# Shea butter



## lynpea

I'm trying to find anther source for my shea butter. Anyone know where I can find it for less than &7.50 per lb?


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## Guest

I get mine from Columbus Foods (Soaper's Choice).

http://soaperschoice.com/

Sara


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## Kalne

Same here...Columbus Foods. I get all my oils that I can't find locally from CF.


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## lynpea

Thanks for the info.. can you hear me sobbing? :bang I should have asked before I had orderd it!


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## Truly

I didn't see where they have unrefined shea butter, only refined. I thought it was better unrefined.

Can someone explain the difference in terms of good or bad?

Thanx


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## GallopingGoats

I went to order more this morning and saw that they only have refined listed. I decided to wait until Monday to order. I am waiting to see how much I make from the craft fair I am doing this weekend. I have always bought the unrefined from colubus. I figured if it's not on there Monday i will call and see whats up. If anyone gets to it before next week please post what you find out on here. Columbus is the best. Shannoon


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## lynpea

Wh


GallopingGoats said:


> I went to order more this morning and saw that they only have refined listed. I decided to wait until Monday to order. I am waiting to see how much I make from the craft fair I am doing this weekend. I have always bought the unrefined from colubus. I figured if it's not on there Monday i will call and see whats up. If anyone gets to it before next week please post what you find out on here. Columbus is the best. Shannoon


Why do you perfer the unrefined?


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## NubianSoaps.com

Always call and talk to Mike, they may not have enough to be listed on the website, but he may have enough to fill a smaller order. Vicki


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## GallopingGoats

I just think that the less processing the better. A more natural product has to be better, in my mind. Besides, it's cheaper and I am cheap. Shannon


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## kidsngarden

I'm seriously considering the agbanga unrefined fair trade shea/karite. It's really quite inexpensive if you buy in bulk. Anyone ordered from them?

Bethany


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## Guest

Do you have web address for them? CF often runs out...


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## NubianSoaps.com

Bethany, yes, and then you can use the whole free trade info on your website. Coops from them used to be on soap dish all the time.

I am lucky in that one of the places that gets shea/african black soap, mango etc.... in bulk through their own free trade, is also a guy who retails my soap, so I can buy it in 33 gallon drums, which he brings me when he picks up his soap. They use mostly refined and sell scented shea, which is wonderful! It's the only way I can keep using shea like I do in my soap. Like my lye the guy doesn't wholesale it....he sells his for $8 for 4 ounces into stores on the East and West coast private label, it's nice but that's wholesale, can you imagine the retail???? I love his scented shea but no way could I get even the wholesale price here. They are out by the Houston Ship Channel also which means no shipping passed the ship. I am hoping one day to be the person making their african black soap, which he gets in paste form, the gal doing it doesn't do a good job, the bars are crumbly....crossing my fingers. Vicki


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## kidsngarden

Here you go Christy - 
http://shop.agbangakarite.com/category.sc?categoryId=2
Right now thier ten pound shea is on sale and it works out to like $5.80 a pound! Shipping is really reasonable I think.
After my show on the 10th I am defienetely placing an order, but I bet I miss the 10 pound sale! - Shall I open a coop here on our board? then we could all save a few bucks!

Bethany


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## Guest

I have used their shea and it is wonderfulll


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## Guest

Okay, I just got 25lbs from CF so I'm good for awhile. One thing though, I have never had raw Shea from CF get grainy on me, not even in lip balms. The only thing I can figure is that I heat it a lot more then the people that have the problem with graininess :? Anyway, I love the 'free trade' thing but I wonder if it will behave for me and not go grainy. Any thoughts?

Christy


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## kidsngarden

I've asked on the candeltech board who has the best shea - and columbus did not come up. A lot of other smaller places I had never heard of and agbanga - I've read quite a few good things about it. I haven't read particularly about graininess, but that it's the best shea ever.

Bethany


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## NubianSoaps.com

When you are only buying a few pounds of something to try it does become a popularity contest. You couldn't even get folks to sign up for coops unless it was through this place or that, in vogue and all. But guess where most shea comes from....columbus foods, and it's resold on most sites, so is all their other oils, you just pay frieght and shipping 3 times than. I have purchased unrefined shea cheap before that I know was half crisco. Shea isn't marbled white. Unrefined shea that isn't yellow/green or a little of both, and smelling of damp earth is not unrefined shea. The only way unrefined shea is smooth is because it has been heated to be filtered through finer screens...heated oils hydrogenate them..so are they better? Vicki


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## kidsngarden

I'm sure most of it is bought from CF and resold - but it is also possible that they from agbanga and resell too, I'd think.

As for the hydrogenated thing or not - couldn't tell ya'.

Bethany


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## GallopingGoats

O.K. I just called Columbus Foods. Mike was not in but the guy I talked to said that they had been out of unrefined shea. They got a shipment in last week but her was not sure if they would have any available due to back orders. I asked how much it was per pound and he said that the price had gone up to $4.05 per pound. I asked him about the price, the refined on the website is $3.35 per pound if you order the 25# box. He said yes the price for the refined was now cheaper than the new shipment of unrefined. It could be that the supplier raised their price or the trucking could have been more on the new shipment. So I guess I will be trying the refined this time. The shipping was about the same as for the 10# box which surprised me. So overall it was a nearly $20.00 savings. To get the refined right now. I thought you all might like to know that the price is about to go up. Shannon


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## Guest

I think it had gone up on my last order too. It looks like the 100# of unrefined at agbanga would be $388.00. I have yet to ask about 100# from CF. Wonder how much the shipping would be :shocked :crazy :shocked

Christy


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