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.
Beth wrote on March 15, 2012
Is it possible to over-whip this? I made today and being warm today, set the bowl in an ice bath the cool it while I was mixing (with a hand mixer). After it started to set up, I whipped it for a few more minutes and it looked great! But when I took the mixer out, it was pretty stiff. It does melt just fine and seems to be holding together well.
I could just be paranoid about doing it wrong too! LOL! I didn’t have any luck with being able to smell the essential oils I added either… about how much did you add to yours to be able to smell it? I’ve never done this before so was hoping for some guide to go by. Thanks!
Anna wrote on March 13, 2012
I have made this 4 times and each time it worked beautifully. If you read the directions above, Susan says you may have to chill it to set it up. I have jars of it in my bathroom that have been perfect for weeks.
vanessa wrote on March 11, 2012
Regarding raw versus refined shea butter: raw shea butter has not been refined beyond the normal process of extracting the butter from the nuts. Refined shea butter is chemically processed/stripped to take away the inherent natural fragrance. Raw shea butter is ivory to pale yellow in color and has a distinct smoky odor from the roasting process that causes the nuts to release their oils. I find that this blends well with many essential oils and lends a deeper note to most blends. Many commercial products today use highly refined shea butter that is fairly devoid of nutritional content and full of harmful toxins released by the hexane gas process of refinement.
When making body butter make sure to clean your work area and wipe them down with a towel soaked in rubbing alcohol, this will greatly reduce your risk of contamination. I wear gloves when I make mine because your hands, as clean as they may be, are still full of bacteria that can transfer to the butter in the process, which COULD contaminate your product. Make sure to also alcohol wipe your containers, and preferably use a small spatula or scoop to remove your product from the jar to prolong it’s stable shelf life. Shea butter has a fairly stable shelf life and will last on it’s own for many months (year?) and retain it’s beneficial proerties. Hope some of that info helped!
Sandy wrote on March 11, 2012
I’m wondering if I can substitute cocoa butter instead of shea butter? I have the cocoa butter on hand and would like to use it if you think it will work? Thanks!
Susan wrote on March 12, 2012
I haven’t tried it with cocoa butter and I honestly don’t know how it will work. Cheers!
A. L. Venable wrote on March 8, 2012
On the shea butter smell, if you get the unrefined kind, it has a slight nutty smell, but I wouldn’t consider it unpleasant at all. It’s not completely similar, but it reminded me of the smell cocoa butter.
Susan wrote on March 2, 2012
There are a few reasons why the body butter could be breaking for people. First, if you aren’t very careful with your measurements and get too much liquid oil, second, if you don’t whip it long enough to get it to emulsify enough and third, if you are keeping it in a warm place.
LadyLark wrote on March 2, 2012
I can’t wait to try this. I’ve been threatening to make a homemade lotion with truely all natral ingredients for sometime but couldn’t think of what would hold up to consistency without being too think as I typically despise having to work with shea but your recipe looks smooth and creamy so I think I’ll try it…Gracias.
Mari wrote on March 1, 2012
Hello! The pic you provide looks awesome!! I can’t wait to try it out and make a few for my sisters. Wondering if the body butter needs to be refrigerated? And how long does this body butter last/shelf life?
Thanks!
Chyrl wrote on February 27, 2012
I have a question about the shea butter. I have been looking at the different kinds and reading about the odor of shea butter in it’s raw form. Is it unpleasant? I know the refined shea butter is an option and everything I’ve read from people say it does not have that strong “smoky” odor, however, would it be good a good choice as we are trying to keep it as natural as possible.
Susan wrote on February 27, 2012
I got organic shea butter at my local coop. It worked wonderfully and had no offensive smell. I have nothing to compare it to so I can’t help you here. Sorry! Cheers!