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Shea Butter Info. Needed, Please


Fern-Marie

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Hi,

I was reading online about shea butter. I was very impressed with what I read. So, realizing that I had a tin of it, I decided to give it a try.

I was scared to death to use it because I have eczema, and a whole host of skin allergies. I put some on my husband's back...wasn't I clever!...and he absolutely loved the feel of it...and I mean right away. He hates all of that kind of stuff, so, this too impressed me.

Well, I got really brave and told him to put some on my back. To my amazement..no rashes, no breakouts..just moisturized my dry, itchy, wintered, eczema prone skin.

I got really brave. I recently read an article which made me realize that those red swelly spots under my eyes was probably Rosacea. Who knew?

I tried the Shea under my eyes...always very dry...it worked beautifully, best stuff I ever used. Then, last nite, I put it under my eyes and on the red, swollen Rosacea...guess what, when I woke up this morning it was gone! My husband asked me what I did to get rid of it.

Now, I really, really want to get some unrefined shea and whip it. I would also be interested in knowing if I can add Emu Oil to it....???

What do I do, and how do I do it? Is there a difference between East African Shea, and West African Shea? Do I melt it? To what temp? Whip it warm or cool? What tool can I use to whip it..the big machine w/ the bowl, hand mixer, the skinny super whippy thingy??

How do I go about adding Emu Oil....how much???

I really haven't a clue here, I'm just winging it.

I hate to overwhelm anyone with all the questions, but if I can make something that works for me..Wow! My life-long skin problem may be a thing of the past...at last.

I would be so grateful if someone could guide me. I don't know the terminologies and additives that are mentioned on other threads, it is too much for me to try to comprehend all of it. I need help.

Thanks so much.

Fern-Marie

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Fern-Marie,

I hope some others chime in concerning your questions but here is some information I located that I hope helps.

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97&highlight=whipped+shea

That is the post concerning Kimberly's recipe. I would imagine you could leave out the mango, & hempseed and up the shea if you just want shea and emu oil. You probably could also leave out the mango, cut the recipe in half and experiement with that. I would hate to waste all that shea and emu oil if you don't like it. Just guessing here! The one time I made whipped shea I used a electric hand mixer. The shea was really hard and a non electric whipper woud have been impossible. I do remember melting it a bit just to get it going. Not all the way until it became a liquid. Just enough to soften it up. I don't recall if I did it in short burst in the micro. or in a double boiler - sorry. Hopefully others will see this post and help out!

Also - in the post I had concerning Healing Butter someone mentioned that Sesame Seed Oil was good for eczema and psoriasis.

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Unrefined shea can have an odor to it, a nutty sort of smell that some find distasteful. Fractionated Coconut Oil is a great one to use in body products as it lasts just about forever. Some oils go rancid pretty quickly.

There are many variations in shea, from color to texture. If the shea is fairly soft, you can just start whipping. I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer and just let her rip. Whip for a while, put in fridge, whip again, etc.

If the shea is harder, you may want to melt it first. You don't need a preservative as there is no water.

e

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I melt mine all the way and then put it in the kitchenaid mixer. I use the paddle instead of the whip. When I would use the whip, it would get wonderful and fluffy, but the next day it was flat and bubbly. I make mine in the basement which is about 60* right now and my shea doesn't get grainy and I don't have to cool the shea in the fridge. I almost always add some emu oil and some vitamin E to my shea. I also add IPM and corn starch.

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Hey Miss Fernie!

I have been working on a balm for eczema/rosecea because poor Henry has it on his legs - after much, much research, these are the oils & butters I chose, for their healing qualities:

unrefined shea

avocado butter

emu oil

evening primrose oil

borage oil

wheatgerm oil

Vit E

There are so many good healing ones, but those are what worked best for my formula. I'd be happy to send you an ounce of the balm, if you want to try it and see if it helps before you rush out and buy a bunch of expensive butters and oils. They can get verrrrry pricey. PM me with your addy if you want a little sample!

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