Almond Butter - A Second Chance

OK. I might have been a bit hasty. After my initial reaction to the 'almond butter' (from this post), I decided to go back and give it a second chance.

After all, we're testing butters here, so even a hybrid grainy butter product deserves a shot at lotion bar greatness.

Thus decided.

Using the same basic formula as the other bars, a version with 100% almond butter was slotted into my lab schedule.

Are You Sure You Wanna Do This?

There were reservations as the workspace was prepared and the container of almond butter was opened.

A dotted, spotted, utterly grainy surface greeted me.

It wasn't looking any better as the butter was measured up and weighed.

Grains, grains, and more grains.

Even the residue on the weighing paper was grainy.

See?

"You can't back out now" a voice suddenly said out loud.

The voice was mine. (I talk to myself while I'm working in the lab on rare occasions, once in a while, often, all the time).

Work continued. Beeswax, butter, and oils were melted, mixed, and poured into the mold.

And despite multiple grains and numerous hesitations, the lotion bar hardened just as it should with a smooth, lovely, completely grain-free surface.

The initial hands-on test was quite positive.

So was the second.

And the third.

The Scoop

Here are a few details from my notebook about the almond butter lotion bar
Scent: neutral enough to where the natural scent of the beeswax shines through
Feel: silky smooth, soft and melts into skin quickly
Melt-factor: dissolves/melts faster than the other lotion bars, but not so much that it is annoying to use. (Some of the other test bars suddenly seemed 'drier' after having used this bar).
Grain factor: None. The grains melted away and never reappeared.

3 bars with 3 different butters. The almond butter bar is in the middle.
The other 2 are aloe butter and sal butter - more on those in upcoming posts.

Conclusion

Because of the softer melt-factor, the almond butter bar was more quickly used up than the other test lotion bars (or was it because it was surprisingly lovely to use?).

Even though almond butter is in truth a mix of shea butter with almond oil, my test results put it on the winners list.

It may even be among the top 3.

Moral of the story: never judge a butter by its grains.

Stay tuned for more butter talk!

More Butter On This Blog

The Better Butter Test
Almond Butter - Well, not Quite
Kokum Butter - Is it Better?
How to Make Whipped Body Butter
Mango Butter - The Perfect In-betweenie
Shea Butter - The Natural Skin Healer
Cocoa Butter - Skin Care Good Enough To Eat