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??? about Kokum Butter


RNSandSCENTS

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I purchased this butter from New Directions and it is REALLY fragrant....to the point you can still immediately identify it even with my strongest fo's. For those of you who use Kokum regularly, do you find that it is always like this? I also noticed these tiny black flecks in my oils/butters when I melt it down. These flecks usually rise with the bubbles and rest on the side of the pot so I can remove them easily. This only happens with Kokum butter. Is this normal? I have not used it from different suppliers yet but was just curious. TIA:D

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Not normal with what I have. Sure you're talking kokum? I don't pick up a fragrance to it at all or floaties.

Well the label says its Kokum. Maybe they sent me the wrong stuff???

I use kokum quite a bit and it doesnt interfere with the scent or have floaties either. Your not talking about manoi de tahihi are you? Sometimes there are some black specs in it and does it ever smell good.

Nope not Monoi. I mean the smell is not stinky but its just a little nutty. I smell it in the lotion I made over my fragrance oil.

My kokum is odorless. My shea is stinky (;) ) and my monoi is quite fragrant, my cocoa butter is chocolaty, but my kokum - basically odorless.

And black flecks? THOSE should NOT be there.

No black flecks....I've made 3 batches of this particular lotion. The first two batches, I used the larger chunks that were on the top of the container and I saw those flecks so I fished it out with my spatula because it was pretty easy to get rid of. But the last batch, I used the finer pieces that were under the larger ones and no black flecks. I am so confused. Maybe there is something wrong with mine?:embarasse

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It shouldn't be slightly nutty either. I've been here trying to sniff what I have and I just can't get nutty or slightly nutty.

Wonder if you've got dirty another kind of butter? I honestly have no idea.

I don't know Scented....here is a pic. I don't think my camera picked up the black flecks really well but in some of the larger pieces you can see black flecks. Maybe its just a bad batch...i dunno....

bc10227.jpg

bc10218.jpg

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My kokum has always been an off white and not brown like that and I've never had flecks of any kind in mine nor any scent to it. What you have looks like something other than kokum. I don't even think it looks it like cocoa butter. What you have looks almost like some African black soap I bought year ago - but I'm not saying that is what it is just that it looks like it.

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Sometimes butters vary from batch to batch and supplier from supplier. I think it's how it's harvested, and when it's harvested... and maybe where it's harvested. I had got some unrefined shea one time from a supplier, and the color was christmas tree green. And it had the smoky smell that unrefined shea usually has, but it was real potent. lol I had to end up using it for soap only. But the feel of that shea straight on your skin was da bomb I tell ya... it was just a little stinky. So IMO, it may not be "bad" per say. If it's bad, you'll know it. It'll have a real funky smell. Peee-uuuu. :D

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my kokum (from various suppliers) has varied from barely off white to stark white. never brown. and always basically odorless. No specks, no bits, no floaters.

The unrefined shea I've gotten varied considerably - from green to tan to off white, from smoky to earthy to barely stinky at all. I've gotten this with some bits in it (tho the stuff from NDA has been LOVELY)

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Heres the response from NDA...

We’ve just had a response from our supplier. They said that there is nothing wrong with the butter. They said if you have purchased Kokum butter elsewhere, it was probably refined and theirs is not. The refined would be bleached and filtered. Theirs, the unrefined, is all natural and that’s the way it comes. It’s not uniform throughout. The black pieces you found were chunks of the kokum nut.

They said their other customers melt it down and filter it before use and it is absolutely fine. However, if you are not happy with this suggestion, please let me know. I will provide you with a return authorization number. We will reimburse or leave a credit on your account for the cost of the product, minus the return shipping. There would be no point in re-ordering as it would be the same product.

New Directions has decided that if we get enough requests for the refined Kokum butter, we will do our best to bring it in, so please let me know if you’re interested in that also.

Ok so do I keep it? I mean I am not going to use this stuff....its a little high maintenance for my preference.

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I'd send it back. If you soap it you will need to filter out the specks, non? And you will lose product that way.

I've never seen unrefined and it's fascinating - but I'd have no use for it.

But what if she were to "embrace" the kokum nut specks (I'm sure they are no bigger than any other exfoliant)? (and I'm also thinking she doesn't have ALOT of specks, but maybe I'm wrong).

Now, if she has a crap load of this unrefined kokum... I'd say yeah, take ND up on the offer.

But if you have less than a lb. left to play with... why not make it worth your while?

A nice soap made with unrefined kokum butter, with added kokum nut specks (LOL) and vanilla bean fibers, or Apricot Kernel Meal for mild exfoliation. :grin2:

Embrace the kokum nut specks dahling. :P lmao

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Well, I told her I was going to pitch it and they gave me an offer of 6% off of an online order...they currently offer 3% online. Although the flecks are not large and there aren't a bunch of them, I am just not ready to deal with unrefined products just yet. I am just getting my formulas down for butters and lotions, I just don't want the added headache of unrefined products....they are just too tempermental.

I will start soaping really soon....as soon as I get some lye, can't find any local other than Rooto. Maybe I'll hold onto it until I start soaping and use it then.

Thanks everybody!:yay:

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