**Let’s make a no heat whipped shea butter to help heal & combat dry skin.**

*With an optional Jasmine, Marigold & Lotus infusion.*

Cold Processed Whipped Shea Butter

This post contains non affiliate links. They are just products I really like but am not part of any affiliation program at this time.

Shea butter has been one of my favorite butters to use as it is affordable and can be easier to work with than some of the other butters.

**Shea Butter**

*Botanical Name: Vitellaria paradoxa*
Photo courtesy of Canva.com

I do prefer unrefined shea butter with its smoky nutty smell but you could certainly use refined shea butter if that’s what you prefer. I don’t mind the smell myself but if you are planning on adding an essential oil you might want to consider the refined version as the natural smell of the butter could interfere with the smell of the essential oil you want to incorporate.

In other words the essential oil probably won’t be enough to cover the natural smell of the butter & could actually create something not so desirable.

There is a drawback to using shea butter and that is if you don’t cool your product properly the shea butter can & will become grainy. Picture courtesy of google (in downloads)

Without going too deeply into the science behind this all you need to know right now is if you do encounter grainy shea butter it means at some point in its life it has melted & was cooled improperly. It is imperative when you work with shea butter that you are melting that you allow it to cool in the refrigerator.

Where this can get complicated is you have zero control about how the shea butter you purchase is treated from the moment it’s processed to the way it is stored & shipped from the manufacturers.

What do you do if you encounter grainy shea butter?

My suggestion is to use it in another formulation that you plan on using with heat or a hot process.

Those grains aren’t harmful but in my experience they can be annoying. They do eventually get absorbed in the skin but never fully incorporated into the formulation so you could use them if that’s all you had and you really wanted to try out this process but it will not have the same final texture it would if you used a non-grainy shea butter.

Just take a bit of butter & rub it between your fingers

Is it smooth & silky? Proceed
Is it rough & grainy? Consider finding a different shea butter or proceed knowing the final product is not going to be any smoother than it already is

*Image of grainy shea butter courtesy of Canva.com*

No heat = No graininess

By avoiding adding any heat we will not need to worry too much about how this product is going to be cooled down & therefore will not have the opportunity to get grainy!

Ok enough about that let’s explore the oils featured in this formulation.

We will be using Sunflower oil but feel free to use whatever light carrier oil you have on hand.

Let’s talk a bit about sunflower & see how it helps benefit our skin!

*Image of Sunflower oil courtesy of Canva.com*

Sunflower oil comes form the Helianthus annuus plant
It works as an emollient that can hydrate & soothe the skin
It has a similar make up to the sebum found on your skin helping it to absorb quickly
It can help reduce the appearance of pores, scars & stretch marks
Rich in VItamin A, C, D, E & K all which have been shown to protect against premature aging
Non-comedogenic meaning it won’t clog your pores & can actually help the body clear the pores of dead skin cells
High in linoleic acid & has been found beneficial for acne, eczema & psoriasis
Gentle on sensitive & mature skin

Whenever choosing an oil if possible always be sure to choose a high quality oil that has been cold-pressed as this will help ensure the oil has retained all of its wonderful healing properties.

Other oils you could use might be:

Sweet almond:

High in Vitamin E & K as well as containing essential B-complex vitamins
Helps to reduce the appearance of scars & blemishes
Prevents premature aging due to its vitamin E & fatty acid helping to repair free radical damage & oxidative stress
Reduces puffy eyes & dark under eye circles
Has been helpful in treating skin conditions such as psoriasis, acne, eczema & dermatitis

Argan:

Helps normalize sebum production & can therefore help fight acne while balancing oily skin
The Vitamin E & fatty acid content has deep hydrating properties & can help reduce itchiness & flakiness of the skin
Antioxidant rich helping to repair free radical damage such as premature aging, wrinkles, & age spots
Can be used as a treatment for conditions such as psoriasis, acne or eczema

Grapeseed:

Due to its high levels of linoleic acid it can help to manage acne by unclogging the pores it is naturally astringent
Protects against free radical damage & oxidative stress
Helps to balance & moisturize the skin while reducing inflammation while increasing skin elasticity
Polyphenols help to slow down the aging process & even reverse those signs
Useful as fighting acne & defending the skin against sun related damage

These certainly aren’t the only oils we could substitute but they are a few that have similar skin benefits.

The next ingredient I want to talk about is optional but it does add some amazing skin benefits & truth be told it’s just something I like to put into my formulations. This powerful ingredient is Vitamin E MT-50 Full spectrum.

*Image of Vitamin E MT-50 courtesy of windypointsoap.com*

Let’s see why we would want to add this into our formulation.

This is a blend of mixed tocopherols: D-delta tocopherols, D-alpha tocopherols, D-beta tocopherols & gamma tocopherols
D-alpha tocopherols are known to help reduce the appearance of fine lines

Vitamin E plays a crucial role in protecting our skin from environmental factors
You can add between 2-30% of this ingredient into any formulation. Always be sure to check with the manufacturer’s guarantees to confirm
By adding 0.5% to a carrier oil will extend the life of the oil but to be clear this is NOT A PRESERVATIVE

When choosing a vitamin E to formulate with, be sure you’re getting the actual oil & not just opening up a vitamin E capsule assuming it’s going to give you the same benefits.

Vitamin E capsules are cosmetic products not ingredients.

If you do choose to purchase this ingredient I like to use this one.

The supplier I like charges $8.25 CAD for 30ml. You are using such a small amount that this bottle is worth the investment in my opinion.

Cold Processed Whipped Shea Butter

If you wanted to make this butter with only the shea butter & oils you certainly could.

However we like to infuse things around here & one of my favorite things to use is my Levo herbal infusing machine. If you do not have an herbal infusion machine that’s ok, you don’t need to run out & purchase one in order to make an infusion.

You can grab a Levo HERE if you want. This isn’t an affiliate thing, at least at this time, I just love this machine.

There are a few different ways you could make an infused oil

Double boiler method by slowly applying heat to herbs you have covered with oil for 30-60 minutes
Slow no heat infusion method by placing herbs in a jar, covering with oil & allowing to infuse for 4 weeks

With my Levo I infused 2 grams of each of the following plant materials into 200g of sunflower oil for 2 hours @ 180F

Finally let’s talk about the plant allies I’ve chosen for this formulation beginning with Jasmine.

**Jasmine**

*Jasminum officinale*
Image courtesy of Canva.com

Herbal Actions of Concern

Rich in volatile oils it contains antiseptic properties offering antioxidant protection against free radical molecules & oxidative stress
These volatile oils can also be beneficial in helping to treat acne as it also contains some inflammation modulating properties
Has an affinity for soothing irritated skin like dermatitis or eczema
Antioxidant & astringent properties will tone & rejuvenate the skin helping with the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles
Topically it has also been used as a vulnerary herb helping to support wound healing
Contains analgesic properties to help with pain relief that sometimes accompanies wounds

Energetics

Cooling
Moistening
Tonifying

Ruling Planet

Moon

Ruling Element

Water

**Lotus**

*Nelumbo nucifera*
Image courtesy of Canva.com

Herbal Actions of Concern

Rich in vitamin C & antioxidants that can help protect the skin against oxidative stress & free radical damage. This helps to minimize the signs of aging such as fine lines & wrinkles
Contains zinc which helps to regulate sebum production & magnesium to help promote cell renewal
Inflammation modulating properties help to help soothe the skin
Protein & amino acid profile help with tissue repair & cell regeneration firming & tightening the skin
Fatty acids which are essential in keeping the skin hydrated

Contains alpha-hydroxy acids that work as a natural exfoliator & has been used in many anti-aging formulations

Energetics

Cooling
Moistening
Tonifying

Ruling Planet

Jupiter

Ruling Element

Water

**Marigold**

*Calendula officinalis*
Image courtesy of Canva.com

Herbal Actions of Concern

One of the best vulnerary herbs we have preventing the formation of pus & stagnation of fluids
Antimicrobial & antibacterial properties that have been shown to be effective against bacteria, fungi & certain viruses
Antioxidant properties helping to protect against oxidative stress & free radical damage
Inflammation modulating properties helping to soothe the skin reducing inflammation & providing pain relief from conditions like arthritis & dermatitis

Energetics

Warming
Mixed moistening & drying properties
Tonifying

Ruling Planet

Sun

Ruling Element

Water

*Image of Marigold (top), Lotus (bottom left), & Jasmine (bottom right)*

Formulation - 100 g batch

65 g Shea butter

33 g Sunflower oil

2 g Vitamin E MT-50 (optional see note if not using)

Equipment

Electric mixer

Small bowl or Pyrex container

Measuring beakers

Scale

Scoop /spoon for shea butter

Pipettes

Silicone spatula

Paper towel

Label & pen

Instructions:

Infuse the sunflower oil with the method of your choice
Weigh out all of your ingredients
Place shea butter in a bowl & mash it up with the beater until it’s in smaller clumps & starting to smooth out
Turn on the mixer & whip until the shea butter is smooth & uniform
Add the liquid oil & stir until partially combined. Turning your mixer on without this step could result in an oil mess that you now get to clean up.
Turn on the mixer starting low, working to high whip the mixture until it is fluffy, white & uniform in both color & texture. Be sure to not over whip
Scoop into a wide mouthed jar & label

Notes:

If you do not have or want to use the Vitamin E simply add 35 g of sunflower oil total instead of 33 g
Do not use this whipped butter on open or deep wounds as you have the potential of sealing off the wound too quickly trapping bacteria & other organisms. This could result in a very dangerous situation such as sepsis that could have been avoided by allowing the deep wound to breath.

Comment down below & let me know is this technique something that you are going to try in your own home formulations?

Be sure to come back next week for another delicious herbal recipe for Lemon Balm cookies

Until next time, may you find Peace wherever you are!