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.
neersja wrote on May 13, 2015
Hi Susan,
I am planning on making this cream. Does it keep in the fridge without hardening?
Kasie wrote on May 8, 2015
Hey there! I made this recipe last night with probably a little less coconut oil (I underestimated what I had on hand) and I added Vit E oil instead of the almond oil. I used about an oz less. It whipped wonderfully but I let it sit overnight to harden some bc I was finding it was too oily. Today it has a great texture but still oily…especially if I put it on my face. Is there anything I can do now that’s its done or is it too late?
Thanks- Kasie
Susan wrote on May 8, 2015
It is a bit oily when it first goes on. It is a butter, not a lotion. But the beauty is that it absorbs quickly. Cheers!
Jesse wrote on May 7, 2015
Hi Susan,i ‘ve just run out of my vaseline and found out your recipe, so eager to try this but since my body is kinda hairy (so embarrassing) will coconut oil worsen it (i’ve only use coconut oil on my eyebrow to enhance it) i’ll be very grateful if you let me know about this 😀
Susan wrote on May 8, 2015
Hi, Jesse, I have no information on that. You might try looking it up. Cheers!
Jesse wrote on May 7, 2015
And one more thing can you tell me what oils are solid or liquid like jojoba oil,grapeseed oil, castor oil,olive oil, rice bran oil…
Susan wrote on May 8, 2015
Solid oils are oils that are solid (not pourable) at room temperature. Liquid oils are oils that are liquid (pourable) at room temp. Cheers!
Becky wrote on May 7, 2015
I use a similar recipe to this. I use aloe vera as my liquid.
Cary Ann wrote on May 7, 2015
I may have missed it in the comments above but how much essential oils should be used %, drops, tsp?? anyway will work..Thanks in advance!!!
Susan wrote on May 8, 2015
You can use as much or as little as you want. I suggest starting on the low side and adding until you like how it smells. Cheers!
Lou Whitcomb wrote on May 6, 2015
Susan, I made this but different than yours. I used this recipe as a guide, I used 4 different oils but only a 1/2 cup total and then I used shea butter, coco butter and coconut oil. Next time I will not use the coco butter as it added a chocolate smell that was to strong for the essential oils I wanted to use. I put it in small tins and give it to my friend and they are wanting the recipe so I gave them the 75-25. I have so many allergies that I was just using coconut oil. Now I can say I use a Body Butter. Bless you! I am going to make a face cream with coconut oil and Primrose oil.
Susan wrote on May 7, 2015
So glad you like it, Lou! 🙂
Laurie wrote on April 29, 2015
Hi!
I made this last night, melting it in the dehydrator to keep all nutrients intact. My only problem was getting side tracked when it was in the freezer. I had to re-melt it 3 times and really stay on top of it. It freezes quickly. One minute it will be liquid and the next few minutes it can get hard. Now that it’s done, I love it! It feels great on the skin…very luxurious. I used orange and lavender EOs and it smells very nice. Thank you so much!
Blessings!
Roberta wrote on April 24, 2015
Hello, I made this recipe and all i can smell is the coconut oil! I added about 50 drops of EO (lemongrass, lavender and Orange) and I’m wondering if it’s just that my coconut oil has a very strong scent or if I should add more EOs. Any suggestions? I didn’t want to over do it on the EOs because I want it to be safe… TIA;)
Other than that it’s great! Thank you
Susan wrote on April 25, 2015
You can get coconut oil that doesn’t smell like coconut. It seems that you might be sensitive to that. I honestly don’t even smell it but I don’t mind the smell. Cheers!