Guest guest Posted June 18, 2006 Report Share Posted June 18, 2006 Could someone please help me out with the different grades of Shea butter? Which is best for which purpose (soap, lotion, lip balm, body butter, etc) These are the different grades available at site I was going to order from: Cosmetic Grade D/F Extra Refined Lotion Grade Natural Organic unrefined Vitamin E Enriched Virgin I assume the lotion grade would be best for lotions(but not necesisarily), is it also best for lotion bars? Cosmetic grade??for lip balm?? I'm confused...Please Help!!! Thanks...Donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 18, 2006 Report Share Posted June 18, 2006 Like many things, shea grades vary from vendor to vendor. As a rule of thumb, Virgin, Organic Unrefined etc. will probably have a darker color and the smoky scent of raw shea. The lotion grade, extra refined etc. will be white with little discernable odor. I get the Deodorized/Filtered which is a cream color and has no odor. Vitamin E enriched, sounds like a bit of hype. It probably has some tocopherol added, but as Vitamin E is often used to guard against rancidity, I prefer to add my own rather than take someone else's word for it. The word natural could mean anything in this context. It could be virgin, or unrefined. The bottom line is that if you are purchasing from a reputable vendor, the best person to discuss the grades is with your vendor. They should be willing to send you small samples so that you can determine which will serve your needs and also explain each grade in terms of color, scent and hardness. Be wary of any vendor that claims to have the only " pure " shea or the only " organic " shea. Joanne , " dzmg2000 " <dzmg wrote: > Cosmetic Grade D/F > Extra Refined > Lotion Grade > Natural > Organic unrefined > Vitamin E Enriched > Virgin > > I assume the lotion grade would be best for lotions(but not > necesisarily), is it also best for lotion bars? Cosmetic grade??for > lip balm?? I'm confused...Please Help!!! > > Thanks...Donna > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 18, 2006 Report Share Posted June 18, 2006 The only Shea that I use is the natural or the organic unrefined. I rarely use the extra refined because it has most of the healthy benefits taken out in the process. You can always add your own vitamin E at less cost to you. But that is just my humble opinion. Evelyn www.alternasense.com If you don't talk to your cat about catnip, who will? ---- dzmg2000 06/18/06 03:29:54 grades of shea Could someone please help me out with the different grades of Shea butter? Which is best for which purpose (soap, lotion, lip balm, body butter, etc) These are the different grades available at site I was going to order from: Cosmetic Grade D/F Extra Refined Lotion Grade Natural Organic unrefined Vitamin E Enriched Virgin I assume the lotion grade would be best for lotions(but not necesisarily), is it also best for lotion bars? Cosmetic grade??for lip balm?? I'm confused...Please Help!!! Thanks...Donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Hi Donna, > >Could someone please help me out with the different grades of Shea >butter? Which is best for which purpose (soap, lotion, lip balm, body >butter, etc) I can sure try. Looks like you're shopping at oils by nature. Most of the refined shea butters are similar but have a different softness. I don't think they are necessarily " grades " of butter. I leave the grading to the American Shea Butter Institute for unrefined/virgin shea. But depending on what you want " feel wise " you can go by the " softness scale " or whatever it is they list in the butter description. What your choice comes down too is basically what do you want out of your shea butter? If it's moisturizing properties you can go with any of them. If it's the medicinal benefits of the unsaponifiable fraction in the shea then go with a lab tested clean unrefined. You'll have to ask your supplier for test results. Not many folks actually have the ASBI test their butter cuz it's expensive. But they should have the unrefined butters tested for mold, mold spores, bacteria, peroxide level, iron etc... My personal experience is if I don't want the product I'm making to smell smoky/nutty and it's not for healing purposes I choose a naturally refined shea. For soaps I like to use unrefined since I like to believe the unsap portion lends its benefits through superfatting with it. And, for skin care products that I intend to be healing and I don't mind the scent I use the unrefined. Hope this helps lessen the confusion. Margaret www.naturalindulgences.com > >These are the different grades available at site I was going to order >from: >Cosmetic Grade D/F >Extra Refined >Lotion Grade >Natural >Organic unrefined >Vitamin E Enriched >Virgin > >I assume the lotion grade would be best for lotions(but not >necesisarily), is it also best for lotion bars? Cosmetic grade??for >lip balm?? I'm confused...Please Help!!! > >Thanks...Donna > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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