Differences in Butters

[CandleMama6]

Hello,

This questions seems like it should be so easy, but I am so clueless and was hoping that some of you more seasoned B&B people could help answer them.

I have been looking at the various butters....shea, mango, cocoa, etc.... and noticed there are several different types.

What are the differences in naturals, refined, deodorized.

Thanks in advance for the help!!

Michelle

PS: I also read that you can purchase citric acid in the stores, but I have looked at about a dozen and no one has it. Does it go by a different name?? Thanks!

[Meridith]

Hello,

This questions seems like it should be so easy, but I am so clueless and was hoping that some of you more seasoned B&B people could help answer them.

I have been looking at the various butters....shea, mango, cocoa, etc.... and noticed there are several different types.

What are the differences in naturals, refined, deodorized.

Thanks in advance for the help!!

Michelle

PS: I also read that you can purchase citric acid in the stores, but I have looked at about a dozen and no one has it. Does it go by a different name?? Thanks!

EAch type of butter has different properties to it, different feels on the skin and are different depending on what they are made from. When you see that some butters are deodorized that means that the natural scent of the butter has been processed out, i.e., cocoa butter has a natural chocolatey smell that will come through and over power any FO/EO you might use in it. But if you buy deodorized, it won't have that natural scent as strong so that you can add your scents to it. Downside is that you can lose some of the butters properties when its refined/undeodorized but the butter will still be good. An unrefined/undeodorized/natural will not have the natural scent processed out.

Citric acid can often times be found in stores that sell homemade beer/wine kits. I've personally never seen it in stores. It would probably be cheaper for you to buy it on the internet. Check out MMS - they are one of the companys that sells it.

[Guest jurnalynn]

i buy my citric acid at an amish store i buy it in 50 lb bag but you can also get it at natural foods stores around canning season walmart will carry it..........i use natural cocoa butter and with unrefined shea in my lotion and i find that id i up the fo to 2 percent i overcome the chocolate smell i prefer to use the butter in their unrifined state.............hope this helps

Laura

[Ms. Bea]

Isn't it true that some butters will make your product more soft than others. I don't know which one will give you the harder product rather than the softer product but that would be good to know. Especially when it comes to products that you want to have a form. ie: lotion bars in tins. Any one know texture that you get from each butter? ie: Mango, shea, cocoa, shealoe

[Scented]

Isn't it true that some butters will make your product more soft than others. I don't know which one will give you the harder product rather than the softer product but that would be good to know. Especially when it comes to products that you want to have a form. ie: lotion bars in tins. Any one know texture that you get from each butter? ie: Mango, shea, cocoa, shealoe

Read the properties of the butter on a supplier's site, but typically cocoa and kokum are among the hardest butters. Shealoe is a very soft butter, at least what I have is very soft. Mango and shea are medium range and there isn't that much difference between them, but I'd still put them medium range on a scale of let's say 1 to 10 for hardness. Will have to locate one of the links I thought I had that go more indepth about the butters and do talk about the hardness.