy "feel" of shea. If your palms aren't greasy you really don't notice it. Besides, the palms of your hands rarely need moisturizing, only the back of the hand and fingers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sad72 Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 "put a little on the back of one hand then rub it in using only the backs of my hands, not my palms." Written by CarrieThis is what I do also. I do find my butters are a bit on the greasy side also. I just try to stay with lighter oils. If I do use heavier oils, then I use just a small percentage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Shea is generally a greasy butter. I've found that whipping it up with fractionated coconut oil is better than whipping it up with sweet almond oil though. To me it seems less greasy in the end!The other great thing about the fractionated coconut oil is that it's got a tremendously long shelf life.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallbabydoll Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 Also, if you make butters, since they have no water in them, do you need a preservative? I got some LiquaPar Optima for my water based lotions, but it can be used in oils too, which makes it nice. Do I need to add some if I decide to sell?I am very new to B&B, so I am by no means an expert. But from what I have read, a preservative is not neccessary. However you may wish to add it to anything that the end user may introduce water into. I and one of my testers use shea as a scalp treatment in the shower, so I do add preservative to mine, as well as my shea sugar scrub. Better to be safe than sorry IMHO. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edensong Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 http://www.aromaweb.com/essentialoils/carrieroils.aspThe above link gives some good info on oil properties. SAO is probably not the best oil to mix with shea, which is greasy anyway. You might try shea butter and sunflower oil, 90/10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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