Umuthi Refined Shea Butter - 100g

Umuthi Botanicals Shea Butter, also known as African butter, is a natural plant extract that is high in fatty acids and other nutrients. This moisture-rich butter is used as an emollient that helps to smooth and soften your skin. It melts at body temperature and is therefore easily absorbed. You can use Shea butter in DIY many natural products including body butters, lip gloss, hair conditioners, skin moisturisers, soaps and massage candles.

Sizes 100g, 500g or 1kg.

REFINED SHEA BUTTER USES 

• Shea butter has a limited capacity to absorb ultraviolet radiation and can therefore can be used as a mild sunblock lotion (Factor 6)
• It can also be used to treat other skin problems such as; blemishes, eczema, skin allergies, wrinkles, itching, insect bites, and even frostbite
• You can use shea butter to reduce frizziness and get your hair to curl the way you want

BENEFITS OF REFINED SHEA BUTTER

• Although unrefined Shea, which is a darker colour, is considered the premium of the two, the refined is easier to use and therefore more popular in DIY cosmetic products.

HOW TO USE REFINED SHEA BUTTER 

Shea butter contains various fatty acids which each have a specific temperature range where they melt and solidify. When the butter is melted and heat is unevenly distributed some fatty acids may solidify quicker than others, resulting in a grainy texture. Sometimes these grains take days, weeks or even months to appear. There is nothing wrong with the butter if it is grainy, but most prefer a smooth, buttery texture.

To prevent graininess and grain formation you will need to make sure that heat is evenly distributed during the cool down process. This is best achieved by constantly stirring the melted butter during cool down. Unfortunately simply pouring melted shea butter into jars and leaving to cool at room temperature without evenly distributing the heat will likely result in grains. So rather gently stir your melted butter while it cools for best results.

Hair tip: You can use shea butter to reduce frizziness and get your hair to curl the way you want. Just apply a small amount of shea butter to fingertipspress your fingertips to the butter with moderate pressure to get just enough to feel tacky. Then rub fingertips on unruly hair. You can then restyle with a blow dryer and brush. The heat from the dryer melts the shea butter, the brush spreads it evenly through your hair, and the hair curls the way you style it.