Shata Dhauta Ghrita: How to Make 100-Times Washed Ghee
Shata dhauta ghrita is ghee washed with cold water until it turns pale, soft, and spreadable. That is the whole job. You are changing how fat feels on skin so a pea-size sits on a dry patch instead of a slick of oil.
What is shata dhauta ghrita
Shata dhauta ghrita means ghee washed a hundred times. Same thing when you see Shatadhauta Ghrita or “100-times washed ghee.” You put pure ghee in a bowl, add a splash of cold water, rub, drain, and repeat until the colour shifts from golden to pale cream.
People reach for it when a spoon of cooking ghee on the face feels too heavy, but they still want a two-ingredient balm for dry corners, lips, or post-sun tightness. It is not a lighter version of eating ghee. Do not put this cream in dal. Eat plain ghee. Use this on skin. What the fat is before you wash it: what is ghee.
Chemistry of the emulsion lives on shata dhauta ghrita science. Eczema, psoriasis, burns: shata dhauta for skin conditions. This page is the kitchen method and how much to put on.
Why wash it instead of using it plain
Texture. Repeated cold-water rubbing breaks the oily feel of raw ghee into something closer to a cream. Count keeps you honest. Texture is the real endpoint. Stop only when it looks uniformly pale, feels whipped instead of slick, and has no sharp stale smell.
That is also why this is not the same job as ghee slugging. Slugging is a thin layer of unwashed fat as an occlusive. Shata dhauta is a washed cream you use in tiny amounts. If you want a heavier overnight seal, slug. If raw ghee sits on your face like oil, wash it.
What you need
Plan 45 to 60 minutes for 100 g. First time, use 50 g. A failed 50 g batch is annoying. A failed 200 g batch is a wasted jar. Do not go past about 150 g in one bowl. The centre stays oily and you will still be rubbing after dinner.
50–100 g ghee
First batch: 50 g. Fresh nutty smell. A waxy or burnt jar will not wash into a good cream.
Cold water
1–2 tsp per cycle, filtered. Warm water melts the fat and you start over.
Copper bowl
Preferred. Steel or glass if that is what you have. Same motion, more patience.
Dry tools
Flat spoon or palm, sterile glass jar, dry spatula. Wet fingers sour the batch.
Copper is not magic. It gives you better friction and stays cooler in the hand, which is why the old method names it. Steel or glass still make a cream. They take longer. If you want the vessel chemistry, that is the science article. Here: use copper if you have it, do not skip the recipe because you do not.
A 50 g trial fills a small lip jar. 100 g yields roughly 80 to 90 g of cream after draining and scraping. That is enough for weeks if you actually use a pea-size.
How to make shata dhauta ghrita
Start with ghee you would eat on roti. If it smells waxy, burnt, or like packing oil, stop. Washing does not fix a bad jar. Checks before you commit an hour: how to identify pure ghee. Bilona method, if that is the jar you keep: Bilona ghee method.
- Warm the jar in your palms, do not melt it. Scoop 50 to 100 g. Soft enough to spread, not liquid. Sterilize the bowl, spoon, and storage jar. Cold water in a cup, not from a warm filter.
- Spread it thin in the bowl. A mound washes from the outside and stays greasy in the middle. Flatten it.
- Splash, rub, cloud. 1 to 2 tsp cold water. Circles with palm or the back of a flat spoon, 60 to 90 seconds. You want milky water separating, not a puddle sitting on top.
- Drain like you mean it. Tilt, scrape, wait, tilt again. Leftover water is why batches go sour by Thursday. Spend 15 to 20 seconds on every drain.
- Repeat. Early cycles look oily. That is normal. Around 20 to 60 it should start looking matte. Late cycles look pale and whipped. If it is still golden and runny, keep going with less water per cycle.
- Hand test, then jar. A pea-size on the back of the hand should feel cooling and settle in about a minute. Transfer with a dry spatula. Fridge the same hour. Label the date.
Do not use a mixer. Faster, hotter, usually greasy. Hand rubbing is the control. 100 is a name. Pale whipped cream is the stop.
If the batch goes wrong
Still greasy at 60
Drain longer. Cut water to 1 tsp. Rub slower so the fat stays cool.
Looks runny
You flooded it. Skip the next splash, rub two dry cycles, then tiny water again.
Sharp or sour smell
Discard. Restart with fresh ghee and boiled-and-dried tools. Do not perfume over it.
Stays golden
Keep going. A finished batch is off-white or pale cream, not the colour you scooped.
Warm water, a mixer, leftover rinse water, and a stale starting jar are the four ways to waste ghee. Fix the first three. If the starting fat was already off, restart.
How to use it on skin
Clean skin, slightly damp. Press a tiny amount. Do not rub it into a shine. Start 2 to 3 nights a week. More product is not faster. It is just greasy pillowcases.
Patch test first: rice-grain behind the ear or on the inner forearm, 24 hours, before a full face. Even a perfect batch can feel heavy on reactive or acne-prone skin. Start on lips or elbows if you are unsure.
Dry cheeks, elbows, heels
Pea-size at night on damp skin
A thick all-face mask.
Lips
Rice-grain, like a balm
A smear that sits white on the lip line.
Under-eyes
Rice-grain, only if it does not sting
Anything near an active infection.
Acne-prone face
Patch test, maybe a dry corner
All-over slugging on congested skin.
Open rash, pus, flare
Dermatologist first
Kitchen cream as treatment.
Lips in more detail: ghee for lips. If the main worry is breakouts, read ghee for acne-prone skin before you treat this as a night cream. Topical ghee in general: ghee for skin and hair.
It may comfort mild dryness. It does not replace a prescribed cream. Spreading rash, pus, fever, or a diagnosed flare belongs with a dermatologist, not a copper bowl. That line is the other article: shata dhauta for skin conditions.
General skin-care information, not medical advice. Patch test. Stop if it stings, clogs, or the patch looks worse. Diagnosed eczema, psoriasis, infection, or burns: talk to a clinician before you swap this in for treatment.
Storage and when to throw it
Fridge, airtight glass, dry spatula every time. A well-drained home batch usually lasts 2 to 4 weeks. Cooking ghee lives in a cupboard because it is dry. This cream has been washed with water. Treat it like a fresh dairy-based balm, not a pantry tin.
Throw it if it smells sour, if watery pockets separate, or if the colour goes patchy or dark. Do not stir it back together and hope. Make 50 g again. It is faster than arguing with a bad jar.
Which ghee to start with
You taste this fat on your face. A cream-method tin that already smells flat in tadka often stays greasy after 80 washes. Slow Bilona cow ghee with a toasted-milk smell and soft grain washes cleaner. That is the whole reason to be picky before you start rubbing.
Warm a spoon. It should smell like food, not packing oil. If you would not eat it, do not wash it for your face. Jar checks: how to identify pure ghee. For a lighter cow jar meant for eating and this kind of home prep: best cow ghee in India.
Authentic Urban sits in that lane when you want proof beyond the lid: A2 Bilona, made after the order, packing video on the batch. Fresh ghee is easier to wash than a tin that has already gone quiet on the shelf.
Start with ghee you would eat
Washed ghee is only as clean as the jar you start with. Watch the batch — Authentic Urban A2 Bilona, milk to jar, on video.
Conclusion
Shata dhauta ghrita is an hour of cold-water rubbing, not a miracle cream. 50 g first. Drain like a pedant. Stop at pale and whipped. Pea-size on dry skin. Fridge. Patch test. Eat the unwashed jar. See a doctor when skin is medical.
Wash a jar you actually trust
Authentic Urban bilona A2 ghee — toasted-milk aroma, grain when cool, batch video. The same fat you would put on roti is the one worth washing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is shata dhauta ghrita the same as putting ghee on skin?
No. A spoon of plain ghee sits oily and heavy. After enough cold-water washes the same fat turns pale, soft, and spreadable. You still start with ghee. You do not finish with the same feel.
Do I need exactly 100 washes?
No. Shata means hundred, and that is the classical name. Stop when the batch is uniformly pale, whipped, and a pea-size on the back of your hand feels cooling instead of slick. Most home batches land somewhere between 80 and 120 cycles.
Can I use a mixer instead of washing by hand?
Do not. Mixer blades heat the fat and usually leave you with a greasy, unstable cream. Hand rubbing is slower. It is also how you keep the batch cool enough to thicken.
Do I need a copper bowl?
Copper is easier: more friction, cooler to work, closer to the method people mean. Steel or glass can still work. Expect more cycles and a less even texture. Chemistry of the vessel lives on the science page, not here.
Why did my batch smell sour after a few days?
Water left in the cream, wet fingers in the jar, or a warm cupboard. Drain every cycle until the bowl looks dry, pack in a sterile glass jar, refrigerate the same hour. Most home batches last 2 to 4 weeks if you stay that strict.
How much shata dhauta ghrita should I put on my face?
Less than you think. Pea-size for dry patches. Rice-grain for lips or under-eyes. Press it into slightly damp skin at night. A thick coat just sits there and looks greasy in the morning.
Can I eat shata dhauta ghrita like normal ghee?
No. This cream holds water. It is for skin. Eat plain, well-strained ghee in food. Do not cook with the washed jar.
Can acne-prone skin use it?
Sometimes a tiny spot, often not. Patch test 24 hours behind the ear. If pores clog or the patch looks worse, stop. Read the acne page before you spread it across a full face.
About the editorial team
Authentic Urban TeamBilona Ghee Makers & Editorial Team
This Blog is Reviewed by our nutrition and research team for practical accuracy and buyer clarity.
Trusted since 2016, we bring 9 years of offline ghee business experience and 1 year of online selling. We only work with curd-based Bilona ghee, and our articles are shaped by real production experience, customer questions, and hands-on quality checks.