raw shea butter?

[LynnS]

I have seen this(raw shea butter) sold at a show and liked by many.All I saw was a BIG block and cut as sold.Is this the way it is sold.It was put in containers when they cut so much of the slab. FO added to some and sold just plain.There was whipped shea butter too?Do any of you sell this? And is this the way you do it???This was all new to me and I have done craft shows for almost 5 years.

Here I just do the base and go to so much pain to make it sanitary.I don't know why I beat myself down to make it so so.IN fact my husband goes bonkers when I am putting lotion, soap and body spray in the bottles.He thinks I go overboard.I keep saying be careful don't want any dust in the air at all and be careful we don't want the pump to be laid down unless we put on a sanitary surface and make sure it is paper towels etc that has just been opened and not around candles etc. Then when I am finished I cover the pump tightly with aluminum foil and make sure foil is new all the time.Also change pumps with each new gallon.

At shows people don't want to take a sniff because of sanitation.I think that might be OK though.So next show I will have samples for people to try. I am trying to do what I have read on BOARD about sanitation.Now I see it can be done different.I could let people make their own lotion if I had a bigger area.

I just might have learned something new about lotions.body sprays and soaps ??????

LynnS

[thecandlespastore]

Shea butter usually comes in a big soft block called a calabash (Sp?) if you buy it in large quantities. Then you just chunk what you need off of it. Pure raw shea butter straight from overseas will arrive with everything but the kitchen sink in it, including bugs, twigs, etc. The companies that sell shea will then filter out all the yucky stuff by melting it down at low temps and filtering all the unwanteds. Then it is repackaged and sold.

[LynnS]

OMG.This is all new to me.So companies take all the icky stuff out and then sell it.I didn't know it came from overseas.I thought like soap/lotion makers they made it or else get from a company that made it(a base).

I am going to stick with my MP soap and lotion bases.Also body sprays.Make my candles and all other things.The reason I don't make soap is the lye.I have problems breathing some cleaning chemicals so have to be careful or else I would be a soapmaker.

This was good info.I learned something.

LynnS

[Carrie]

LynnS, you can learn more about shea butter at Agbanga Karite. They tell you what it is made of, how it is made. It is very interesting.

[LynnS]

Thank You Carrie.Will read up on it.I am sure it is interesting.Have a doc appt this afternoon so will check the info when I get back.

LynnS

[LynnS]

I have to agree the raw shea butter is good.Alot of uses.Alot was sold and people were asking about it.Helps with sprains aches and pains and I remember something about skin problems your pets might have was mentioned.

I might try some.Aches and pains and sinus problems. Definetly I would like to try it.My husband has back problems and taking meds now.He came home one morning after working nights and said put some Ben Gay on my back. I couldn't.The smell gags me and burns my nose. This would work much better and might cut down on the meds.One of the meds he was taking for pneumonia helped his back more than other he took so I said we will get that from now on.

I am going to pass this info to my friend whose husband is in bad shape with carpal tunnel.He is getting ready to start with treatments. Going to send her the website for her to read.

LynnS

[thecandlespastore]

If you pay for shipping I can send you a 2 oz sample of shea butter.

[Shisha]

Definitely not made under laboratory conditions!!! It's a product of nature, and nature is by definition unsanitary. (Anyone who's been camping can back me up on this one.) The women who "process" shea butter in Africa are not in kitchens using chemical cleaners to ensure that the product is sterile. They are picking it, pressing it, and doing whatever else they do with it in (I assume) tents and tin shacks, if they're indoors at all. I doubt they are washing their hands before touching the butter let alone sterilizing their equipment. In fact they are probably using the same equipment they've used for generations with nary a cleaning in between. And that's exactly why I like shea butter so much....because it's been made in this way for hundreds of years and is still fabulous and healing (the only thing that helps my eczema and my dry winter skin, in fact.) If it ain't broke don't fix it. P.S. I've had refined shea butter and it is pretty useless IMO, didn't help my eczema at all, so clearly the good stuff is in there with the dirt.

[CareBear]

Remember, there is no water in the stuff, so anything that's there isn't growing. IF you use it in something that includes water you need to preserve it well.

[magsglass]

Here I just do the base and go to so much pain to make it sanitary.I don't know why I beat myself down to make it so so.IN fact my husband goes bonkers when I am putting lotion, soap and body spray in the bottles.He thinks I go overboard.I keep saying be careful don't want any dust in the air at all and be careful we don't want the pump to be laid down unless we put on a sanitary surface and make sure it is paper towels etc that has just been opened and not around candles etc. Then when I am finished I cover the pump tightly with aluminum foil and make sure foil is new all the time.Also change pumps with each new gallon.

LynnS: Regardless of what's practiced in other countries, in the U.S. we're required by the FDA to maintain sanitary conditions when making our products. Sounds like your sanitation practices are good ones-- I commend you on that!

Also I wanted to mention that I can't breathe certain cleaning products either. The lye in oven cleaners makes me gasp for air like a guppy out of water. (I make DH clean the oven when I'm not at home ) But I can make lye soap without a problem. As long as I keep myself upwind from it when I mix it outdoors or ventilate well with fresh make up air from outside when I mix it in the kitchen I'm okay. So maybe you can make soap after all? Just a thought.

[LynnS]

I would love to try lye but best not too.I have had tests done and it the electrical system of my heart.It is out of whack.I have had the problem for many years and under control with meds but really dangerous and heart can get out of control to where it can beat so fast and possible death. With certain chemicals it can happen.Sucks the air out of me.

I can take candlemaking except for a few scents and try to venitilate the basement.Winter it is hard unless you want to wear a coat to keep warm.We open windows in spring/summer.We double scent air fresheners.Well husband does and he goes outside to do it.Very strong with full strenghth FO in house or basement.I was outside while he did that and it was so bad(even outside) I had to go in the house.Hard time breathing.The worrisome problem is my husband has heart disease and never had a hard time with any cleaning products.Still doesn't but a week or so (afer doing fresheners)he got real sick.Didn't know what it was but Finally found out pneumonia.Never had that in his life.So as I read what you said that I might be able to use lye things came back to me also about my husband and maybe the FO's were to much for him that day and he got what I have heard of before(chemical pneumonia.) He is still not well as some may had read he had a accident at work too(same time all this was going on).I am going to bring this(chemicals) up to the doctor when he goes to heart doctor and we are awaiting tests from a MRI on his head now.

If you are having any problems with chemicals don't take chances.My husband may not be able to do car fresheners now.We do everything else but that was the one thing he did by himself.I am concerned about this.He may have damaged his lungs.He had plenty of ventilation(was outside too).

LYE is powerful stuff and I have read where some here on this Board had pneumonia after working with lye or working with FO without proper ventilation.One even was wearing protection.Mask and all other ways to safeguard the danger of working with lye.Still became very ill.

Be careful

LynnS

[ladysj]

This is a very interesting post about the sanitation issues. Has anyone seen Wild Oats CP soap that they are selling? They are selling it for well over $20 pp and they just have big slabs sitting out for people to cut their own. I thought OMG that is so grossssssss people handling this soap and cutting their own. No telling where their hands have been. But it seems they sold some of it. I wouldn't touch it with a 10 ft. pole. I'm not crazy about the little bit that is going to be naked on my bars with my cigar bands. Sorry didn't mean to get so far off subject.

[LynnS]

This is why I posted.I was (to say the least) shocked that it was out there for everyone.It was selling though.I am fine with that.Also sounds like good stuff and IF I would sell it I will package at home.Have some samples for people but not package on the spot.I just have enough now with the holidays and not going to think of adding things now.

I know one lady came to my booth and kept rubbing her hands (took forever for the shea butter to absorb) and then said to her friends"I need to go wash my hands before we eat".I do anyway and not just if I have my hands in lotion.We all handle money etc.But she was talking about her hands and just kept rubbing them together.

I agree about the soap too.I am starting MP and will do the band but want those that almost completely cover the bar.Not sure what I will do with the decorative soaps.I did see on one sight they had them in sachet bags.I have plenty of those since I don't do the corn cob air fresheners now.

$20.00 a bar.They wouldn't sell it in this area.

LynnS