# Shea Butter in Jars



## Sheryl

Okay....so I want to sell some unrefined shea butter in jars. I have lots of sizes of jars to choose from...mostly clear plastic cosmetic jars. Anyway, in the past when I have melted shea butter...when it solidified again it was grainy. How to you put shea butter in jars?

what size jar? what do you sell it for?

This will be plain...unrefined....no fragrance.

Thanks.

Sheryl


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## Kalne

Melt slowly in the mircrowave a little at a time and not completely. It will finish melting on its own. Then you can pour it into your jars, scented or not. I sell 4 oz jars for $9. If I whip it....I sell the same size jar for the same price but it only holds half as much by weight because of the air.


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## Guest

Don't melt it.. just soften in a warm room and whip a little with a mixer and beaters and put into jars.. No grainy


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## NubianSoaps.com

I simply use a small offset spatula, and mash it in the jar. Clean the rim really well, and apply a saftey seal and tighten the lid down.....wipe again with alcohol and apply the label. I do not want to heat my shea, I buy really nice shea to sell, I get grainy shea to soap


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## Dorit

How is whipped shae butter used? Dorit


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## NubianSoaps.com

The problem with whipped shea butter Dorit is that you are whipping air and usually another oil into shea, so you are selling only 2 ounces in a 4 ounce jar. When it melts back into shea in our heat, you only have half a jar when someone opens it up. I quit whipping my shea when I found this out. Vicki


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## Anita Martin

Plus, whipping shea is really a PITA!


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## a4patch

Vicki, you buy shea from a wholesale or co-op?


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## NubianSoaps.com

From an importer in Houston, I literally pick it up in barrels at the Houston ship channel, several times a year he brings it to me because he wholesales my soap also. He is a import/wholesaler although he wants me to wholesale it also, I just don't want to mess with it, one barrel is grainy, one barrel is green, one barrel is yellow, one is white and I don't want to listen to it  Vicki


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## VickiLynne

Vicki,

Do you mean you don't know what your getting from one barrel to the next?

Vicki/NC


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## NubianSoaps.com

Nope, no clue, sometimes it's the prettiest smoothest stuff you have seen, other times it is worse than Columbus Foods shea


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## Sheryl

Columbus Foods Shea is not good????

sheryl


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## a4patch

Vicki, Is there a source of consistent quality you would recommend? and what do you do when you do not like the quality? do you just put it in soap?


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## tmfinley

I recommend Global Mamas for good shea butter. I buy in bulk from them and haven't been disappointed yet. It is fair trade and a decent price. I have heard Shea Radiance has good stuff too but they are more expensive.


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## Tallabred

You have to have an account to see prices. Is it worth setting up an account for just Shea butter?


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## NubianSoaps.com

For myself, it's just to cheap not to buy this shea for soap. When I get really good stuff, I put it into all the jars I have and will even purchase more jars just to fill with the shea. The point of me selling shea in jars has always been about selling enough so the shea I buy for my soap recipe is free. If I need shea to fill jars, I buy from NDA, theres is beautiful every time I purchase it.


For myself, Columbus Foods shea is soap quality most of the time, it is usually grainy which doesn't effect lotion or soap, does effect raw shea sales. Coop on retail shea is simply to expensive (for me) if you put much shea at all into your soap. Vicki


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## tmfinley

Tallabred said:


> You have to have an account to see prices. Is it worth setting up an account for just Shea butter?


It was worth it to me. There's not much to it. The shea is beautiful and I haven't found a better deal.


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## Kalne

I've been really happy with the shea from JEdwards. I've gotten a few hundred pounds from them and all have been smooth and top notch.


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## jdranch

Kalne said:


> I've been really happy with the shea from JEdwards. I've gotten a few hundred pounds from them and all have been smooth and top notch.


 +1


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## jdranch

Dorit said:


> How is whipped shae butter used? Dorit


 Our family uses it mostly in the winter for dry chapped cheeks- but imo, is very good on dry skin year round. My husband uses it on razor burn, we've put it on boo boos and sunburns. I whip it and put it in a jar, then just scoop out a little as needed. A little goes a long way. HTH


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## MF-Alpines

jdranch said:


> Dorit said:
> 
> 
> 
> How is whipped shae butter used? Dorit
> 
> 
> 
> Our family uses it mostly in the winter for dry chapped cheeks- but imo, is very good on dry skin year round. My husband uses it on razor burn, we've put it on boo boos and sunburns. I whip it and put it in a jar, then just scoop out a little as needed. A little goes a long way. HTH
Click to expand...

Jennifer, do you make Barb's shaving soap recipe? No razor burn!


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## jdranch

MF-Alpines said:


> jdranch said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dorit said:
> 
> 
> 
> How is whipped shae butter used? Dorit
> 
> 
> 
> Our family uses it mostly in the winter for dry chapped cheeks- but imo, is very good on dry skin year round. My husband uses it on razor burn, we've put it on boo boos and sunburns. I whip it and put it in a jar, then just scoop out a little as needed. A little goes a long way. HTH
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Jennifer, do you make Barb's shaving soap recipe? No razor burn!
Click to expand...

Long time ago I did but now I am waiting for jojoba to drop in price.


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## a4patch

Are you selling refined or unrefined shea? organic or not? fair trade or not?


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## NubianSoaps.com

Only unrefined (in fact nobody will buy refined) and for sure Fair Trade. It would be pretty tough for real shea not to be organic


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## tmfinley

Unrefined, Fair Trade


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## jdranch

refined, ft


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## Guest

I use only unrefined, fair trade shea butter...


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## Jenny M

Only refined. My customers do not like the heaviness of the unrefined. 

If you are able to do some testing, maybe you should try both & see what works for your customer base. That's what I did one year. Refined won hands down. Jars & jars of lovely unrefined FT (Agbanga) ended up in soap. At least it did not go to waste.

I live in the desert. My customers need a good substitute for lotion which does not cut it in this environment. My lighter shea cream product is a good balance. You just have to find sells best for you. 

Jedwards refined is great & a super value.


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## adillenal

I use both and have customers that buy one or the other. Some like the white and some like the unrefined shea.


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## Sheryl

What size jars do you sell? oz's I mean. and if you don't mind me asking what do you sell them for $

Sheryl


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## Guest

Jennifer, to make the soap just sub out the jojoba with another really good oil.. apricot kernel, meadowfoam seed.. etc.. I cannot afford jojoba right now either.. well I won't pay that price anyway..


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## a4patch

Global Mamma is back ordered till Dec 4th Would love to find some before a big show on the 8th. Suggestions?


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## adillenal

Sheryl said:


> What size jars do you sell? oz's I mean. and if you don't mind me asking what do you sell them for $
> 
> Sheryl


2 oz net weight for $10. Have no trouble selling at this[price although there are others in my areas selling the same for $5.00.


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## jdranch

MRFBarbara said:


> Jennifer, to make the soap just sub out the jojoba with another really good oil.. apricot kernel, meadowfoam seed.. etc.. I cannot afford jojoba right now either.. well I won't pay that price anyway..


 thanks for the suggestion- I will have to try it with apricot kernel


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## Guest

Make sure to put it thru a calculator Jennifer..


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## NubianSoaps.com

In picking up my shea this week I asked my guy about raw vs refined. He said emphatically that there was no way of refining raw shea that didn't include hexane and bleaching (or it would still have the smell and not be white). The marketing some sites are doing that it is done with the use of DE or clays are bold faced lies (his words). I guess take it for what it is worth, but considering he deals in thousands of barrels of imported shea and mango butters, think I will stick to the unrefined!


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## smithurmonds

I've grown to like the smell anyway.


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## Guest

I'm with Vicki on this, anything white and refined has been thru a process that usually uses chemicals.. the very thing alot of us are trying to get away from.. and during this process, all the benefits from using it gets destroyed.. 
white flour, white bread, white shea.. 
I personally think that the refined is sticky feeling..


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## adillenal

tmfinley said:


> Tallabred said:
> 
> 
> 
> You have to have an account to see prices. Is it worth setting up an account for just Shea butter?
> 
> 
> 
> It was worth it to me. There's not much to it. The shea is beautiful and I haven't found a better deal.
Click to expand...

I signed up and ordered shea from GLobal Mamas. It was supposed to be back ordered but I got my shipment before Thanksgiving and used it to make whipped shea for my Thanksgiving weekend show. Very nice shea. In fact I sold so much I have to make more for this next weekend and I thought I had enough for two shows. I have had requests for African Black soap so I also order a dozen bars of their African Black soap so have when I get asked for it. 
Thanks Tiffany for the suggestion.


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