I currently have two posts on Shea butter (ori in Yoruba, okwume in Igbo) so I guess the fact that I like my shea butter is not a big secret. However, because I do not find Shea butter easy to spread, I whip it up with some other oils and throw in some Essential oils.
I share my method for whipping up a batch below:
I melt my shea butter using a Heat safe container submerged in boiling water. (Double boiler method). That way the Shea is gently melted and there is no loss in nutritive properties due to overheating. I add my oils to the Shea butter after it is melted.
I use a whisk to whip it all together. A whisk is great for this because it incorporates air into the mixture, making it nice and fluffy.
After whisking and cooling alternately it solidifies into a light butter.
I put it in this tin for good presentation - I was giving this to my former lecturer.
I used olive oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil (if it is going on my hair), glycerin and either lavender or lemongrass essential oil. My girl screwyhair has details on ingredients and measurements.
When you first use whipped shea butter, you may find it a bit greasy on application. Have no fear! It sinks right in really quickly.
In case you haven’t read my old posts on Shea butter, you can find some information on Shea butter in this post here and if you want to know how it is processed from the nut to the butter, go here.
I just whipped some up this past weekend myself! I added EVOO, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, castor oil, vit E, honey and lavender to mask the shea butter smell. This is what princess and I use to cream our body daily.
Great mix. I tend not to like using castor oil on my body because it is so heavy and I tend to avoid using coconut oild on my skin a lot because it can be comedogonic – but that is a personal choice. We all need to do what works for us. Thanks for sharing.
I read somewhere that you only need one good oil rather than plenty different oils since the oil is just used to seal in moisture? how true is this?
I currently use only olive oil, is there a huge difference between using just olive oil and using olive oil, jojoba oil & coconut oil together. And in your opinion, which is the best of the three oils?
I love me some Shea butter, i got a lot of that the last time i visited Nigeria and i dnt know why i didnt hear about it earlier. I use it both for my hair and face.
It all depends on the individual; my hair’s greedy and benefits from mixing 3 oils (olive, coconut, and jojoba oils). Olive oil alone isn’t enough to soften my hair, although it is for a lot of people. Oils have different qualities, so a mix of the oils your hair likes can be a good thing because they complement one another: coconut oil softens my hair but evaporates quickly, while the olive oil keeps it in longer and keeps my hair from getting coconut-oil-crunchy when I’m in a cold room, and heavy jojoba oil further conditions my hair–and every one of them packs a vitamin punch.
(Also, because some oils have low freezing points, some naturals in temperate climates tend to mix them with others that have a higher freezing point, so that the oil doesn’t turn white in their hair or make it feel crunchy, e.g., adding olive oil to low-freezing coconut oil.)
I too love me some shea butter. I can tell you that using oils and a shea-based hair butter (while also paying proper attention to my hair), my hair has never felt so soft.
I use Shea butter, vitamin E oil and glycerin on my skin at night. Haven’t really tried it on my hair so thanks for the tip.
You are welcome. Your mix works for hair and skin. I love the versatility of Shea butter!
Nice! I use aloe vera gel, coconut oil and castor oil in mine (for my hair).
I love Aloe Vera gel because it is so moisturizing.Good call. The only thing is that adding Aloe Vera gel to this mixture makes it a hydrous substance which is more susceptible to bacteria,, mold, germ growth. If you are not making small batches and storing in a fridge then youneed to use a preservative. How do you preserve yours?
I am definitely gonna do this mix, but I don’t have the last three ingredients *sad face*. Thanks for sharing
You don’t need to restrict yourself to any of the particular oils. You should view the list as a recommendation. You can even use just one oil and not two or more depending on your hair needs. Just look around for what you can lay your hands on and use that.
By the way, at the meet up you will be able to get some of those hard-to-find ingredients
Love this! just made a fresh batch last night and it smells heavenly,,have been getting alot of request so I just started selling to friends..I mixed my shea butter with EVOO (its refined locally in jos and has a fanatastic nutty olive scent) , sweet almond oil, and coconut oil ( refined in my kitchen) then I added some drops of lavender.. Nothing softens natural (and non natural hair) like shea butter. I lost my mom a few years ago and decided to relax my hair.> big mistake! but i still use shea butter for myself and my children. I hope I am still welcome to the meet with my relaxed hair!!
btw who knows what ori amo is? its not ori..has a funkier smell kinda smells like what they call maishanu in the north..Also does anyone have any links for cocoa butter?
I had no idea that olives were indigenous to Nigeria – thanks for sharing that. I have to try and get a supplier as I would much rather get it locally than otherwise.
I don’t have an answer on the Ori Amo – I will ask around. I am working on finding a cocoa butter supplier as well. Let me know if you find one.
ok..have found some shea butter lady that has promised to link me up to a cocoa butter supplier , the only problem is that she doesnt think the guys sells in small quantities.
Yep they have olives in plateau, my colleague gets from his village when ever he goes home and resells I can link u up with him…
pls dont forget to ask about ori-amo thanks.
I will email you really soon. Thanks!
Definitely need to try this; my hair can be dry and frizzy and it breaks quite easily particularly in autumn/winter. What would you recommend to manage/reduce/stop hair breakage?
To address the dryness,stay hydrated and spritz your hair with water frequently. Since your hair is really dry, I would advice that you use the 3 step method: Spritz with water, layer on a leave-in conditioner and then seal it all with Shea butter or castor oil.
Managing hair breakage is really more about technique. Let’s deal with that in a post of its own soon.
Thanks for the advice, NN. I’ll let you know how I get on. Will also look out for your post on hair breakage.
I’m based in the States and I have been perusing your blog site. I love it! No offense but you’re a rarity being based in lagos with so much in depth knowledge and inclination to utilizing what mothers earth and nature put before us. Now I could be ignorant with these statements but I speak from experience and as I stated before I’m based here in the states where many african-americans are still are shrouded with ignorance about the long term benefits of going natural (not necessarily 100%, I know that’s a stretch but a decent aspect is better than nothing). Being nigerian myself, I’ve seen firsthand what inclinations to commerical products can produce, especially when it comes to hair in the african community. Anyway, I just want to extend my appreciation for taking the time out to share your knowledge and information throughout and I will be visiting your blog often. With that being said,
Please hook me up with info on purchasing the shea butter from nigeria in mass quantities possibly especially because of where I stay. Thank you so much urbanesque82@gmail.com
Thanks golden lady. I have responded to you via email.
Thanks golden lady. I have responded to you via mail.
pls do you have exact measurements for making this? would be grateful if you give the measurements
Hi Ms E. You can find measurements on screwyhair’s blog. Just follow the link on the post.
Another great post.
My daughter and I cannot do without our shea butter mix. I love your response to “Adura Ojo”. That type of layering is what I have been doing recently and I love it. Looking forward to your future posts.
Please can i get the phone number of your supplier, i need to get shea butter and jojoba oil
Hello Ruth, in the post there is a link to a Shea Butter supplier. Here it is again: http://naturalnigerian.com/2011/07/shea-butter-your-questions-answered/.
I buy Jojoba oil abroad as I don’t know any supplier in Nigeria.
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