Teach Soap

Hi-
I know there have been many posts about the grainyness (sp?) that happens with Shea. I have read and read and read online about tempering.

What i am not able to find it where someone said it actually worked. And...if i should refrigerate or not. and if you can used high refined shea to eliminate tempering.

i have tried a LOT of different formulations thinking there was something wrong with my recipes. come to find out...it is just the butters.
i have tried the cocoa/shea combo and the shea/mango combo.
does anyone have a good recipe for a lip balm with just oils and or coconut oil?

anyone with success...please please help.

maybe high melt shea butter is the answer. this is from the MMS website:

NCI: Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)
Saponification Value: 180 mg KOH / g of Fat

This shea butter has a higher melt point for the formulations which easily have issue with fractionation. Shea butter is truly an exquisite fat used in the manufacture of soaps and cosmetics. However, the problem with shea butter fractionating can be frustrating. What is a person to do? Get High Melt Point Shea, of course!

High Melt Point Shea has a melting point of 104 to 113°F, vs the regular Shea Butter which has a melting point of 89 to 100°F.

This butter is a best used when final product is pure shea butter, or when the final product has a high percentage of shea like lip balm. Cold process soap is not the best use here, because the cost is higher and no discernible difference will be noted. If you have made a product that you can feel the grainy fractionation from being exposed to warmer ambient temperatures, then you now know how to fix the problem.

In all the technical support questions we have had over the last year, I can think of these areas that would benefit from the high melt point shea (and remember, these are products that have a high percentage of shea butter):

hair pomades and styling products
lip balm
body butter (all oil)
lotion bars
solid perfume
cuticle ointment, etc

Note: almost all of these are anhydrous, which means all oil and no water, products.

Enjoy! It is time to celebrate! No more graininess for shea butter products!

My lip balm has shea in it, and I don't have a problem. I melt all the ingredients down in a double boiler until they are clear, including the shea, fill the tubes, and then put them in the refrigerator. Anne-Marie told me quick cooling was the answer, and I've done it, and it works.

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
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Oooh thank you. Just to be sure, are u using unrefined or refined Shea, or high refined Shea ? And
If I read this correctly, you didn't temper it first?

Wow-so simple. I will try this! Thank u!!!

tempering shea properly does work. The trick is to heat it to the right temp. for the proper time, then to immediately cool it before it has a chance to separate. Once cooled adequately, it stays great.

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

When I do anything with shea in it I melt all oils and than take them off the heat and put the shea in, it has a low melt temp so there is never a problem melting it at that point. I do the same thing with my balm and no trouble yet!

When I researched oils and butters it mentioned not letting the shea get too warm as it effects the wonderful skin loving properties!

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I had some graininess in my last lip balm batch after about a month. How do you temper the butters for balms? And a second question, how useful is the Butter EZ product I see references to every now and then?

Thanks!

Robert, heat the shea to 170-180 degrees and hold it there for 20 minutes, then place into the fridge or freezer to cool. Once cold throughout, you can remove it from the fridge and store it in a dark place (I just keep mine in a cabinet drawer). It will stay nice and buttery.

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

Thanks, Tammy! I'll give that a go.

Update: so far I have tried the high melt Shea and no graininess.