Your favourite butters?

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AshleyR

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Do you find you get different results from using different butters in your products?

I'm planning to make some solid lotion bars in the next week or so and I have on hand shea butter and cocoa butter. I have seen a lot of other people use mango & other butters in their lotion bars. Can you really notice the difference between different types of butters, or do you think the different kinds are just for "label appeal?" I only ask because some of the more exotic ones are a lot more expensive than shea and cocoa butter - and I wonder if it's worth it to buy/use them or if I'll get the same results from using cocoa and shea butters.

I'm placing an order for some more supplies this week and am not sure if I should order some more butters or just use up my shea and cocoa.

TIA! :)
 
Hey Ashley - in my limited experience - :D - people react very positively to Shea Butter - so I think you would be fine sticking with Shea for now. I only did mine in mango because I wanted to separate the two (Whipped Body Butter vs Lotion Stick).
 
absolutely there is a difference: the melting points are different, the hardness, and even the skinfeel.

shea adds drag and is warming (to me)
mango is cooling as it melts, like coconut oil
cocoa butter is also warming, and the melting point is very close to body temp

the cocoa also gets harder, so your final butter might harden up depending on how much you use. which isn't necessarily bad unless you don't like that in a butter!
 
Kokum butter -- hands down -- is my favorite butter. I use it in almost everything.

It has excellent emollient properties and high oxidative stability, which assists emulsion integrity. It is a solid, stable hard butter with a very mild scent, which melts readily on contact with skin. Kokum butter is one of the most stable and hard vegetable butters known. It prevents skin dryness and it reduces the development of wrinkles, degeneration of skin cells and restores flexibility to the skin. May enhance stability of certain emulsion systems. Kokum is a firmer butter than mango or shea but not as hard as cocoa butter. Kokum is more quickly absorbed into the skin and does not leave a greasy feel. It is ideal in skin care products because of its ability to soften skin and its effectiveness on ulcerations and fissures of lips, acne, scalp, hands and soles of feet.
 
I will be discontinuing shea butter when it's all gone. 2 of my good clients have allergies to it. I do use mango and cocoa butter though.
 
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