Opinions needed

[MsDammit]

I just made yet another batch of whipped shea-this time its more of a thick creamy frosting, the recipe was 40% Shea, 40% Oils, 10% E-wax, 7% Stearic Acid, 2& EO, 1% Phenonip, and 2 Tblsp cornstarch (this was an 8 oz batch). I whipped it for about a half hr and left it to sit overnight-it seems to have turned out great-so far, lol. I'm just wondering if it will get too hard the longer it sits, anyone?

[daniedb]

Why the e-wax? I'm curious. If it's already sat overnight, you may be good. My lotion takes up to three days to get to the finished consistency, and I'm thinking the e-wax may continue to harden a little bit. But, what do I know?

[MsDammit]

well to be honest I was curious to see what would happen if I added e-wax, lol. I can never get it to turn out thick and creamy, it always ends up looking too oily.

[daniedb]

LOL, that's a great reason! Sort of like the Everest quote - why did you climb Everest? "Because it was there."

You know who makes an incredible whipped shea that soaks right in and doesn't feel greasy? Purple_Lilac. I was using it on my just-starting-to-stretch pregnant belly, dry feet and hands last night and I was amazed at how it felt, moisturizing but not oily or greasy. She's a very helpful CT'er, and I bet if you PM her, she can give you a few tips.

I'll be interested in how it sets up over the next few days!

[cattzclawz]

I am no expert but "back in the day", (a month ago,lol lol) I started with a basic body butter recipe. shea, ccb, oils whipped it like crazy but it would always end up like a tub of lard. A friend told me about stearic acid and ewax. I love it....but here was the trick for me anyway....distilled water. I don't know the exact details but I believe that ewax is an emulisfier for the oils and water to combine. I am sure someone else can explain it much better. Nevertheless, when I melt my ingredients blend thoroughly stream in d water and whip like crazy then at a lower temp add the preserves and vit e scente cornstarch maybe a color it seems to set up good. So I am wondering if you may need to add some water if you are using the ewax and stearic acid. I would love to hear from a seasoned B&B person. I may be way off base but this seems to work for me....anyone else?

[Kaybee23]

I would love to make a whipped shea that didn't feel greasy. That is one of the reasons I haven't made it yet. Everyone says that it is always greasy going on.

[daniedb]

cattzclawz - what you're describing is a lotion/emulsified body butter. E-wax (emulsifying wax), is exactly that, an emulsifier for water and oils/butters. So, you get a lighter product, because you have (usually) a finished product with 70-90% water, but you don't have whipped shea butter anymore. At least not what most people think of as whipped shea butter. The benefit to a whipped butter with NO water is that it tends to have less troubleshooting problems, like preserving (a huge issue), separation, etc.

I hope that helped a little bit.

[Crafty1_AJ]

I would love to make a whipped shea that didn't feel greasy. That is one of the reasons I haven't made it yet. Everyone says that it is always greasy going on.

Mine's not greasy. Depends on what kind of butters/oils you use. Also you can add dry-flo or similar to cut down on the greasiness.

Yes, e-wax is used to bring waters and oils into a smooth, emulsified state and is not necessary in a whipped butter that doesn't contain water. Similarly, the stearic acid is nice to give body/thickness to lotions containing water, but I personally don't use it in my butters -- only in my lotions containing water.

Try a 2:1 ratio of butters to oils. Use lighter oils that are known for absorbing quickly into the skin. And BTW, all the refined shea butters I've tried are fairly greasy. I've also tried some unrefined, such as agbanga karite (sp?), that are not greasy at all.

HTH

Edited becuz AJ cain't speell.

Forgot to mention: If it has been sitting overnight, then the texture you now have is probably the final texture. Unless it gets exposed to some serious heat, of course. LOL

[MsDammit]

I checked on it last night and again this morning-it is very creamy, i colored it light green(cucumber melon scent) and well the texture and color-looks exactly like lime sherbert! Doesn't go on real greasy either, hmmmmm I think I need to go bug some of my co-workers and make em be guinea pigs, lol. Oh and I FINALLY made some whipped shea that turned out light and fluffy with just shea and AKO and alotta cornstarch(I think I used 1 tablespoon per oz) and it goes on like a dry oil. I can't decide which one I prefer:shocked2: .

[Carrie]

My mother always told me she didn't like my whipped shea that much because it was so greasy. So be it, I thought, I like it. One day I was at her house and put some on (I keep it with me always in my coat pocket) and she was intrigued by what I was doing. I put 2 fingers on the top of the butters and gently rubbed until a little bit melted on my fingers. Then I rubbed that on the backs of my hands. She couldn't beleive that was enough. She had been putting the same amount of whipped shea on her hands as she normally would lotion. That's why it was always so greasy, she was using enough for both legs on just her hands. LOL

[Gene]

I do roughly 80% shea 20% oils, add up to 2% Dri-Flo AF and it turns out great. Like others have said, if it feels greasy you used too much.

[MsDammit]

my first thought was that perhaps the e-wax would make it thicker and not melt(if exposed to heat) as easily but y'all set me straight, lol- i guess i didn't know exactly was e-wax was. Anyways I passed both around at break and everyone said the same-the whipped shea was less greasy then the whipped shea with e-wax.

[daniedb]

If you're looking to harden it with a wax, you can always experiment with a touch of b/w or soy wax, that might give you yet another alternative. I don't like the waxes in the whipped shea, though, because it's too hard and it doesn't soak in as well - the wax will leave a film, usually, on the skin - which is helpful in lotions, because it protects the skin from the moisture leaving, but in the shea I would imagine it would impede absorption. But again, what do I know?! LOL!

[MsDammit]

If you're looking to harden it with a wax, you can always experiment with a touch of b/w or soy wax, that might give you yet another alternative. I don't like the waxes in the whipped shea, though, because it's too hard and it doesn't soak in as well - the wax will leave a film, usually, on the skin - which is helpful in lotions, because it protects the skin from the moisture leaving, but in the shea I would imagine it would impede absorption. But again, what do I know?! LOL!

Well you know more then me cuz thats just what happened!- ppl said it felt more greasy and didnt soak in as well-but then again I always say just take a lil bit and they always glob on a whole sh**load and say ooh its greasy. Anyways it was fun to play, and I can add one more "what not to do" to my list(that list is getting mighty long.....).

[Crafty1_AJ]

OK, now that I think about it, you're looking for a pretty firm butter then? Then my suggestion of 2:1 ratio of hard to soft may be too loose for your taste. What Gene said. Try 3:1 ratio of butters to oil, and that may be more what you're looking for. You just have to play around until you get the texture you like. Keep good notes!

Oh, I SOOOOO hear you guys about people using too much. I actually had wording to that effect on my website at one time ... "If it's greasy, you're using too much!" Or "A tiny bit goes a looooong way" or something of that nature.

[daniedb]

My mom did the same thing as the other poster's mom (sorry, forgot who it was!) - she was using as much as she would lotion. If you can't get your own mom to listen to you.......