Shea butter is so good for your skin, as it fights breakouts, soothes your skin, and prevents inflammation. However, what happens when it’s not stored properly?
Shea butter can last for a while, but you will want to make sure you’re storing it the right way and taking good care of it. Anything you use to treat your body should be seen as an investment. It’s unwise to apply anything to your skin for treatment if there’s a chance that it’s gone bad.
How Long Does Shea Butter Last?
The answer to that question all depends on how the shea butter is stored. When stored properly, shea butter can last for up to 24 months, or two years.
Different factors can affect shea butter and cause it to go bad faster, particularly the location it is stored and the temperature it’s stored at. You do want to protect this product from extreme temperature changes so that it doesn’t spoil quickly.
You can tell shea butter is starting to go bad if it has an unpleasant smell to it. It will become rancid, and there likely won’t be any doubt that it’s spoiled. Bear in mind that this butter can have a smoky, almost burnt scent to it, and that does not indicate that it has gone rancid.
If shea butter is allowed to experience temperature fluctuations or it’s not stored in the right way, it can start to harden. That will make it very difficult to use, as you’re supposed to spread it on your skin, and it ought to have a buttery consistency to it.
How to keep whipped shea butter from hardening? I’ll show you how to store shea butter so that it last longer and retains its proper texture and consistency. This makes it easy to use and ensures that you can enjoy its benefits whenever you do use it.
Where to Store Shea Butter
There are a few different places you could store your shea butter, but the most important thing is the container you choose. Glass jars or glass containers work fine, as do resealable plastic bags and plastic containers with an airtight covering. It’s really important that you keep air away from the shea butter to prevent the air from damaging and spoiling it or from causing it to harden.
You’ll find that a lot of shea butter is stored in a food grade plastic bags, which is really gentle on the butter and is also quite good at keeping out air.
One really good way to store this product is to wrap it loosely in some plastic and then place that inside a container or a resealable plastic bag.
The butter would be more protected when it’s stored inside a thicker, heavier container as opposed to a thin plastic bag.
We do recommend storing shea butter in a pantry, where it won’t be affected by changes in temperature very much and where it is out of direct sunlight. It should not be kept near a window or close to heating elements. The more you can keep its temperature consistent, the longer it will last for you.
How to Store Unrefined Shea Butter
You should store shea butter at room temperature or away from heat as much as possible. Don’t let it achieve a temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter. If that does happen, you could permanently damage your shea butter, but You can try putting it into the fridge to restore it if you catch it soon enough. It’s fine to keep shea butter in the fridge, as that usually won’t affect it negatively.
Our advice for how to store raw shea butter is to put it out of direct sunlight as soon as you purchase it and then keep it in a thick container in a cool, dry place when it’s not in use.
What Does Shea Butter Smell Like?
A lot of people would describe shea butter’s aroma as a natural scent. It has a kind of nutty smell to it, similar to wood or even coconut. After you have been storing shea butter for a while, the smell will change, and it might not be as strong.
If you’ve kept it for too long, past its shelf life, or you’ve allowed air to get in and damage it, shea butter can start to become rancid. It will smell rotten and unpleasant. It may take on aroma that’s similar to rotten food, particularly spoiled olive oil.
How to Soften Shea Butter
Shea butter should not be hard, and it should not have a greasy quality to it. Instead, it should be soft and buttery.
If you have not been storing it properly, shea butter can become hard, and if it hardens, it will be difficult to use.
How do you soften it back again? One of the simplest methods is to add a liquid oil to it. Any kind of liquid oil you have on hand that you don’t mind applying to your body will work just fine. Try a couple drops of olive oil or any other cooking oil, or you can use an essential oil that won’t negatively affect the smell or usage of shea butter.
You could also try to whip the shea butter, similar to how you would whip butter or cream. Feel free to whip by hand or using a mixer, and once the butter is whipped, it will be soft and malleable again. You may need to add a little liquid, particularly a liquid oil, to help soften the shea butter again.
You can also try melting the shea butter, if it has become hardened. You do this by heating it at a low heat until it starts to soften. You should then allow it to cool slowly.
If you cool it too fast, the shea butter will turn grainy and not be very pleasant to use.
I’m Jennifer a beauty and wellness expert. I believe in promoting a sustainable and healthy lifestyle from within. Helping people feel good is my passion; whether it’s teaching yoga or offering skincare advice.
