Coconut Oil

My latest venture was making whipped shea butter with coconut oil! I love shea butter, coconut oil, and essential oils, so why not make something great out of all of them? This time around I made sure to take pictures of the process.

What I Used:

• Raw Unrefined Shea Butter
• Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
• Olive Oil
• Carrot Oil
• Vitamin E Oil
• Lavender Essential Oil (EO)
• Lemon Essential Oil

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Using a double boiler, on a medium heat I melt the shea butter and coconut oil. About two parts raw unrefined shea butter was used to about one part organic extra virgin coconut oil. It takes a few seconds for it to melt completely. That's fine, because I don't want to cook the oils; I just want them melted.



Once the majority of the shea butter and coconut oil is melted I turn the heat down to low. Using a plastic knife I gently stirred the remaining chunks until melted. After completely melting, I add in Vitamin E Oil, Olive Oil, and Carrot Oil. It looks like popcorn oil.



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Next, it's time to cool the oil down to stop the cooking process, and so that it may be whipped! I put the entire pot into the freezer for about 3 minutes. After removing, I use a hand mixer (on a medium setting) to whip the oils together.



I mixed the oils for about 3 minutes before returning the pot to the freezer. In the beginning you'll notice that the mixture returns to its liquid state. The friction caused by the mixer reheats the oil, so the process of mixing/chilling has to be repeated a few times.



Soon you'll see froth on top of the oils. This is caused by the air forced into the oils by the mixer. You want to see this; it's what will make the whipped product light and fluffy.



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After repeating this process a few times the mixture will start to thicken up.



At this point you want to start paying extra attention to your mixture. Keep blending, but cut the time in the freezer down so you don't over chill the mix. It'll remind you for a watery pancake batter. If you want a more airy product set the blender speed to high. This will force more air into the oils.



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Now is when I add in any EO that I plan on using. For this mixture I used about 6 drops of Lemon EO and about 30 drops of Lavender EO before blending. Smell the whipped mix, and if the scent isn't to your liking adjust the number of drops you use.



When you see a "skin" forming on the top after putting in the freezer you no longer need to chill the mixture. Continue to blend until you reach a consistency that you like. Keep in mind that the mixture will solidify a little more after it completely chills.



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When the shea butter-coconut oil mixture starts to look like a body butter, or thick lotion I stop blending. This is the consistency I desire. If you keep blending the result will be more airy and solid. Stopping here gives you a creamier product. In the end both ways will melt at body temperature.

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Using my plastic knife I scrape in my whipped shea butter into small glass jars with air tight lids. A piping bag (like bakers use) could be used to help transfer the whipped shea butter into containers.



As you can probably tell, the results resemble a lotion. The consistency will vary depending on the air temperature. The amount of coconut oil you use will help determine this. If stored in a cool place it'll remain soft, but solid.



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Pros of this Mix:

• The acid in Lemon EO will help seal the hairs cuticle trapping in moisture
• Lemon EO acts as a clarifier to your hair helping to remove excess product and add shine
• Lavender EO is great for dry, oily, or damaged hair, because it helps normalize natural oil production
• Both Lemon EO and Lavender EO help fight the causes of dandruff.
• Coconut oil melts at about 75 degrees, so your natural body temp helps it spread. Less product needed
• Coconut oil is a natural antimicrobial
• Shea butter and coconut oil are both great hair and skin conditioners
• Shea butter has many healing properties
• Shea butter is quickly absorbed by the skin
• Carrot oil is high in antioxidants that help fight hair loss
• Olive oil helps improve elasticity (how far hair can stretch before breaking) of dry hair
• The whipped mix isn't as thick as raw shea butter, so people who were turned off by that have a new alternative

Uses for this Mix:

• Apply to wet hair after shampooing, and before styling for a leave in conditioner
• Use to protect the ends of your hair if they're damaged
• Massage into the scalp at night
• Could be used for two strands, finger curls, and other protective styles
• A hot oil treatment since the mix will liquefy with heat
• Use in a wash n go for extra protection
• Treat heat damaged hair

There are a few samples of my whipped shea butter mixtures floating around out there. Hopefully soon I'll have a couple reviews back on it. Try to create your own mixes. What would you use??