How to Whip Shea Butter
Shea butter has a number of amazing properties that make it useful in a number of ways. From moisturizing the skin to helping to relieve itching or even expediting healing, Shea butter is certainly a product that should be in everyone’s medicine chest or health and beauty routine. In order to achieve different results with the Shea butter or in order to add additional ingredients to a mixture with a Shea butter base, some people decide to whip their Shea butter. In order to do this, you will need to follow some simple steps.
Step #One: Choosing the Right Shea Butter
The first thing you need to do when whipping Shea butter is to simply find a high quality grade of Shea butter to start with. You will then need to determine what additional ingredients you would like to include in you Shea butter mixture. This should only include all natural ingredients like nut and seed oils as well as vitamin E. Preservatives, wax or water in whipped Shea butter are not necessary when whipping a Shea butter mixture.
Step #2: Melting the Shea Butter
Your next step will be to melt the Shea butter in a pan over a low heat in order to get it into a useable form. Make sure to take it off the heat once it becomes liquid. Do not add the oils during the heating process. Instead, after the Shea butter has been removed from the heat, drizzle the oils in that you would like to add and then place it in the freezer.
Step #3: Mixing the Shea Butter
As the fat hardens, you will notice that they will start to form a white substance around the sides of your bowl. Start mixing with a hand mixer or whisk. Using a stand mixer is not recommended since the heat it produces can cause the Shea butter to look more melted than it actually is and mess up your final product. Many people actually recommend using an electric mixer with whisk components in order to obtain a better consistency in the whipped Shea butter.
Step #4: Check the Consistency
The longer you whip or beat your product, the better your consistency should be. The goal is to get it to the point that it has soft and fluffy peaks. When you touch the peaks, they should not drop off of your hand. Rather, the peaks should reach up further as you pull your hand away. At this point, you could add glycerin to help the whipped Shea butter become smoother, but it is optional and based on your own personal preference.
If you want a product that is not too greasy, there are additives you can use to take away the greasy consistency. These products, which may be vegetable based and can help with absorption, would need to be purchased from specialty stores and can be added at the end of the process.
To make your product creamier, you can refreeze the product and whip it again. There is, however, such a thing as over freezing the whipped Shea butter. When this happens, you will have to melt it down and start through the whole process again. Therefore, you should use caution when refreezing your whipped Shea butter.
Step #5: Store Your Shea Butter
The final product should remain creamy so do not look for it to harden. At this point, you should transfer the mix to containers to store it in. Now, the last step in the process is to try out the product. Your whipped Shea butter is ready to be applied to your skin. It should go on smoothly and help your dry skin feel much better. In addition, you can feel good about the fact that you were able to customize your body lotion and know that the next time you run out, you can whip up another batch to soothe and protect your skin. Click here to buy organic Shea butter on ebay now.
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