Shea Butter | Maicurls

Hello Maicurlies,

I finally recorded how I make one of my all time favorite DIY products… my Whipped Cocoa, Shea and Mango Butter!

DIY Whipped Butter

Isn’t it so pretty and yummy looking! It smells and feels amazing but NO you CAN NOT eat it!

I wrote all about where I got my butters (Sheabutter Cottage) in my previous post “Butters…Butters…Butters” I only recently started to incorporate whipped butter into my routine (for both my hair and skin) and I must say I was missing out before because my hair LOVES butter and so does my skin!

Now, I do have to say that I have fine hair and therefore I have to watch how much I use and the ratio of the ingredients I use otherwise I end up with weighed down greasy limp curls (not a good look). Those with thicker or coarser hair strands can be a little more heavy handed without worrying that their curls will look lifeless and flat.

Unrefined Butters

I have so much to say about butters but I will (try) to keep things simple. I wrote a tiny bit about butters in “Natural Ingredients for Hair” and “Natural Ingredients for Skin“.

Getting back to my mix 🙂

I recorded how I make my Whipped Cocoa, Shea and Mango Butter and have it on my YouTube Channel. The video demonstrates exactly how I mix everything along with the exact amounts of each ingredient. I have listed the ingredients I use below for your reference.

Recipe (this makes 9.4 oz):

2.5 oz Unrefined Cocoa Butter
4.5 oz Unrefined Shea Butter
1.0 oz Unrefined Mango Butter
5 tablespoons Virgin Coconut Oil
3 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil
3 tablespoons Almond Oil
1 teaspoon Glycerin
3 capsules Vitamin E Oil
10 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

How I use my Whipped Butter

Personally I use a little to seal* in moisture or to help give my hair a little hold. I can not use the whipped butter as a moisturizer because as I mentioned, I end up with limp greasy curls. *When I use my whipped butter I do not use my DIY Mixed Sealing Oil because again it would just end up weighing down my hair.

A lot of people use whipped butters in different ways and I know that some use it as a “moisturizer”. Now for me, a moisturizer needs to include water at the very least and since I do not add water (you would need a preservative to keep the mix from going rancid) using it as a moisturizer would not work (for me). P.S. water, honey, Aloe Vera Juice and so on can also be added to whipped butters but all of the above would require a preservative in order to stop the mix from growing bacteria and expiring really quickly.

Process of Application:

I use my DIY Leave-In Conditioner either the Creamy Leave-In or Spray (if I am using my Flaxseed Gel I would apply that next) and then seal everything with my Whipped Butter.

How it makes my hair feel?

AMAZING! Really, my hair just loves this mix! I get super soft, shiny hair that retains moisture throughout the week. I do not need to reapply the whipped butter after the initial application but because I love it so much I sometimes add a dab during the week just because!

I have a few other recipes so if you would like to hear about those please do let me know. I would also love to know your favorite mix and how you apply it!

Thanks

Maicurls

A wonderful Afternoon to you Maicurlies!

Today is going to be a Butter day! Chances are that most of you have used some or all of the ingredients below at some point:

Unrefined Cocoa Butter
Unrefined Mango Butter
Unrefined Shea Butter

I have not (shock horror!) I know, I know. I’m probably one of the very few naturals that have yet to try butters. In my “defense” getting my hands on them in my area is IMPOSSIBLE! I do not know why but I just can not find any! So my solution? Purchase some online. I have never been a fan of purchasing things online though. I am the kind of shopper who likes to physically see and touch products. But, seeing as I had this HUGE and I mean HUGE itch to try some whipped butter mixes I gave in and ordered some.

I have a little bit of information regarding Cocoa, Shea and Mango butter in my Natural Ingredients For Skin page and the Natural Ingredients for Hair page. I will be going more details about each separately in a few weeks because (drum roll please…) my order arrived!!!!

The company I used to purchase the butters is called Sheabutter Cottage. The owner is a natural head (I love supporting the cause) and I love the concept and feel of her company. In case you are looking to purchase Butters, take a look at the site, they have a number of different Butters and so so much more! Sheabutter Cottage actually donates 10% of your purchase towards the ‘Helping Hand Programme‘ (great concept) and their products are also Vegan friendly and not tested on animals (once again I love this!) Apart from butters, their products range from accessories, oils, herbs, essential oils, soaps, wooded products the list goes on. For now I can only tell you about my experience purchasing the butters because I have yet to mix and try them (that will be Part 2.)

For someone who is extremely nervous about online purchasing I have the say that Ms. Wood (the owner) was AMAZING! I hounded her with messages and she responded back to every single one. She went above and beyond to put my nerves at ease and the ordering process was really simple.

Since the company is in the United Kingdom I had to get overseas shipping. The shipping price was not too “cheap” but they never are so that is something to take into consideration when ordering abroad. I was told to expect my package to arrive roughly 21 working days after it has been sent , mine actually arrived 17 working days after being sent! It is always better to get packages earlier than expected right? Let me tell you I was impatient and kept counting the days LOL.

When I got the package I was super excited! This is what it looked like:

The fun part? Opening up each container and inhaling the gorgeous natural unrefined scent of each.

Cocoa (left) , Shea (bottom right) & Mango Butter (top right)

Unrefined Cocoa Butter

Unrefined Shea Butter

Unrefined Mango Butter

Here are the links to Sheabutter Cottage webpage as well as their Facebook page.

I want to EAT ALL of the Cocoa Butter it smells soooooo good…like chocolate!!! Shea Butter has a definite nutty smell to me (not necessarily bad but strong) and Mango Butter has a slight scent to it. I can not point my finger on it…it does not have a “Mango” smell but it has a hint of a “green” smell. I don’t know the word for it but it smells healthy like a vegetable type smell (if that makes sense.)

I am in the middle of finalizing my first mix. I am the kind of person who needs to do a TON of research before I mix anything. I also want to ‘test’ the butters for a little bit before I give a verdict on the results. I am so excited!!!!

Please Note: I have not been ask/endorsed by Sheabutter Cottage to mention the company or their products. I paid for everything I received myself.

P.S: There are a number of other companies you can order butters from of course. For those of you in the United States you might want to look at Butters -n- Bars (a popular site in the natural hair community.)

Thanks

Maicurls