Teach Soap

Hi Everyone,

Im new to this craft and was hoping someone could tell me if it is better to use refined or unrefined oils and butters for the lotions, hand & foot treatments etc that I am planning on making.

Also does anyone have any ideas for lotions and bath products other than fizz bath balls for toddlers and small children?

Thanks so much!

I prefer refined. I tried unrefined a couple of times and I don't care for the smell, the color, how it varies from batch to batch and how grainy it is.

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

Thanks so much!

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

It's definitely a personal preference. I use unrefined because i want as much of the natural properties to be in the oil/butter that i am using. Yes they have a scent but with that scent come the natural vitamins and goodness that these oils/butters are known for. I am still able to scent over these natural aromas that the oils/butters produce and i definitely notice a difference in the finished product.

What is the difference between the two?

This is taken from treasuredlocks.com

The differences between raw, refined and highly refined Shea Butter lie in how the Shea Butter is extracted from the nut and how it is processed after that. Manual extraction processes leave more of the raw ingredients in the Shea Butter. After it is extracted, it can be further refined removing color and impurities that some people don't like. This further refining can also remove some of the smell. You can think of the difference between raw Shea Butter and refined Shea Butter as being similar to the difference between wheat bread and white bread. Truly raw Shea Butter can even be unfiltered. That is one end of the spectrum. On the other end, there is Shea Butter that is extracted using chemicals that is pure white, has no smell and has lost a lot of its healing properties in the process.

I used to use the refined and now I prefer the unrefined. I had lots of grainy problems with the refined for some reason but maybe it was my supplier. To avoid the unrefined becoming grainy I just heat it very slowly and you can't use high heat or you will get a grainy texture.