LisaLise's Fail-Safe Whipped Shea Balm

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Comments

MissPolymer said…
Thank you so much Lisa for this detailed instructions <3 I'll try your method now. In the past I made some lipbalms with shea and after a while I ended up with granules in all the balms, so I stopped using shea at all :( Would it be because I heated up (melted) everything together including the shea butter? I left it to cool on the counter. Also, do you have any tips on how to make a lipbalm/stick with shea (as I would need a harder consistency, not whipped). Best regards
Tina LeGrand said…
Coincidentally, I made some body butter this weekend. I whipped it but it set hard as a rock. I used 50% mango butter, 45% meadowfoam oil, vitE, EO. Did I not whip it enough? Too fast? Not fast enough? I actually made two batches, hoping the second batch would come out lighter, but it came out the same-hard like a rock.
Signe said…
Interesting -my shea body butter is always hard too, like Tina's. But I make it differently, I melt shea butter and then whip it with oil using ice outside of the bowl. Could that make so huge difference? Need to try Lisa's method next time...
LisaLise said…
Hey there MissPolymer - You might find some useful info in some of my earlier posts on shea - particularly the one titled 'battling shea butter graininess - and winning'. Best of luck!

Hi Tina LeGrand - mango butter is a harder butter than shea. Consequently, you'll need a higher oil to butter ratio than 50-50 if you want the end product softer. Try starting 40% butter and 60% oil and then tweaking from there to your desired texture. Make small batches at a time. :)

Hi Signe - you are using a classic method for whipping shea butter and it does work for many. You have to be very aware of both temperature and proportions when working with shea - never overheat the shea. If your body butter is turning out too hard, try adjusting the proportions first. If that don't work, then change the method. If you change only ONE thing at a time, you'll always be able to pinpoint the problem/solution. Best of luck with it.
Signe said…
I'm too lazy to measure temperatures...but I haven't heated oils at all, only melted shea butter to liquid. Perhaps I work with too cool ingredients? Ratios have been 75-80:25-20, so I've tried to add more liquid oil, but never half and half. Need to use my hard body butter first and then try your way. :)
Christopher said…
Will definitely try this. Thanks for the tips. Btw those square paper sheets are genius, where do you get them?
LisaLise said…
Hi Signe - I would try reversing things and heat the oil - not the shea. This gives me the best result.

Hi Christopher - the papers are actually sold pre-cut in Denmark as papers to use for layering between open-face sandwiches when packing kids lunches. I use them for everything but! They're also great to lay on the scale when measuring out ingredients.
Anonymous said…
Lovely! I shall try this out! I have made some balms before with shea and a cream with shea, jojoba, and aloe that actually stays emulsified, but in a very tiny batch since I didn't have a preservative, kept in the fridge, and used within a week. I won't attempt that again until I get a proper, natural preservative. Anyways, I prefer shea balms a bit more than wax since beeswax balms tend to clog my skin =(
LisaLise said…
HI Ashlynn - I think some people add water-based ingredients to cut any greasy feel, but if you add a small amount of cornstarch or arrowroot powder, you'll get a drier feel without sacrificing quality and can safely make a preservative-free batch. Best of luck with your water-free balms!
AnnaMK said…
I agree that shea butter is nit always that easy to work with but I think it is very much worth the trouble! My skin loves it :-)

Anna
http://plainandpure.blogspot.be
LisaLise said…
Hi Anna - you and I alike! My skin and shea get along quite well. :)
Anonymous said…
Hi Lise

Where did you buy your scale?

Is the texture of your butter more like a mousse or cream rather than real butter? I've tried this method before and found that it was like a mousse.

Thanks Ayanda
LisaLise said…
Hey there Ayanda - The texture is more like a mousse - not very heavy.

As for the scale, that's a great question… I've had this scale forever and ever and cannot remember where I bought it. I do know that most cosmetics ingredients suppliers offer scales that measure down to a tenth of a gram, so my best suggestion for you is to check the links on the sidebar (you'll need to view the web version to find it). Best of luck with it!