Darbla Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 (edited) In almost every recommended recipe, shea butter is used. Why? What are the properties it imparts that makes it most suited for lotion bars? I know you can substitute any other butter, but should you if shea is the best for this? I'm thinking of sunflower butter and pumpkin butter, but if shea is really the best because of what it brings to the table then I'll stick with it. Edited December 24, 2012 by Darbla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidsngarden Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 I find that UNREFINED shea is best. It is less greasy and has extra "good for the skin" stuff than it's refined counterpart. The only downside to shea butter in general is that those with latex allergies should avoid it. For me, "if it's not broke, don't fix it" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitn Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Has anyone used this as sort of a multi-purpose base? I'm looking at the ingredients for this and for lip balms and they seem similar. So can I use this to make bars and balms?Thanks!You could do that, I would test it as a lip balm first and see how you like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in KY Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 2 oz bees wax 1 oz shea butter 1 oz kokum butter 2 oz SAO not greasy at allI have made this recipe with Cocoa Butter instead of Kokum Butter and with Jojoba oil. Mine is always greasy. So it's the Jojoba oil causing the greasy feel? I'll have to get some SOA and give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I have made this recipe with Cocoa Butter instead of Kokum Butter and with Jojoba oil. Mine is always greasy. So it's the Jojoba oil causing the greasy feel? I'll have to get some SOA and give it a try.Old I know but actually the kokum is less greasy than cocoa butter. And jojoba is less greasy, in my opinion, than sweet almond oil. I think yours is likely feeling greasy because it's the nature of the beast. Try cutting down on the oil and adding in some IPM, cyclomethicone, or fractionated coconut oil instead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Or starch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmellsSoSweet Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 On 1/3/2006 at 1:31 AM, hawaiiansun said: 2 oz bees wax 1 oz shea butter 1 oz kokum butter 2 oz SAO I used a scaled down batch of this recipe for my first try at making lotion bars and they turned out wonderfully! I substituted apricot kernel oil for the SAO, as I wanted to make it nut free. I know this is an old post, but I just wanted to say thinks for sharing! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 (edited) If you plan on trying this recipe its best not to sub out the kokum butter. Kokum butter absorbs easily into the skin without leaving a greasy feel. It should be in all lotion bars. On the other hand shea butter can and does leave the skin feeling a bit greasy so this is the one I would definitely sub out. Plus shea butter has a nasty habit of turning grainy if exposed to temperature changes. Same with mango. I prefer cocoa butter as it stays smooth and creamy. It feels wonderful on the skin and tends to not go grainy in my products. If you must use shea use a small %. I would go with no more than 5% because just 10% and I start getting graininess at some point. Another butter you might consider is cupuacu. It has the capacity to help the skin retain high levels of moisture through water retention and is the vegan equivalent to the water retention properties of anhydrous lanolin. There is no other butter equal to it. Makes a great emollient butter excellent for skin hydration and moisturizing. One more thing, WSP carries a lotion bar wax additive that helps make them smooth and creamy. The INCI for it is the same as cera bellina which is Polyglycerol-3 beeswax. Other suppliers like Lotion Crafters and ITDF carry it so you don't have to get it at WSP if you shop around. I use it in my lip balm and it really makes a difference in the creamy buttery texture. I use at 10% in my lip balms combined with another wax like candellila for a vegan lip balm. Edited November 20, 2021 by Candybee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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