Customer Reviews

AAA Shea Butter Premium Grade A Unrefined Shea Butter, Net WT. 1LB (16oz)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I ordered this product hoping it would clear up my keratosis pilaris on my arms and legs. As my skin also is affected by hyperpigmentation my KP bumps are also dark little spots. After the 1st application the size and dark color of the bumps have greatly improved. Amazing. I've used Lac-Hydrin (per dermatologist rec), cocoa butter among other lotions and nothing's worked. I also have constantly chapped lips no matter what balm I used. I rubbed a tiny bit on my lips and this butter's been far more effective than anything else I've used. I did notice there is a slight scent but don't find it offensive.

If you look at a lot of commercial cosmetic products, from low- to high-end, many of them contain shea butter. I figured why pay for a bunch of fillers and marketing, and possibly lower grade butter when I can use the best-quality source ingredient.

The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because there was no expiration date on the label--although there was "expiration" written on it; maybe they forgot to stamp this one?

This 100% Unrefined Grade A Shae Butter with the ASBI Seal is a high quality product! It has superior moisturizing properties, and since it is unrefined, it also has very special and natural ingredients that are ideal for healthier skin. Shae Butter contains Vitamin A, the one vitamin that is absolutely necessary for healthy and beautiful skin. This premium Shae Butter has a mild pale yellow color, and spreads just like soft and creamy bar butter at room temperature. Its characteristic smell, "nutty", is not offensive and dissipates after a short while. Because it has No Impurities, No Chemicals, No Preservatives and No Fragrance, it can also be safely used on the face. It is naturally hypoallergenic. I bought this product for myself, my husband and for my elderly parents. It is perfect for daily use as a moisturizer "par excellence" for the face and the body. It is also very effective when used to help heal rashes, miner wounds, and other dry skin conditions. The shae tree is appropriately named the Karite Tree, which means the "Tree Of Life".

First, the helpful tip: To thin the paste and make it much more spreadable, I put a dab of the paste onto my left hand, then dripped some jojoba oil over it, then rubbed the stuff between my palms.. much better! Easier to rub into the skin, and cover a larger area. Jojoba oil is also good for skin, so this is a useful mixture. The jojoba oil does have a bit of a noticeable odor though, but again, as far as I can tell, the smell fades. You might want to try combining the shea butter with the jojoba oil, and see if this works for you.

Now, information on different kinds of shea butter from a consumer's perspective, and how this product compares to others..

I've had very very dry flaky skin for as long as I can remember. Similar to dandruff, but over much of my body. My skin gets itchy too. I've been using the typical lotions such as Aveeno and Vaseline Intensive Care and so forth for over 2 decades, and although those products made my skin feel better, and were an improvement over using nothing, my skin was still quite flaky.

Some years ago, My mom found a shea butter product online, and said I should try some. I'd never heard of shea butter before, but figured I'd try it. What she'd purchased, and what I also bought, was a product that cost over 4 times more than this. It was a refined, very smooth shea butter, with no odor unless I wanted a scent blended in with it. I was not aware at the time that unrefined, cheaper butter was available. Because of the high cost of the refined kind, I stopped using it. A few months ago, I decided to try to find a better deal on shea butter, and was browsing here on Amazon, and found this.

Refined shea butter, what I bought earlier, is processed with chemicals, and that's why it has no noticeable smell, why it is white in color, and why it is very easy to spread.

I've read on a couple shea butter websites that unrefined shea butter is better for skin because the refining process takes away much of the health benefits of the butter. Having used both, I'd say the unrefined butter is a little better for my skin, but that's not the main reason I'm buying the unrefined kind. The refined white shea butter I bought earlier is far too expensive.

Unrefined shea butter is VERY different from what I'd purchased earlier. The unrefined shea butter is darker in color (looks more natural) and feels sort of like clay or a thick paste. It is grainy, and has a VERY earthy smell. Yes, kind of like clay or dirt, not especially unpleasant, but definitely earthy.

Some folks, especially women, might object to the odor. Most women, or at least the ones I've met, tend to like products that smell nice.. some sort of fruit flavor, or flower, or something that smells like dessert.. chocolate, peppermint, etc. If you prefer skin care products that smell like the scents I've just mentioned, you probably won't like the odor of unrefined shea butter. The smell of it does dissipate, but I can't tell if the smell fades away entirely, or if I just get used to it. It's quite possible the smell does fade entirely, so, those of you who tend to like the nicer smelling lotions and butters might still want to try this product.. or maybe not. Sometimes I can still smell the shea butter on my skin and clothes many hours after I've used it. Not a strong smell, but there.

It is possible to buy unrefined shea butter with an essential oil mixed in. Peppermint is soothing, and even though I am a guy, I am not especially stoked about the natural shea smell, so I bought a small container of unrefined shea butter (made by a different company) with peppermint mixed in. The shea smell is still there, although the mint smell does disguise it some.. actually not much.. The combination of scents.. the mint and the shea butter.. not great. The mint oil mixed in does make the shea butter made by the other company a little more soothing, but not much.

Alrighty, Here's how you use this rather thick triple A shea butter stuff.. Take a bit of it, put it on the palm of your hand, and rub it in between your palms until you get it soft enough to spread on your body. And use the jojoba oil, if you like.

I bought one jar of this unrefined shea butter, and liked it enough to buy a second jar. There were several differences between the contents of the first and second jars. I don't know if this is normal, or poor quality control.

The consistency of the shea butter in the first jar was squishier than that of the second jar. The butter in the second jar is practically solid, more grainy and dry, and I really have to dig my finger into the stuff. Have to push hard to get any out. It's still useable, though. Once I dig some out, the butter from the second jar isn't harder to spread.

The other differences.. color of the butter in the first jar was darker than the second, and, the butter in the first jar had a stronger and slightly different smell to it. The smell from the second jar is less strong.

I bought a more expensive container of unrefined shea butter from another vendor, to compare with the two AAA jars. The color of the more expensive kind is closer to that of the second jar, the odor is closer to that of the first jar, and the consistency is more squishy and spreadable than both, but similar to the first. I'm not sure if the more expensive kind is worth the money. I've been using both it and the contents from the second jar of this brand.

Both the overly expensive refined shea butter I bought awhile back and the cheaper unrefined butter I am reviewing do help my skin. I almost never use the usual lotions anymore. I talked to my doctor recently, and he strongly recommended not using such lotions, because they contain alcohol, which dries skin. No wonder my flaky skin never got much better! Also, those lotions are loaded with chemicals concocted in labs, and I'd rather use a natural product.

The shea butter doesn't completely get rid of the skin flakes but, overall, the condition of my skin has improved since I've used shea butter.

I would suggest not buying just any product that has the words "shea butter" on the label though. Many products contain only a small amount of shea butter, and the rest is the usual chemical junk. Far better to buy 100% shea butter like this.

Am I going to buy anymore of this brand of 100% unrefined shea butter? I think so. Although the contents of the second jar differ somewhat from the first, I have found the shea butter contained in both jars to be useful.


Four stars instead of 5, because of smell, somewhat difficult to spread, some product inconsistency.

A helpful product though, and good value for the money.

I was trying to find an unrefined shea butter, so it seemed that the reviews for the product are generally good.

The product is very nice quality--of course it has the unrefined shea butter smell. What is also nice is that it is not terrifically hard; it does not take a ton of effort to dig a small amount out to use.

I pulled a star off, however, due to price. I've found other shea butter that is produced by fair trade, which is a lot more inexpensive than this product. The stuff I got, though, was of a harder consistency, which I did not care for much, but the quality seemed to be on par with this.

What IS nice about this product is that it is softer and comes in a nice jar....other stuff I've ordered comes in bags. I would order both, probably, because I like to keep the containers that the AAA Shea Butter comes in.

I have read several negative comments regarding the smell of this product. Interestingly, while I think this Shea Butter smells slightly nutty and unoffensive, two of my children think it smells bad and my spouse thinks it smells rancid. A friend of mine thinks it has a pleasant nutty fragrance. Apparently, different people perceive the smell of Shea Butter differently, and just because you may dislike the odor it doesn't mean the Shea Butter is bad. If you dislike the smell but still want to be able to use the Shea Butter for its benefits you can add a few drops of essential oil to completely conceal the scent (use caution when adding oils that can burn the skin). I use just a couple of drops of sweet orange oil that makes the Shea Butter scent appealing to even my spouse and children.

The product arrived quickly and is of Grade-A-quality as advertised. I will buy this brand of Shea Butter again when I run out.

This Shea Butter is the most awesome, when it comes to moisturizing and softening your skin. I had this dry spot on my finger that resembled a callus but was not, I applied Shea Butter on that spot for a few days and it is almost gone, wowwww fast ! I love this Shea Butter and will continue to purchase it when this one is all gone, also bought a family member some of this shea butter and she loves it too, have used it on other family members skin, even on irritations it is wonderful knocks the itch out quickly, had I known that Shea Butter was this awesome I would of purchased it many months ago, as I get severe eczema on my hands, shea butter is doing wonders for that too, and you know it makes your skin so soft just like baby's skin, just as other reviewers or descriptions have promised it does, you won't be sorry with your purchase of Shea Butter. Would also like to say that some reviewers have mentioned that Shea Butter does not smell very nice, I actually think it has a very pleasant scent considering it does not have any added perfume, it's actually a fresh scent.

It's IMPOSSIBLE for a first time buyer to purchase true, real, raw shea butter online I think. Well, I USED to think that until I found AAA Shea Butter Premium Grade A Unrefined Shea Butter, Net WT. 1LB (16oz).

Yes, it has a smokey smell. And by that I mean it smells like if you had been standing around a smokey campfire in your backyard and it got on your clothes, skin, etc.

Yes, it's greasy for a bit if you put too much on. I found that rolling a small ball, about the size of a large gumball between my palms to warm it up, then I put it in a waterproof container with a screw on lid and run hot water over it (or pop it in a cup full of hot water). It melts quickly and makes it easier to spread.

I have noticed a lot less redness on a scar of a surger I had May 2010 and my son has been using it on his acne scars, people have been stopping hiim and telling him "your skin looks really great!!!" My husband uses it to fade age spots on his head (he is bald) and I use it to moisturize our biracial daughters kinky/dry/coarse hair and on my face. I've gotten a lot of comments of looking "radiant" and "well-rested" in the last few weeks so I can live with that(I don't wear makeup, I try to stay out of the sun, I don't smoke or drink, I do get plenty of sleep, take care of my skin, etc. so hearing those comments are a very nice thing.

This is on our "reorder" list as we ALL love it. The smokey smell really does go away after about 30 mins but the moisture does NOT and I love that!

I have been using this shea butter for a year. I started using it because I have eczema and I wanted something pure to put on my skin. I did not want to put any more chemicals on my skin. I had checked into cheaper shea butters but felt I could not trust the source of them. Since this was certified shea butter, that helped me know it had been tested. I am tired of not being able to trust where my products are coming from. Can I trust the certification of this product? I hope that I can. It was the only thing I put on my eczema and I started to make my own homemade all natural lotion and put this shea butter in as one of the ingredients. Those are the two things I put on my eczema. I also completely changed my diet to organic, whole foods. I am eating more raw, juicing and have taken out a lot of the processed sugar and flour from my diet. My eczema got worse before it got better, but it is now better. I believe this shea butter is one of the reasons I am better. It helped to soothe my inflamed, red, itchy skin. It is thick, it does have a smell to it, it does keep the skin lubricated. It did get on my clothes, but my skin felt so much better while it was healing. I am so so very thankful for this shea butter and I always have a tub on hand. We also mix it with coconut oil to make an all natural sun tan lotion. There are many uses for it - chapstick, dry hands, eczema, night cream, makeup remover, mosquito bites, sun tan lotion, on and on it goes.

Now that I have been using unrefined shea butter for a couple of months, I can't imagine my household being without it. It is my "go to" for anything skin related and great for my hair also. It's like a fountain of youth for my skin, sun spots are fading fast, wrinkles softened, lips plumper and it makes minor abrasions heal so quickly and without scarring. My heals had cracks that were so deep that they constantly hurt. After 10 yrs of trying everything for my heal fissures, shea butter has almost healed them completely in less than 2 months. I also like to massage with it because it seems to ease pain. Love, love, love the stuff. I am all ready ordering more because all my girlfriends that I gave samples to want MORE.

I use the Shea Butter on my natural hair. I have to let it melt in my hand and then apply it. Because it is thick, it may leave a white looking reside which eventually melts. To help with this, I also use jojoba or castor oil along with the shea butter. This product is great for naturals.
100% Unrefined Certified Grade A Shea Butter 4 oz.