I've been getting a few questions from my buyers about what the consistency of their Unrefined Shea Butter should be.
At 65 - 75 degrees, approximately room temperature, your Unrefined Shea Butter will be semi-soft or solid. This may be harder than you expected if you were envisioning a more buttery consistency. But don't worry! The melting point of Shea Butter is about 85 - 90 degrees. This is why when you rub a bit between your hands or on your skin, it will melt easily and absorb quickly into your skin or hair.
So, what do you do if you feel your Shea Butter is too solid? Well you have a few options, first you can leave it as is and use a finger to warm the area you want to scoop out of the jar when you want to use it (this is what I do). Another option is to simply leave your Shea Butter in a warm area of your house, such as under a lamp for about an hour or so to soften the entire jar of Shea. If you want more immediate gratification, then you can place the jar in the microwave and heat it GENTLY. I'm talking 10 seconds at a time at medium heat, people! You never want to heat your Shea Butter too long or too fast or you cause it to go grainy. As long as you don't do that you should be fine and can heat your Shea until it becomes oil (Shea makes a wonderful hot oil treatment or massage oil). If you need to solidify your Shea back up, then just place it in the fridge until it reaches the consistency you like.
