Does unrefined shea butter smell funky?

[maggiemae]

I just got some from MRH and it smells a little strange, not bad, but strange. Is this normal?

[sleepypeanutsmom]

Hmmm...I've never had unrefined shea butter, but I do have some raw coconut oil and it doesn't smell like coconuts...it smells faintly of Gorgonzola cheese...which I think is a little strange. I wonder if the refining creates the smells we are used to in these products??

[Destiny101]

Yes unrefined shea butter has a natural smoky smell. It's supposed to smell like smoked nuts or as I like to describe it, smoked cigarette. You know how some people's clothes smell like cigarette? That's how unrefined shea butter smells to me. It's perfectly normal and fades after a short while. It smells that way due to the fact that raw shea butter is extracted from a nut and the extraction process is what gives it the smoky nutty smell.

Now REFINED shea butter does not smell because it is stripped of odor, color and vitamins.

[maggiemae]

Thanks!