Homemade Body Butter Recipe
I made my first batch of body butter today. I think my life has changed forever. Delightful, decadent and easy, I have wanted to try making it for a long time. I was convinced that it would be difficult and not work the way I wanted. Boy, was I wrong.
I love creamy body butters. Living in a climate that gets quite cold and dry in the winter, they are a must in my house. But two things have always bothered me. They can be quite expensive and also, full of ingredients that are less than desirable for your skin and health.
We often forget that our skin is the largest organ on our body and absorbs what we put on it. If you are using lotions and body butters with chemicals in them (fragrances, preservatives, color additives, etc.) be aware that your skin absorbs the chemicals, too. Not exactly desirable. I often just use almond oil on my skin after a shower but sometimes I want something a little more decadent. Body butters, made with pure oils and essential oils for fragrance are just the thing.
I called my friend Jen Vertanen, who writes the blog, “The Wholehearted Life”, knowing that she has spent years playing with recipes for home made soaps and lotions and asked her opinion on ingredients. She told me to use 75% solid to 25% liquid oil. Sounded easy enough.
I measured out shea butter (I use this shea butter: organic raw shea butter
I wanted to use rosemary as one of my scents. I didn’t have any rosemary essential oil so I added fresh rosemary as the oils were cooling. I also stirred in the almond oil at this point. Once the oil was cool, I strained out the rosemary, added peppermint (just a few drops, it is strong) and sweet orange essential oils and tried to whip the butter as instructed in other body recipes that I had researched. Nothing happened. I was about to give up and just let the oil harden when I had an idea.
I placed the oil mixture outside (it’s cold…it’s Minnesota) and let it partially set up. At that point, I tried whipping it again in the kitchen aid mixer and, success! A beautiful body butter, so simple to make, smelling delicious and with a texture that was like clouds of silk.
*Because of the popularity of this recipe on pinterest, I am getting many, many questions that are more suited for an expert. This is a raw food site, this was my first attempt at body butter, it worked better than I could have hoped for and if you make this recipe as stated, it will work great for you too!! I am sorry but I can’t answer the technical questions. Cheers!*
IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH YOUR BODY BUTTER WHIPPING: you probably rushed this step. It needs to be cooled significantly….like in the picture.
I have to admit, I am pretty excited at how easy it is to make. I used sweet orange, lemon and lavender in my second batch. Heavenly. You can just use the basic recipe and add your favorite essential oils. Just make sure they are skin friendly!
A few people have asked about jars. I use these: Weck Jars
TIPS: PLEASE READ!
- You can use what ever oils you wish, just make sure you keep the ratio 75% solid to 25% liquid. SO IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO ANY OF THE ABOVE LISTED OILS, JUST REPLACE THEM WITH AN OIL THAT YOU ARE NOT ALLERGIC TO. Just make sure you replace a solid for a solid and a liquid for a liquid.
- The chilling step is crucial. If you don’t chill it properly, it won’t whip or stay whipped. About 20 minutes in the freezer usually does the trick for this batch. Make sure you scrape down the sides before mixing.
- Since this recipe does not contain any water, it will not mold. You should keep in a cool place but it does not have to be refrigerated.
- I do not know the exact shelf life but I know it will keep at least a few months, plus.
- The body butter melts as it goes on and gets a little oily but absorbs beautifully, quickly and leaves your skin very soft.
- You can order the shea butter here: Raw Shea Butter
You can order the coconut oil here: Coconut Oil
You can order the almond oil here: Almond Oil
You can order the Weck Jars here: Weck Jars
Alternatively, coconut oil and almond oil are quite easy to locate at your local coop, Whole Foods or health food store.
- This recipe has been tested many times. If you don’t follow the recipe, you will not get the same results.
- Many people ask for exact amounts of essential oils. I start with at least 20 drops of what ever oil I want to use and just increase slowly until I am happy with how it smells. So…be free! Use your own creativity here.
Body Butter
MAKES 2 1/2 to 3 CUPS WHIPPED BUTTER
- 1 cup organic raw shea butter
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (solid)
- 1/2 cup almond oil (liquid)
- Melt shea butter and coconut oil in the top of a double boiler. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.
- Stir in almond oil and essential oils of your choosing.*
- Place oil mixture in freezer or outside to chill.
- Wait until oils start to partially solidify (see photo) then whip until a butter-like consistency is achieved.
- Place in clean, glass jar and enjoy! A little goes a long way.
*Not all essential oils are skin friendly or child friendly. Please do your research before adding.
Lynnsey wrote on November 14, 2012
Thank you so much! Made it last week and love it! Will continue to follow your recipe and blog. Cheers to you!
Lynnsey wrote on November 14, 2012
Why do you heat the oils? Can you skip this step and just start whipping?
Susan wrote on November 14, 2012
Shea butter is quite hard. I melt them all together because it is the easiest way to blend the oils. Melt, stir, cool, whip. Easy peasy. Cheers!
Rebecca wrote on November 14, 2012
Hello
I’ve just made this and it’s amazing, tried it with coco butter and a batch with Shea butter.
Thank you so much for the recepie my guests will love there home made Christmas gifts!
Becks xxx
From across the pond in the UK
Mary wrote on November 11, 2012
Thanks for all the info…I want to make some scented with almond. Clerk at store said to use almond extract but it is not oil based and I’m afraid the fragrance would fade. Any advice?
Susan wrote on November 11, 2012
There is almond fragrance oil. I think you are right about the extract. Cheers!
Jessica Clermont wrote on November 11, 2012
How much does this recipe yield? If I buy 4oz jam jars for example how many should I expect to fill? I’m excited to try this recipe for Christmas gifts!!!
Susan wrote on November 11, 2012
When whipped, you will get 1 1/2 to 2 times the melted oil volume. Cheers!
Jessica wrote on November 10, 2012
Just finished my first batch! Love it! For those who are wondering about quantities..I made half a batch(because the container of shea butter I had was only 7oz) so 1/2 c shea, 1/4 c coconut & 1/4 c jojoba(also had on hand). It made approximately 12oz of whipped butter. (1 c of oils=1.5 c of butter) Mine is more the consistency of a thick lotion, not quite as whipped as in the picture, but that may be due to the fact that I used jojoba oil, or that I had to briefly microwave my bowl to get the hardened edge out. I also made a “vanilla spice” scent with about 30/40 drops of vanilla essential oil(mine was not very strongly fragranced) & 20 drops of Thieves oil. It’s lovely! Thanks again for posting this recipe!! 🙂
Susan wrote on November 10, 2012
I make this body butter all the time. If the mixture is too warm, it will not whip correctly. If you have a hard rim, it might have been in the freezer too long. You can always scrape it into the mixture before you start. Cheers!
sam wrote on November 10, 2012
thanks for that, that gives me something to start with, 🙂 cant wait to get cracking
x x
sam wrote on November 10, 2012
hi im thinking of making this as gifts for my friends at christmas, can you tell me – was your recipe enough for one jar of body butter or more and how much was in the jar 100mls/200mls? this will help me to know how much to multiply by in order to make enough for every one! thanks Sam x
Susan wrote on November 10, 2012
Hi, Sam, I am sorry, but I didn’t measure. I think it comes out about 1 1/4 to 1. Meaning if you have a total of 1 cup melted oil, you will have 1 1/4 cups body butter. But that might be over stating it. If you double the batch, make sure you only whip half at a time. I will make a batch and see what I have. Cheers!
Joann wrote on November 10, 2012
I made this recipe last night using all the correct ingredients. Although it took well over an hour to cool the Shea butter and coconut oil, outside on my NE PA porch, it was worth the effort.
The results are every bit as good as you say, I am so pleased with the texture and the way it makes my skin feel. My lotion looks very yellow, not white like yours looks. I,m guessing that it has something to do with the color of my Shea butter, which is very yellow.
Susan wrote on November 10, 2012
Joann, It will chill down in your freezer in about 20 minutes. The day I cooled it outside, it was below zero. Cheers!