Teach Soap

Hi All,
I've been buying shea butter for many moons, but this last time, the "butter" I received is more like "rock." It chips and is solid, almost like cocoa butter. For lip balms and soap I don't care, but I can't do a whipped balm with this stuff. I'm trying to melt it and whip it now, but the first attempt was not good. Has anyone faced this? Can "solid" shea be salvaged for whipped applications?

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
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Refined shea tends to be harder. If you soften it in the microwave just a bit it will be easier to whip.

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

It's the same stuff I've always bought, same supplier even. So far, it's whipping lumpy, even with melting. It's not just a little hard. It's rock hard. At best, it's going to require new technique. At worst, I'll have to reformulate. Argh.

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

Have you contacted your vendor and asked? Since this butter is natural, it might vary from batch to batch.

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

Yep, they haven't replied yet. I'll have to experiment today and see how I'm going to handle it. I've had a formula that I've used for almost a year, and now it will have to be tweaked.

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

The refined shea butter that I bought in November was very hard, but it melted with no problem. I used it in lotion and it turned out well.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

I'll answer my own post: melt it until some is liquid and the rest soft, put in the Kitchen Aid, turn on the whip, and walk away. Go read email for awhile. Don't bother with the freezer bit (that's what I was trying before, and it didn't work). Alternating freezer and whipping just made it lumpy.

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

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

Sort of. The texture still isn't the same, but at least it isn't a crumbly mess.

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

Mel, did you buy it from the same vendor you did previously? Have you heard back from the retailer?

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Glad it worked out for you. I use cocoa butter in my whipped body lotions, creams and butter so I feel your pain It will never be as "smooth whipped" as the right shea (not the one you got this time) I just enjoy cocoa butter better than shea so I deal with it and my customers love it too, although they do not see what I have to go through to get it that way

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Four Seasons Fine Handcrafted Soaps
& Specialties, Inc.
Laugh, Love, Live!

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

I agree, once you have a tried and true recipe having to change it is not fair!!! I hope the shea butter from BB works out for you. At least you got some of your investment back. Its too bad they could not tell you what changed.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

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Steph
"Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." -Einstein