Cocoa Butter What's all the hype about?

What is Cocoa Butter?

Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow, edible vegetable fat extracted from the cocoa bean.  It is obtained from whole cocoa bean, which they ferment, then they are roasted, and then separated from their hulls. It contains a high proportion of saturated fats, derived from stearic and palmitic acids.  Most cocoa butter offered in the market will have a melting point of 93-101 degrees.  So that means it solid at room temperature but will melt once in your mouth but you don't want to eat this because even thought it smells of chocolate it has no flavor because it has been separated for the chocolate liquor which contain the taste of chocolate.
It is one of the most stable fats known, a quality that, coupled with natural antioxidants, prevents rancidity, giving it a storage life of two to five years when stored properly.


The difference shades of cocoa butter?
Unrefined cocoa butter- is creamy yellow in color  in its raw form. It smells pretty strongly of chocolate. 

Refined cocoa butter-  It white with no scent because it has been process to remove those properties.   The natural and alkalized cocoa butters are bleached and subsequently steam refined in a continuous packed column at temperatures ranging between 160 and 220°. There is not a whole lot of information regarding how this process effects the quality. 

What is it good for?
Cocoa butter helps the skin in many ways. It lubricates and protects the skin and also helps to fade scars.  Cocoa butter penetrates the top layer of the skin called the epidermis. The cocoa butter can also reach the dermis, the middle layer.

1.Antioxidants: Cocoa butter is high in antioxidants, which help fight off free radicals.

2. Stretch Mark Reducer: Cocoa butter is widely noted to help reduce stretch marks. Many women claimed regular use of cocoa butter was what kept their stretch marks away.

3. Deeper Skin Hydration: Cocoa butter is high in fatty acids and is an exceptional moisturizer that deeply hydrates for all skin types.

4. Problem Skin Healer:  Cocoa butter has been noted to help skin irritations such as eczema and dermatitis.

Recommended Usage:
Lotions & Creams: 1 – 10%
Lip Balms: 1 – 20%
Bar Soaps: 1 - 15%
Haircare: 1-10%

 Places to purchase from:
http://fannyjacksoaps.bigcartel.com/product/raw-cocoa-butter