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.
Susan wrote on February 6, 2014
If you follow the recipe exactly, that should never happen. What did you use for your ingredients? 🙂
rini wrote on February 6, 2014
how to prevent the whipped shea from becoming hard again?
rini wrote on February 6, 2014
hello,
I made whipped shea like this, the result was good, however after storing it, it became like rock again, so hard that i need to scrap it with spoon. Any advice so that my butter stays creamy? Thanks in advance.
Megan wrote on February 5, 2014
Sadly mine never got solid. I followed this recipe to a T. The only thing i did different was my oils. i still did a 75% solid to 25% liquid but its been in the freezer for 20 mins now and its not setting. Is there a difference between raw and refined shea butter? That is the only thing i can think of. Or the oils i used. I did 8oz shea butter, 4oz coconut oil for my solids then 2oz almond oil 1 1/2 oz of grape seed oil and 1/2 oz of Argan oil for my liquid oils plus my essentials which were like 1%.
Susan wrote on February 6, 2014
You probably just needed to leave it in the freezer for a bit more. 🙂
G wrote on February 3, 2014
Thanks for this. I tried it and it came out great, so decadent. Thanks again.
Diane January wrote on February 2, 2014
For those who do not want to heat shea butter, a Kitchen-Aid works beautifully. Using a whisk attachment, butter can be left to whip while other things are getting done. Scrape the sides of the bowl down periodically to incorporate any lumps or unwhipped butter and continue whipping your butter until it is light and airy. This is virtually an effortless butter, and you don’t have to wait for the butter to cool down to incorporate essential/fragrance oils. It gives your butter a lighter-than-air texture, which melts almost instantly.
Susan wrote on February 2, 2014
It’s interesting…I have done it both ways and still prefer melting and cooling. I guess it’s an individual thing. Cheers!
Mark wrote on February 1, 2014
Hey there, Also Minnesotan 🙂 (Uptown). I’ve been making shea butter moisturizers for quite awhile now and wanted to make everything easier for you. You don’t have to heat and cool any of the ingredients. That actually was something I experimented on and on with, with only moderate success, for over a year. Throw everything in a food processor and blitz it till creamy. If you blitz it for too long (you know, to make it nice and fluffy), it’ll heat it a little too warm, and when it’s finally settled, cooled, and jarred for a day, it hardens again. Womp womp. So, whip it! Whip it good!
christy wrote on January 30, 2014
I haven’t ventured to make a homemade skin product yet, but have read that you can whip shea butter or coconut oil to soften and make them silky. My question for you is, why do you melt yours first? Thank you for the recipe!
Susan wrote on January 30, 2014
I melt them because they combine beautifully and make a stunning body butter. 🙂