Miibox 100% Raw Unrefined Organic Shea Butter-African Grade A Ivory 1 Pound (16oz)

We purchased this five months ago at the same time as the Raw African Black Soap (see our review on that) to hopefully help our daughter who was suffering from severe eczema at the time. As with the soap, this was the latest hoped-for "magic bullet" in our battle with our daughter's eczema. The butter arrived in large ivory chunks in a heavy-duty clear plastic bag. Upon opening it we could smell the oft-mentioned "burnt" smell of the shea nuts. That smell is what it is; we find it neither inviting nor off-putting and you'll have to judge it for yourself. After using it straight from the bag, we took the advice found on several sites about shea butter and broke off a chunk, placed it into a glass bowl, and heated that bowl in a saucepan filled with water until the butter turned liquid. Then we let it cool. As promised, this made the shea butter much softer, easier to apply, and also put the ashes at the bottom. So how did it work? Tremendously well! We cannot say enough good things about shea butter as a moisturizer, both for my daughter's eczema and my wife's dry skin. In terms of the eczema, a light morning application on the eczema areas was enough to keep my daughter's skin moist all day (it normally took two or three applications of Shikai Borage Lotion to achieve the same effect) and a second light evening application did the same while she slept. Furthermore, the moisture built up over time to where we actually needed to use less, going to once a day then once every couple of other days. Did we mention it's noncomedogenic? Yes, it's a really, really good and powerful moisturizer. At this point, thanks to a number of other changes we made (not the least of which was halting all topical steroids - see ITSAN), our daughter's eczema is very mild and we thankfully no longer need to use the shea butter for her. My wife still uses it every couple of days on her face and hands, however, and I also use it on occasion; we still love it and unhesitatingly give it five stars.

Quite a good price for the amount that was purchased, will last quite some time. It comes in a double sealed plastic bag. I scooped it all out and put it into a glass jar with a secured rubber seal. Keep in mind that quite a bit gets stuck to the plastic so I cut the plastic into small squares to smear it on the areas of my body before attending to the jar. The odor is quite strange, although I've gotten quite used to it. The smell is not that strong after application, only a faint scent. The butter is hard, but it starts to soften up after rolling it in between my index and thumb fingers for 30 seconds or so. Application is easy, rubbing it into the skin for a minute or so. Keep in mind that it will not fully soak into the skin no matter how long you rub it, so I let it soak in for the rest of the day, skin stays oily for quite some time. Don't fear it staining your cloths, none of my shirts nor pants have left any stains.(All colors) I bought this in the hopes of decreasing the visibility of my stretch marks that I got from some gain weight over the past few years (they are old stretch marks). I first read about shea butter online, so I followed by going to my local grocery store and purchasing a typical lotion with shea butter. What is not told is among all the ingredients in the lotion, there is typically only 2 teaspoons at most in it. Now who knows if it is refined/altered, most likely. You will never get as close to pure unrefined shea butter as this one and other sold here on amazon I presume. I have been applying the butter for 3 days now, and so far, WOW. It's quite amazing, completely moistens the skin like a baby's bottom. Although the stretch marks aren't gone and I don't believe they ever will be, so far it has decreased the visibility quite a bit for only a few days of use. My biggest stretch mark has a odd red mark in the middle of it, quite visible. That started to lighten a considerable amount after the first day, 3 days later even more! All I can say is try it, for whatever reason you need it for. Product is amazing, price is quite reasonable!

I have systemic Lupus and Lupus destroys the collagen in your body. On top of that, I am a "mature" natural blond with fair skin and have spent my entire life on a ranch in northern Wyoming that is located in the high desert and where the wind blows constantly and most of my long days have been spent in the sun. To say I have tried everything for my dry skin is beyond an understatement. "Miracle" lotions, potions and balms have found their way into my trash on a regular basis and have done nothing except empty my wallet. This product has made all the difference for me. It is a pain-in-the-behind to soften and apply but heating a small amount in the microwave speeds up the process. You should apply this at night as it takes about an hour to totally absorb into the skin. It really has no odor but if it bothers you, add a few drops of coconut oil, which, by the way, also makes it a little easier to apply. Following a vigorous exfoliation (this is an important first step to remove dead skin cells) apply the shea and massage, massage, massage. If you are religious about applying this at least every other day, you will see amazing results in a couple of weeks. My skin has become soft and supple with no razor bumps and no dry patches. It also has worked well on my feet after I use Flexitol (also a TERRIFIC product)and a Ped Egg. You can certainly pay a lot more for skin cream but believe me, you won't find anything that works as well as this. For those of you who are still young, NOW is the time to begin taking intense care of your skin. GREAT product and as is obvious, I highly recommend!

This product arrived in a broken container so I wasn't impressed with the quality of the container. It's a little grainy when using as is but I plan to make body butter and facial moisturizer so this may change once melted and mixed with carrier oils. Will not order again due to the container being broken upon arrival. There are other options so I will look for something more superior next time.