Refined vs Unrefined Shea - Testing Batch 1

Above: batch one of the 2 whipped shea butters undergoing stringent testing – identical in every way except for the shea itself. The goal: to discover which is the better shea – refined or unrefined.

As I write this, I have been using both butters for about 4 weeks.

Let's have a look at how things went, shall we?

Application

Both whipped butters have been primarily tested on extremities: feet, legs, arms, and hands. My method: testing the unrefined butter on the left side and the refined butter on the right side.

I always try to approach A/B testing products as scientifically as possible, but let's be honest here: we are talking about feel and perception, so it's kind of impossible to put numbers or 'solid facts' on any of this.

Nonetheless, the daily application of both butters was carried out methodically and according to 'strict (self-imposed) rules' as to amount, rub-in time etc.

I thought I was doing a bang-up job of everything too. As it turned out, my testing method had serious flaws.

But, we'll get to that bit in a minute.

Feel

Both butters go on easily and both need to be massaged in for a bit to be absorbed. They both leave a bit of 'greasy shine' to the skin.

There is, however, a denser, richer feel to the unrefined shea. Even when whipped to an airy lightness, I find the difference between the 2 butters tangible.

Moisturising and Skin-Nourishing Ability

Apart from the immediate sensory difference, it is not my impression that unrefined shea moisturizes or nourishes better than refined. In this respect, both butters deliver equally well.

Scent

Refined shea is as close to scent-free as you can get, while unrefined has a heavier, almost cocoa-butter-like scent.

I used the same essential oil combination for both whipped butters, but the unrefined needed an extra 4 drops to 'morph' the scent into something pleasant. The end result: the 2 butters smell slightly different.

Which is best?

In principle, I prefer scent-free raw materials because they are 'a blank canvas' to work with.

But working with unrefined shea – not nearly as heavy-smelling as cocoa butter – really isn't much of an issue – perhaps because I have worked so many times with heavier-smelling ingredients such as cocoa butter.

Admittedly, it took some years, but I finally started to get the hang of working with the inherent scent of a (smelly or heavy) ingredient and incorporating it as a component of the final scent. When you get the hang of, it, it's actually much easier than trying to mask the scent of a heavy ingredient. Creating a scent 'around cocoa butter' obivously makes for limitations as to choice of essential oils, but it is also quite an interesting challenge.

Flaws Revealed

As mentioned above: I try to approach this kind of product testing as scientifically as possible. And I would have sworn I had been using equal amounts of each product every day.

But guess what.

One of the jars was empty waaay before the other one.

See?

Surprisingly, the unrefined shea turned out to be my fave.

Coming Up

We're not done with shea butter yet. While I am A/B testing refined vs. unrefined shea, I have been tasked with creating a non-greasy-feeling whipped shea butter/balm. So, we will be moving from one test directly into the next!