Shea Butter (unrefined)

Raw Unrefined Shea Butter is a rich, creamy natural butter sourced from the nut of the African shea tree. It has an off-white colour, a characteristic natural nutty scent, and a thick, solid texture at room temperature, making it a popular choice for DIY body butters, balms, salves, hair butters and rich skin-care formulations. Unrefined shea butter is thick and solid at room temperature with a buttery rich consistency, and has a characteristic smell.

Because it has not been refined to reduce its natural scent, this raw shea butter is ideal for makers who prefer a more natural, minimally processed ingredient. If you prefer a milder scent, DIY Naturally also offers a refined organic shea butter option with a more neutral/light odour.

Shea butter is a classic oil-phase ingredient in natural face creams, body butters and balm-style products. DIY Naturally’s blog article How to Make Natural Face Cream at Home notes that carrier oils and butters form the moisturising base of a cream and lists shea butter as a classic choice. For makers formulating with water-based creams or lotions, the blog article Natural Preservatives for Homemade Cosmetics is also useful, as it explains that water-containing cosmetics need preservation, while anhydrous products like pure oils, lip balms, salves and solid body butters are generally self-preserving.