Shea yeah but gross?

[BanjoCowboyMartaTobes]

I love all things shea but it doesn’t age well I think. I have been searching, relentlessly for a particular artisan shave soap and found one on a used site and snatched it up. It arrived in almost new looking condition, works great yet has a funk.

Weeks later, helping a friend, I purchased several shea heavy products that all had the same funk. Moisturizer, deodorant and soap. With a bit of googel foo, it seemed old shea can smell like my chow shepard who loves to roll in possum poop lol. Am I off (googel is never wrong) or does this stuff have a shelf life?

All products perform well yet that smell is starting to make the trash can scream for company unfortunately.

 

[timetofly]

I was at Shea Stadium a number of years back. Noticed a "foul" odor there.
They ended up tearing the place down.

Just kidding....

My understanding is shea butter can go rancid in about 12 - 24 months.

 

[NorthernSoul]

...does this stuff have a shelf life?

Shea butter can go rancid (basically oxidation of fatty acids in the butter). It will develop an off smell. Raw shea butter may last a couple of years. Refined shea butter as an ingredient in other products may last longer, especially if the product contains antioxidants.

To make the product last longer, store it carefully. Keep it in a sealed container away from heat, moisture and light. Use a clean spoon or spatula to take some of the product out of the main container to avoid contaminating it.

 

[ksblazer]

I had bought some shea butter. It made my face really glossy. So I rarely used it. About 2 1/2 years it had that rancid smell you mentioned. Tossed it after that.

 

[sarimento1]

never had any of my institut karite shea face creams go rancid, at least so far.
i would imagine that the better shea shave soaps or creams would be even less concentrated, hence longer-lived.