Benefits of 100% unrefined Shea Butter

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I ordered the 10g Shea Butter sample from Yours Essentially recently because my son had some rashes around his mouth due to an outbreak from a food allergy. Because it is 100% unrefined, I didn’t have to worry about artificial fragrances or additional preservatives and was free to apply it to his face liberally. In fact, I learnt that Shea Butter is edible although I don’t think my son wants to eat it.

Pure Shea Butter has a characteristic smell
In one of my earlier entries, I’ve actually written about the goodness of Shea Butter and introduced its origin.   I’ve also indicated that pure, unrefined Shea Butter has a characteristic smell (read: unappealing) but is truely able to help promote regeneration of damaged skin cells and is good for healing problematic skin conditions such as eczema, rashes, very dry skin, chapped lips, stretchmarks, wrinkles plus even scars and burns.

White and odorless Shea Butter has been refined
If you get Shea Butter that is white and odorless, then it has been refined and the majority of the effective agents are removed and its healing values are significantly reduced.   Which means that is not good quality Shea Butter and is cosmetic graded Shea Butter.

Smell dissipates quickly once butter is absorbed
The good thing about the smell is that it disappears quickly once the Shea Butter is absorbed.  In addition, it absorbs quickly without leaving greasy residue like petroleum, beeswax or mineral oil based products and that is why I find it great to use on my chapped lips and over my dry cuticles.  I even used it sparingly on my acne marks because Shea Butter does not clog pores.

Good for stretch marks, rashes and even frizzy hair
Pregnant ladies who are afraid of developing stretch marks may like to consider using Shea Butter to rub their belly too.  I personally find Shea Butter soothing and hence is great for skin rashes and itches, even insect bites.  I also use it to control some of the frizzy ends of my hair and it works great!  Moreover, Shea Butter has approximately SPF6 which provides a low level of UV protection but I doubt I want to use this all over my face.

Cheaper than counter brands
So what’s the benefit of getting 100% unrefined Shea Butter from a DIY ingredient supplier vs getting it from major counter brands?  It’s way cheaper.  The 10g cost me only S$2.50.  If I were to get 1oz, it’ll only cost me S$5.50.   Very very cost effective!

Comments

  1. cluvy says:

    I got a free sample from yours essentially some time ago. I’ve been using it for my poor chapped lips and it has been working fantastically ;D didn’t know I could use it on pimples! and lol. I weirdly am getting used to the smell and sometimes it smells really nice to me.

    cluvy: For pimples, I’ll say use sparingly cos I’m not sure if it works for everyone. I’m trying it on my acne scars rather.

  2. pf1123 says:

    Ahhh…thanks! I saw Shea Butter on Coastal Scents website and was thinking of getting it to try out. But I’m not sure how good it is and shipment from US is very expensive. Now there’s an alternative.

    I would like to use it for my acne scars. Please let me know the results of your usuage!

    pf1123: Actually I’m not sure if it’ll work well for acne scars; I’m just trying since the butter is supposed to be good for scars. If it turns out well, I’ll post an update again.

  3. Karen says:

    wow! i love shea butter cosmetic formulations, i didn’t know it’s available in unrefined form, thanks for the link to yours essentially. i’m going to have to get some from there. ?

    Karen: Yes, it is…pure unrefined version and very affordable! You can even make your own whipped shea butter if you wish… ?

  4. Ms. Blacklace says:

    I got a sample from them too! Before I leave the house, I apply some on my lips, and I put another layer of lip balm on top. So I get naturally red, soft and kissable lips. Haha!

    The smell IS unappealing but hell… It works great!

    Have you tried their aloe vera gel yet? It’s also different from the ones we get at personal care stores. From now on I’ll only get my aloe vera gel from them.

    Ms Blacklace: I read about their aloe vera gel…sounds promising. But at the moment, I’m trying out fresh aloe vera juice.

  5. prettybeautiful says:

    for the price i think it is really great. instead of paying hefty amount for those processed fragranceless one, might as well get this. hmmm but the website nv mentions whether they ship out of singapore or not

    Prettybeautiful: Yup, I was looking at the L’Occitane one and can’t bear to part that amount for the product.

  6. prettybeautiful says:

    ahhh found. didnt notice the hyperlinks at the footer. lol.

    “We currently only ship within Singapore. However, overseas customers could drop us an email and we could make special arrangements for your order. We will definitely open up more options for overseas customers if there is a demand for our products.”

    Prettybeautiful: You can write to them to ask. I think they may oblige cos shipping cost to M’sia isn’t so high.

  7. Alison says:

    Hahaha I got tempted by ya review and just placed an order with them. Ordered sample Shea butter, Heep seed oil, Chamomile and lemon Balm Hydrosol. The butter and the oil for my hubby who had been breaking out in rashes. The Hydrosol for me to use as toner. Can’t wait to get and try them out soon.

    Alison: I hope you’ll like the products. I’m addicted to some of their stuff!

  8. ann says:

    My skin has very poor healing abilities. I’m gonna give this a try and hope it helps with the eczema. Thanks!

    Ann: Hope it’ll work for you. I love it for treating rashes. It works almost immediately for me…

  9. gi says:

    I just bought shea butter the other day and mine smells like an ash tray. Yuck! Does that mean it has gone rancid or it’s poor in quality?

    gi: Ash tray? Hmmm…it has a buttery smell and not bad. It might have gone bad. Did you try to check with the supplier?

  10. gi says:

    I tried, but I couldn’t reach anyone. After doing more research I am finding other sites that say shea butter has a smoky smell to it. Maybe because it is so unrefined it has the natural smoke smell? The smell leaves a lot to be desired, but my skin is loving it. Thanks again for all of your great posts.

    gi: Oh that’s good. I really cannot imagine shea butter smelling like ash tray… ? But yes, it’s a great ingredient. I use it everyday now and am planning to buy a bigger pot to apply on my son’s hands and legs too!

  11. clemence says:

    I got my shea butter from them too. Personal experience, if you have oily or clog/acne prone skin, just stay far far away from shea butter. I had cystic acne(something that never happened before) from using this.

  12. sesame says:

    Oh dear…I think it might be too rich. I hardly use shea butter alone except to soothe rashes or use it on my lips. It’s kind of hard to use on the skin by itself.

  13. kiwi says:

    I think Yours Essentially is closing down soon? So do you have any ideas where else to get the shea butter cream at such prices?

  14. sesame says:

    Try whoopeekiddies.com.

  15. Emilia says:

    I just began using shea butter for scars on my body…does anyone know how long it takes 100% unrefined shea butter to remove marks from scars? I greatly appreciate responses; you can also respond to me by e-mailing me at icaribbeangirl@hotmail.com

  16. sesame says:

    It’s hard to say…I have had luck with it on some, but not all. I suggest you also try aloe vera which is better with scar healing.

  17. maureen says:

    Shea butter is fantastic i have been using it for the last 2 yrs and it has had an amazing effect on my skin and i get it direct from west Africa so if any one needs any let me know

  18. Ed says:

    Thanks for the website! I’ve been looking for one that’s in Singapore

  19. sinlesschocolate says:

    hi,

    I’ve been running around looking for affordable unrefined shea butter like the one you’ve mentioned..the whooppekiddies webbie has shea butter products for not the actual butter itself..do you have any recommendations? would really appreciate it..

  20. sesame says:

    I don’t think you can get it from Singapore – try Garden of Wisdom or Mountain Rose Herbs.

  21. Sabrina says:

    I’m interested in this. Please do share. Thank you. (:

  22. Michelle says:

    Hi, im planning to purchase raw unrefined african shea butter from ebay. Will customs allow shea butter to be shipped to singapore?
    Thanks.

  23. sesame says:

    I’ve purchased via sprees before and it was okay…shipment came from US.

  24. angelsphere says:

    hi where did u buy the 100% unrefined Shea Butter from?

  25. Sesame says:

    I think I got it from a spree from Garden of Wisdom.

  26. Vicky says:

    For those interested in shea butter we have natural ones in nigeria,ineterested person send message via my email

  27. Jayapradha says:

    FYI:
    Most commonly available Shea butter in the market is from Western Africa. When comparing the west African Shea butter against East African Shea butter, at room temperature Eastern African shea butter is semi-solid and is softer than West African shea butter. It is creamier and silky, making it quick and easy to apply. Eastern African shea butter is also slightly in higher therapeutic properties. Eastern shea butter has a sweeter scent than West African shea butter. is more.
    We are going to launch SG owned brand East African Unrefined pure 100% organic shea butter very soon in SG at very competitive pricing. It will be available from May-13.

    If interested, you can write to me (asynergys@yahoo.com)

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