My search for cheap shea butter is finally over! Now all I have to do is locate a vendor that sells mango butter and other butters I want to try. I’ve done a lot of searching and the going rate for shea butter seems to be $1 per ounce. I found an online vendor who sells nothing but shea butter, straight from Ghana. One pound (16 ounces) of unrefined yellow shea butter cost me only $9 and shipping was included. The shea butter is soft and easy to work with. It’s  a bit gritty- the package says you should melt it and let it cool to remedy this. I melted mine to mix in some oils and aloe vera juice and the graininess went away. It is unrefined so there are a few (2-3) specs of brown that I can see through the bag. This isn’t a big deal to me. The butter is procured by hand so it’s expected.

As far as the purchase went, I was a bit skeptical. The website has only the bare minimum on there. I placed my order via PayPal so if anything went wrong, I could get a refund. My order went through on the 17th, I received the package today on the 27th. There was no correspondence other than my receipt directly from PayPal. I did get worried for a moment and sent off an email after a week passed, asking for a tracking number. The email had no response… but my package showed up a few days later. The shea butter came in a zip-lock bag and shipped via a USPS small flat rate box. I weighed the bag and it was a little over 1 lbs.

Overall, I’m happy with my purchase. The website could have more info on shipping and the vendor could do a better job of corresponding with the customer…but, hey, you get what you pay for right.

Here’s the website for those interested in purchasing: http://www.africansheabutteronline.com/index.html

Edited to add:

I did in fact receive a confirmation email after my purchase. I found it buried  in my spam folder. I also got a reply to my inquiry regarding the package tracking number. The email said I should expect arrival shortly (no tracking info included). The response came days after my package arrived. So, not the greatest communication but I feel more comfortable recommending them now that I see they DO in fact send receipts. If you choose to order, make sure you check your spam folder for an order confirmation.