I've bought shea butter that was grainy and it was by Jason Naturals. Supposedly it was unrefined but I doubt it cause most shea butters I've used have been smooth and creamy in texture.
Product Information:
How can I recognize good Shea Butter?
Pure Shea Butter can be found in three types of extractions.
Raw or unrefined- extracted using water. The color ranges from like cream (similar to whipped butter) to grayish yellow. This is the original form of Shea Butter.
Refined - is more highly processed. Has many of its natural components still intact.
Highly refined or processed - solvents are used to increase the yield (hexane is an example). The color is pure white.
Smell: Shea Butter has a natural smell, which is quite pleasant and does not stink. Over time the smell of the Shea Butter will diminish. If an unrefined Shea Butter has almost no smell, it is probably getting old. Shea Butter should not stink, not matter how old it is.
Handling: Shea Butter does not need to be refrigerated.. However, over a period of two or three years, the Shea Butter will begin to lose some of its effectiveness. As the natural ingredients begin to break down, some of the healing benefits will be reduced, but the Shea Butter will continue to be an effective moisturizer.
Color: The color of unrefined Shea Butter depends on the Shea nuts used. Shea nuts will vary in color from almost white to yellow. Therefore, refined Shea Butter will vary in color. You will not be able to determine the authenticity or quality of Shea Butter based strictly on its color. However unrefined Shea Butter will certainly look different from processed Shea Butter.
Should not be: Greasy, green or hard
