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.
David wrote on July 3, 2013
Please ignore my previous post and post following (was writing it from mobile and coconut oil was misspelled to cocoa oil). Thanks:
thanks for the wonderful recipe. Tried it for a first time and really love the consistence of the final product. I used
1 cup unrefined shea butter
1/2 cup coconut butter
and add some vanilla essential oil for better smell. And there is the catch. The smell of shea butter seems to be that strong that eliminates coconut+ vanilla aroma. So added more coconut oil (so was 1:1 in the end) and nearly half of the 10ml vanilla essential oil bottle. Could you please let me know if the shea butter is really so powerful or you have not experienced this? Bought shea butter for the first time and from well rated seller on the internet who claims to have pure unrefined etc shea butter. Thank you and wish all the best
Tiffany wrote on June 29, 2013
I love this Body Butter, it’s amazing . Thank you for sharing your recipe and thoughts on making this wonderful cream. I mada a batch for my sister birthday, I hope she likes it as well as I do. Please continue to share your ideas !
Karen Brimhall wrote on June 21, 2013
To Susan,
I can’t wait to try this simple recipe! I have 2 pounds of the Organic Raw Shea Butter from the exact link you showed us! Mine is a deep ochre yellow color. I always thought Shea Butter was naturally white! I like the color for my uses.
To Anna,
If you use Aloe Vera, keep in mind that it is a liquid with water in it… so you have to use something for emulsification (mixing oil and water), and something to preserve it since water introduces bacteria to oil. I like to make body butters with distilled water and aloe vera in them, and the “true” emulsifiers, that are used by the commercial industry, are not as natural so I don’t want to use them. So, I use beeswax, lecithin, and arrowroot powder. (The arrowroot powder absorbs some of the oil and leaves your skin with more of a matte finish. Great to camoflauge age spots and scars! It’s powdery soft and heavenly.) But even with the use of those things, I’ve never had a batch that didn’t start separating after a few weeks. I just make small batches, separate into small containers, and keep what I’m not using yet in the fridge. And to keep them from spoiling, I use Vitamin E and/or GSE. If you really want to add aloe vera or other “water” ingredients, it takes a little more experimenting and educating yourself. But to me it is worth it. The water makes the body butter have a wonderful cooling feel, and adds more moisture to your skin. That said, I can’t WAIT to make Susan’s recipe. Looks heavenly.
Steph wrote on June 18, 2013
A couple of my friends and I have recently started to get together once a month for a ‘Make Your Own’ Party. Tonight we made this Body Butter as one of our recipes. We were amazed by the final product…It was light, fluffy and perfectly whipped. We couldn’t believe how simple it was to make a natural product that looked so luxurious, and makes your skin feel so smooth. We will definitely be making this product again and again.
Andrea wrote on June 18, 2013
Hi there,
I am wondering how ‘much’ this recipe makes? (Either in actual ounces, or how many jars of what dimensions you can fill.) Thank you!
Susan wrote on June 18, 2013
As it says in the recipe, it makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups. 🙂
Anna wrote on June 18, 2013
I’m curious, if I adjusted to the correct proportions (75%,25%) if you could add pure aloe vera as well? I have a family member with a horrible skin condition and I am looking for a good recipe for a skin cream to help heal and relieve the irritation. I have tried Betsy Jabs non-greasy skin lotion with moderate success (I love the feel of it), but had a hard time getting complete emulsification. It did help with the skin condition and I think the aloe had something to do with it (also used almond oil and vit e). This looks like an easier recipe that I would love to try- and I may just experiment (But I would hate to waste ingredients!). Thanks 🙂
Maria wrote on June 17, 2013
I was wondering instead of adding essential oils if I can substitute with lemon or orange rind? I am not sure if the Now essential oils are skin friendly. I tried adding a bit of Now lavender essential oil and the scent did not work for me. Thank.
Judy wrote on June 5, 2013
I used my hand mixer, wiped off as much body butter as I could before putting it in the dishwasher. No problem!
Gypsy wrote on June 3, 2013
Is the whip step essential? I don’t really want to have to clean my whip with partially solidified essential oil containing body butter. I use the same whip for making cake!
Susan wrote on June 3, 2013
If you don’t whip it, it will be solid. I use my kitchenaid mixer for this all the time. I just throw it in the dishwasher.