Grainy Shea

[red]

OMG grrrrr....I am going crazy. I have some shea that I got from Columbus foods. It is refined but due to the hot weather when it shipped, it is super grainy! I tempered it to 150 for 20 mins and then cooled it off quickly in the freezer. It is great for a few days but as soon as it even gets a little warm, the grans come back!! I hate it! I was using WSP shea butter and never had to deal with this but I can't afford $9.00 for a pound anymore..Can anyone help? PLEASE?

Where does everyone else get their shea butter from?

 

[PrairieCraft]

I also have shea from colombus and it is grainy. I didn't know better so just assumed that's the way shea is. I have used it in cp soap and lotion bars with no problem. Are you making something that requires it to be smooth?

 

[red]

Yes, I make whipped shea butter. Shea should be able to get smooth and creamy!

 

[PrairieCraft]

Oh, well boo to Columbus than. I would say maybe it's because of shipping in hot weather but I picked mine up from the warehouse so it was only in the heat for a short time. So, is shea usually creamy out of the box? Is whipped shea just shea and nothing else?

 

[red]

Prairie, do did you get the refined shea? Because when I called Mike he said I only has the crystals because of the hot weather..I will be none too happy if this is not the case...

I whip my shea with shea butter, mango butter and oils

 

[Lindy]

It is going to depend on quality of the Shea as well. I buy mine in Canada and have not had problems with graininess. If the supplier has mishandled the shea to melt it down before pouring it into the containers graininess can occur then too. I would recommend using it in soaps and lotions and buying the "good" stuff for your whipped shea.

 

[PrairieCraft]

Yes, it was the refined shea. It was a really hot day when I picked it up but it was only outside for 3 maybe 4 hrs at the most. Maybe that is still long enough for it to go grainy? If not then maybe it was low quality or mishandled, as Lindy suggested.

The refined is the best one Columbus offers though I think.

Thanks, for bringing this up and making me aware that this isn't exactly right. I'm sorry though that you have a fairly pricy product that you can't do what you want with.

 

[IrishLass]

I don't use shea, but I do have troubles with grainy mango butter that I recieved from one of my suppliers. ButterEZ, a product from LotionCrafters, took care of the grainy problem for me. I can now use my very gainy-in-the-bucket mango butter in my lip balm without it reverting back to its grainy state. You only need to use a fraction of the ButterEZ in your recipe (10% to 25% of your total butter amount, according to LotionCrafters) to keep things from going grainy. In my lip balm, I've found I only need to use the ButterEZ at 10% of my total butter amount to keep the grainies at bay. It's worth looking into to be able to use your grainy shea for what you bought it for.


IrishLass

 

[Healinya]

I didn't realize it was weather related - I thought it was just columbus foods' shea butter... I have gotten three 10 pound boxes in the last two years and they were all grainy... I thought that's just the way it is... I use CF's shea for soap, and WSP's ultra refined for b&b (which i don't do much of, so the cost isn't too bad)

 

[Tabitha]

There is nothing wrong with the shea at columbus foods. I have been whipping shea from them forever and never had a problem. I don't order she in the summer & I don't ship it in the summer. It melts at 98degrees (skin temp), you know it gets much hotter than that setting in a delivery truck for 2 days...

 

[Lindy]

Having never bought from Columbus Foods I really don't' know anything about their quality. I have never had grainy Shea or Mango even having it shipped in the summer. I do know that Voyageur doesn't melt their's down to pour it, it is scooped and then placed into pails. I've only ever heard about shea that was grainy and from reading up on shea and other butters I have learned that if it is incorrectly melted to package you can end up with grainy butters...