Why Use Shea Butter in Soap ? Tips and More!

Shea butter soap benefits come from the butter itself. It is high in stearic and oleic acids, so it makes a hard, long-lasting bar with a stable, conditioning lather and a creamy richness. Baraka's unrefined shea butter, African black soap, kombo butter and baobab oil are all made by hand by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana.

Shea butter soap benefits: what it brings to a bar

Shea butter gives a bar four things: hardness, a long-lasting cake, a stable conditioning lather and a creamy, rich feel. Many soapmakers tell us it is a must-have ingredient for their soap. They talk about how it affects hardening, curing and lather.

• A harder, longer-lasting bar. The stearic and oleic acids in shea butter produce a firm bar that holds up in use.
• A stable, conditioning lather. The lather is creamy, and it holds.
• Creamy richness. Many soapmakers say they cannot get the same creamy richness without using plenty of shea butter.
• Faster unmolding. Shea butter is solid at room temperature, so a bar made with it unmolds sooner and feels firmer, especially in a recipe with a lot of liquid oil.

In soap making, curing means the drying time a finished bar needs before use.

Why use shea butter in soap?

Use shea butter in soap because it adds hardness and a creamy lather in one ingredient. It also changes how the batter behaves while you work.

Because shea butter is solid at room temperature, it makes a batter trace more quickly. When you beat the butter in a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, it can take a few minutes for the friction of the beaters to soften it. Keep going.

You can also use shea butter as a superfat. Some soapmakers add it later, once a light to medium trace is reached. That leaves some of the butter unsaponified, so it stays in the bar in its natural form. The amount you hold back is your choice, so adjust it to your own preference.

The other route is a rebatch. You add the shea butter after saponification has already happened, so it takes no part in the reaction and stays whole in the finished soap.

Baraka's shea butter is unrefined, strained and filtered only, with no refining, bleaching or deodorising. Its natural colour runs from ivory through cream to pale yellow and varies between batches. A mild nutty smell is normal and is not a fault. Shea is the seed of a fruit, and the butter keeps 2+ years when stored properly, away from heat and direct sun. That makes it easy to keep on the shelf between soap days.

How much shea butter to use in soap?

There is no single right amount. A well-known starting point is the 30/30/30/10 recipe: 30% olive oil, 30% coconut oil, 30% palm oil or shea butter, and 10% rice bran oil, sweet almond oil or another oil you prefer. In that recipe shea butter takes the 30% slot, in place of palm oil if you like.

To see what that means in practice, take a batch with 2 lb (907 g) of oils:

• Olive oil, 30%: 9.6 oz (272 g)
• Coconut oil, 30%: 9.6 oz (272 g)
• Shea butter, 30%: 9.6 oz (272 g)
• Rice bran, sweet almond or another oil, 10%: 3.2 oz (91 g)

If you use shea butter as a superfat added at light to medium trace, a commonly used amount is about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) per 3 pounds (1,361 g) of oils. You can add more or less to suit yourself. This tip comes from the Soap Making Resource.

What is shea butter soap?

Shea butter soap is soap made with shea butter as one of its oils or fats. The butter can be part of the main recipe and saponified with the other oils. Some soapmakers instead add it late as a superfat, or fold it into a rebatch. The result is a bar that is firmer and creamier than one made from liquid oils alone.

It is a different thing from African black soap. African black soap is a traditional Ghanaian soap made by saponifying plant oils with potash produced from plantain skins, cocoa pods and shea husks. It is soft and slightly crumbly, and its colour runs from deep brown to near-black and varies between batches. African black soap is alkaline, as all true soap is, and Ghana Standard GS 289:2021 sets a pH of 6 to 10. It also absorbs moisture from the air and softens if left uncovered, so keep it wrapped or in a closed container.

The women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana, make Baraka's African black soap by hand, alongside the shea butter. Wayne Dunn has worked directly with the Centre for over 15 years.

Choosing your shea butter for soap

For soap you want a butter that is plain and unrefined, so that what you add is what the label says. Baraka unrefined shea butter is the one to look at, since it is made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre and has nothing taken out or added.

Have your own soap making tricks? We would love to hear them. Write to us at info@barakasheabutter.com.

Quick answers

Shea butter soap benefits

Soapmakers say shea butter helps a bar harden and cure, and gives a creamy, rich, long-lasting lather. It is high in stearic and oleic acids, which make a hard bar with a stable conditioning lather. People also report that it moisturizes skin and hair naturally.

Why use shea butter in soap?

Soapmakers use shea butter because it makes a hard, long-lasting bar with a creamy, conditioning lather. It is solid at room temperature, so the soap traces more quickly, unmolds faster and feels firmer, especially in a recipe with a lot of liquid oil. Baraka's unrefined shea butter is one soapmakers tell us they count on.

How much shea butter to use in soap?

In a common 30/30/30/10 recipe, shea butter can make up about 30% of the oils, as an alternative to palm oil. To superfat with it instead, stir in about 1 tablespoon per 3 pounds of oils at light to medium trace. You can adjust that amount to taste.

What is shea butter soap?

Shea butter soap is soap made with shea butter as one of its oils or fats. It can be added at the start so it saponifies, added at light to medium trace so some stays unsaponified, or added when rebatching. Baraka's shea butter is unrefined, strained and filtered only, and is made by hand by women's producer groups at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana.