How can your shea butter be raw, unrefined AND polished too?

Hi,

I have bought a cube of your baby shower gel and just love it. I am looking into your shea butter and have a few questions. On the wholesale page it says it is raw unrefined but when I looked at the question and answers to the Soapman it says you refine it yourselves and add rosemary extract. I am confused is it raw or refined. I am also curious how you remove the latex so that it still is an unrefined product.

Hey – you’re right Shelly!

How can our shea butter be raw, unrefined AND polished too?

Glad you asked.

Organic Food Grade vegetable oils are refined using citric acid, followed by a clay or diatamaceus earth filter. At the end of this refining process you get a nice white, odorless product that is basically expensive fat. The antioxidant triterpene saponins and the anti-inflammatory polysacharrides that make up just some of the botanical goodie basket that comes with shea become neutralized. All you end up with in refined shea butter is dead shea butter.

Polishing however has 3 phases. 1)Slow heat to de-water and pasteurize, 2)Hi speed shear to mix it well, and 3)Hi-mesh filter (not using clay or diatamaceus earth) to remove latex and contaminants.

We add a little scentless USDA organic rosemary extract when we heat the shea to protect the oils from oxidation. The resulting product has an off-white color with a fresh, slightly nutty smelling finish that is smooth to use (and choc full of botanical goodies). You can smell the botanicals in there.

Because Vermont Soap is a USDA certified organic processor using approved organic food processing techniques, the NOP organic certification remains intact.

All the Best,
Soapman

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