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.
Susie wrote on August 25, 2014
I’ve made this a few times and I absolutely love it! I just add organic essential oils for scents, my whipping got better my second time around. It does last for a very long time! My boyfriend even loves it. The only problem that I have encountered is that during summer, when I travel the lotion melts because of the warmer temperatures. Once it melts and hardens, it becomes really chunky unfortunately. I’m wondering if I put less of the liquid oils, that maybe it won’t melt as easily? Any tips?
Amber wrote on August 23, 2014
Does it need to be raw shea butter? or could it be refined?
Susan wrote on August 24, 2014
Hi, Amber, You can use either. But since this is a raw site, we tend to use raw. Cheers!
Laura wrote on August 20, 2014
For the past few weeks I have been trying to get rid of all the toxic beauty and cleaning products in my home. I came across your body butter recipe and really appreciated your step by step instructions. Also, the fact that you listed optional butters, cocoa or shea, just as long as the ratio of solid butter to liquid was a certain way. When I first made this I didn’t have Shea butter so I used Cocoa butter, coconut oil and almond oil. It came out beautifully. I couldn’t believe I could make something at home with no chemicals in it and it be better than the expensive butters I buy in the store. I gave some to my Mom and she just loves it. My next batch will be with the Shea butter, because I want to do a Lime coconut scent. Thank you for taking all the guess work out for me. This recipe is my go to body butter recipe. Oh and it is doing wonders for my face as well. =)
Susan wrote on August 21, 2014
Thank you, Laura!
Kenya wrote on August 16, 2014
How long does the whipped butter lasts? What do you use as a preservative??
Susan wrote on August 21, 2014
Hi, Kenya, I don’t use any preservatives. As long as there isn’t water in the mix, you should be fine for months. Cheers!
Alexia wrote on August 11, 2014
Hi I am new this but i had always wanted to make my own body butter. Since i had some cocoa butter, olive oil and coconut butter (cream) and coconut oil i decided to experiment. I used 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of cocoa butter, 1/4 cup of coconut butter(cream) and 1 cup of coconut oil. I let it chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Then i put in the freezer for another 20 minutes thinking this would speed up the process. When i took it out of the freezer it was only partially set but cool. So i decided to go ahead and mix. Everything turned out fine and the mixture turned into what looked like whipped cream. However, it didnt stay that way. As soon as i was done i put the mixture in a container. It began to melt. Withing 10 minutes it returning to a liquid state. I had to refrigerate it to keep it hard. Didnt turn out right after all. Therefore, i will use this recipe when I make this again.
Sarah wrote on July 31, 2014
This is for Faina- I haven’t tried this recipe (yet! I will though ’cause it looks awesome!), but I usually make deodorant out of coconut oil, baking soda, and essential oils (lavender and tea tree) and had a similar problem- I would get itchy skin after using it. I think I’m sensitive to the essential oils. Make up a batch with no essential oils and see if you get itchy later. Also, check online to see how much oil you should be adding- essential oils only need a few (literally 2-3) drops max, applying many essential oils in stronger concentrations or directly to your skin can be very irritating.
Jackie wrote on November 19, 2017
Sarah, the problem you were having with getting itchy skin may have been caused by the baking soda. Many people have this issue with homemade deodorants. You can try arrowroot powder, but it doesn’t have the same odour absorbing properties as the baking soda.
Fiona Whelton wrote on July 29, 2014
A really lovely recipe but just a little cautionary note on the use of essential oils. They are so much more than just a pretty smell and can be very potent if incorrectly used on the skin. Citrus oils eg, orange, lemon and bergamot are highly photosensitive so if you go out in the sun after applying a lotion containing these oils a skin reaction is likely to occur. This might explain the comment above regarding itchiness. By all means add these to your body butter as they smell divine and have a range of therapeutic properties but either apply to parts of the body which won’t be exposed to strong sunlight or apply at night before bed. By morning the oils potency should have dissipated somewhat.