Raw Shea butter is a single ingredient, which makes it forgiving to work with. No emulsifier to break, no preservative to measure, nothing to ruin beyond overheating it.
This is the full list of what we make. Three of them already have their own step-by-step posts, so those get a short description and a link. The other four are written out here.
Which Recipe for Which Problem
| Problem | Make this | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Dry body, all over | Whipped body butter | 5 min |
| Dry or tight face | Shea and Baobab face cream | 15 min |
| Dull skin, uneven tone | Carrot oil glow butter | 15 min |
| Cracked heels | Overnight foot balm | 2 min |
| Chapped lips | Two-ingredient lip balm | 15 min |
| Dry scalp, coarse hair | Pre-wash hair mask | 10 min |
| Rough, flaky skin | Sugar scrub | 10 min |
| Baby skin | Plain Shea butter | 0 min |
Already Written Up in Full
These three have their own posts with photos and full instructions:
- Whipped Shea butter — two ingredients, doubles in volume, spreads like frosting. Start here if you have never made anything with Shea butter.
- Whipped Shea butter with Baobab oil and essential oils — lighter texture, and the way to solve the smoky scent if it is not for you.
- Shea butter, Baobab and carrot oil glow — for dull winter skin.
Overnight Foot Balm
Cracked heels are the problem Shea butter solves most dramatically, and this is barely a recipe.
- Warm a walnut-sized piece of raw Shea butter between your palms until it turns to oil
- Work it into heels, soles and around the nails, generously
- Cotton socks on, straight to bed
- Repeat three nights running for badly cracked heels
Same method on hands with cotton gloves.
Two-Ingredient Lip Balm
You need: 2 tbsp raw Shea butter, 1 tsp beeswax pellets, optional 2 drops peppermint oil.
- Melt the beeswax in a double boiler, since it needs more heat than the butter
- Off the heat, stir in the Shea butter until it melts through
- Add peppermint if using, stir once
- Pour into small tins and leave to set for an hour
Skip the beeswax and you have a softer balm you keep in a pot. Both work.
Pre-Wash Hair and Scalp Mask
You need: 2 tbsp raw Shea butter, 1 tbsp Baobab or coconut oil.
- Melt both together until just liquid, not hot
- Massage into the scalp first, then work through lengths and ends
- Leave 30 minutes, or wrap and leave overnight
- Shampoo out, usually twice
Fine hair: half the amount, ends only.
Sugar Scrub
You need: 1/2 cup raw Shea butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 tbsp light oil.
- Whip the Shea butter until soft and pale
- Fold in the sugar gradually so it stays suspended
- Stir the oil through
- Store sealed and keep water out, since water in a sugar scrub is where trouble starts
Use on damp skin in the shower, rinse, skip your body lotion afterwards.
Baby Balm
In northern Ghana babies are massaged with Shea butter from their first days. It is the oldest use of the product and the one we hear about most from customers.
- Warm a small piece between your fingers until it melts
- Apply to dry cheeks, chapped chins, rough patches and nappy-area redness
- No essential oils, no fragrance, nothing added
One Recipe We Took Down
We used to publish a homemade sunscreen recipe. It is gone and it is not coming back. Homemade SPF cannot be tested, the protection is unknown, and people get burned trusting it. Use a certified sunscreen and put Shea butter underneath.
Why Raw Shea Butter for DIY
Refined Shea butter is solvent extracted, bleached and deodorized, which removes much of the vitamin and sterol content along with the scent. Whipping air into that is a lot of effort for a fat that gave up its best part in a factory. See raw versus refined Shea butter.
Ours is handcrafted by a women's cooperative in northern Ghana. They own the operation, set the standards, and their children are in school because the orders keep coming. Nothing is added at any stage, which is exactly what makes it good to work with.
Try It
Our 450g | 16oz pouches, 2.25kg | 5lb boxes and 4.5kg | 10lb boxes are sold out at the moment. The new container from Ghana lands in August. If you plan to work through this list, the Shea and Baobab combo set covers most of it.
Read More
- Grainy Shea Butter: How to Fix It
- How to Store Raw Shea Butter
- Baobab Oil: The List of Benefits
- Is Raw Shea Butter Good for Your Face?
FAQ
Do I need a preservative in these recipes?
Not if you keep water out. Anhydrous mixtures like these are stable for months. Add water, milk or aloe and you need a preservative and a short shelf life.
Why did my whipped butter go grainy?
A temperature swing let the fatty acids crystallise at different rates. Harmless and fixable in ten minutes.
How long do these keep?
Several months sealed, cool and out of sunlight. The added oil usually ages before the Shea butter does.
Can I add essential oils to all of them?
To most, at five to ten drops per cup. Never in anything for babies or pets.
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