Whether you’re “whipping up” quick Christmas gifts or just stocking up on homemade, natural products, this homemade whipped body butter recipe is perfect for dry skin. Add the essential oil blend of your choice and play around with different scents while nourishing your whole body with natural butters and oils.
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I confess: I totally used to be the girl with a hundred different drugstore body lotions in my bathroom. Ya know, the ones with “water” listed as the first ingredient followed by a whole bunch of chemicals and preservatives that really have no business being anywhere near your skin.
But a few years ago I started learning about the importance of using safe, all-natural ingredients on our skin. I was already paying attention to the ingredients I was eating and feeding my family, but I’d never really considered that our bodies absorb what we put on our skin much like they absorb what we put in our mouths.
And so, like everything else if our life (candles, home cleaning products, etc.) I started overhauling our cosmetics and body products one by one, chucking out the old store-bought stuff and replacing each item with a healthier homemade version.
This homemade whipped body butter recipe was one of the first body products I learned to make, and I’m proud to say that I have never bought (or used) drugstore body lotion since.
Are store-bought body lotions bad for you?
While not all commercial body butter products are created equally, in general most of them contain some pretty junky ingredients that you should really think twice about slathering on your body or your kids’ bodies.
Some common ingredients found in commercial body lotions include preservatives like parabens (which have been linked to breast cancer and reproductive issues among other things), butylated hydroxyanisole aka. BHA (an endocrine disruptor and known carcinogen) and synthetic fragrance oils and parfum, which are made up of a whole bunch of chemicals, most notably phthalates (which have been linked to early puberty in girls, reduced sperm count in men and reproductive issues, as well as liver, kidney and lung damage).
Even water, the most seemingly innocent ingredient in commercial body lotion poses a risk.
Pick up almost any store-bought lotion or body butter and take a look at the list of ingredients. More than likely, water (or “aqua”) will be somewhere near the top of the list if not at the very top. Now, on the surface this seems pretty safe and natural. What could be more natural than water, right?
What most consumers don’t know though, is that any product that contains water is susceptible to mold. So in order to combat any mold that might grow on lotions containing water, more preservatives are added to extend the shelf life of the product.
Of course, preservatives like the ones mentioned above are something you probably want to avoid if you’re looking for all-natural products. And you absolutely should be striving for all-natural products if you are considering slathering them on your skin!
Our skin is the largest organ on our bodies after all, and our pores suck up everything that we put on our skin.
So if you’re concerned about eating organic, all-natural foods, you should definitely be concerned about using all-natural body products as well!
The best part about this homemade body butter recipe is that, since it only contains healthy oils and no water, it requires no preservatives to keep it from spoiling on the shelf. Plus, the oils are super beneficial for your skin to boot, so you can rest assured that you truly are nourishing your body with this lotion.
How to make homemade body butter
To make your own homemade body butter, all you need to do is add ½ cup shea butter, ¼ cup of coconut oil and ¼ cup of sweet almond oil to a saucepan and melt over medium heat.
Then add in approximately 30 drops of essential oils (I sometimes like to add a few more drops if I’m going for more of a strong scent) and then mix everything together well.
Here are some of my favourite essential oils and combinations for homemade body butter:
Spiced Orange
- 20 drops orange
- 5 drops cinnamon
- 5 drops clove
Soothing Lavender
- 20 drops lavender
- 10 drops frankincense
Warm Gingerbread
- 15 drops ginger
- 5 drops cinnamon
- 5 drops nutmeg
- 5 drops clove
Sweet Creamsicle
- 15 drops orange
- 5 drops ylang ylang
- 10 drops vanilla
You can use whatever essential oils you like if you would prefer different scents, but be sure to do your research first when choosing which oils to use.
I use Plant Therapy essential oils since they’re high quality, pure essential oils that are also very affordable. But you can use whichever quality brand you like best.
Also, steer clear of cold pressed lemon and lime oils as they are phytotoxic and can cause chemical burns on the skin if exposed to sunlight.
How to “whip” your homemade body butter
Once you’ve added your essential oil blend and mixed all ingredients together well, transfer to a mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
* If you don’t have time to leave it in the fridge overnight, you can pop it in the freezer for an hour or two (max) and it should be solid enough to whip up.
After your body butter has chilled and solidified, use a hand mixer to whip it into a silky, smooth, whipped consistency.
You could also use a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment if you like.
Transfer the finished product to a storage jar (I like using half-pint glass jars for my homemade body butter), then pop the lid on, add a pretty label and you’re done!
* You can get my printable Whipped Body Butter labels from the “Printable Labels” section of my Free Resource Library.
What’s the shelf life of homemade body butter?
I don’t know the exact shelf life of this homemade body butter recipe as it’s never lasted on my shelf for more than about 3 months before I’ve used it all up, but if you keep it in a dark, cool place (like in a cupboard), it should last at least 3 months and probably much longer.
If you want to be extra safe, you can store this lotion in the fridge. Just be careful nobody mistakes it for icing or whipped cream! (It seriously looks good enough to eat, and while technically it’s made of natural ingredients and safe for consumption, it doesn’t actually taste as good as it looks! So be forewarned if you’ve got kids or a husband who is likely to dip a finger in and have a taste… Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything ?
Keep in mind that, because it’s made of oil and doesn’t contain any added ingredients, it is susceptible to melting if left out in the heat (just as coconut oil turns from a solid into a liquid oil when heated). So do try to keep it at room temperature or below if possible.
This body butter also makes a fantastic gift and can be whipped up (pun totally intended) at the last minute if needed.
So the next time you need a quick, easy and inexpensive gift for anyone in your life (yes, I have made this for the men in my life too… I call it “Bro Butter”;), look no further than this homemade body butter recipe!
Help! My body butter is greasy!
I’ve had a few comments/messages about this body butter recipe being a bit oily or greasy. Unfortunately a little greasiness is par for the course when using a body butter that is 100% oil based. It’s good for our bodies, but can sometimes be a little too much.
If you’re finding that your body butter is too greasy, the best way to fix it is by adding one tablespoon of arrowroot powder. I’ve had multiple comments and messages about this being a great way to cut the greasiness, and have done research on other recipes and found that many people recommend adding around one tablespoon of arrowroot powder to similar recipes.
I’ve never personally tried using arrowroot powder (although I think I might have to give it a try now!) But this is definitely the most natural and best way I’ve seen to cut the greasiness of this DIY body butter recipe.
Help! My body butter is melting!
Once again, this is the nature of a 100% oil-based product: If it gets too warm, it will probably melt (or at least soften).
If you live in a warm climate or it’s the height of summer, you might want to store your whipped body butter in the fridge.
If your body butter is still quite melty or soft even in cooler temps, you may want to try reducing the amount of shea butter by half and instead use 1/4 cup shea butter and 1/4 cup of cocoa butter. The cocoa butter is a hard butter unlike shea, so it will help to keep it more solid.
Don’t Forget Your FREE Printable Labels!
You can grab my free printable whipped body butter labels from the “labels” section of my Free Resource Library!
You’ll also get access to a library of free resources to help you on your handmade, homemade, homestead journey, including eBooks, guides, checklists, cheat sheets, templates and labels to help you live a more homemade, sustainable life!
*** Access my FREE Resource Library right here! ***
Looking for more all-natural body products and homemade gift ideas? Try these:
- Quick & Easy DIY Bath Salts W/Essential Oils
- Peppermint Sugar Scrub Recipe
- DIY Hair Pomade With Rosemary Essential Oil
- All-Natural Homemade Toothpaste Recipe
- DIY Dandelion Healing Salve
- Homemade Soy Candles with Essential Oils
Or check out this video tutorial on 3 easy, all-natural homemade Christmas gifts you can make in your kitchen (including this body butter recipe!):
Homemade Whipped Body Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup Shea Butter
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil
- ¼ cup Sweet Almond Oil
- 30 drops Essential Oils
Instructions
- Melt the shea butter, coconut oil and sweet almond oil in a saucepan or double boiler over medium heat.
- Add essential oil blend and stir to mix well.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and place in fridge to let cool. Allow mixture to cool completely until the oils solidify (I usually leave mine in the fridge overnight... You can place it in the freezer to cool quicker, but be sure to set a timer so you don't forget about it and let it freeze!)
- Once mixture is completely cooled, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the mixture until it's a smooth, whipped consistency.
- Spoon into a clean glass jar and seal with a lid (you can reuse an old lid for this).
- Add a pretty label and/or tie a piece of twine around the lid to dress up the finished product (You can grab the printable labels I use from my Free Resource Library) and you've got a beautiful homemade gift (for yourself or someone else!)
P.S. Want all the skin nourishing goodness of homemade body butter but don’t have time to make your own? Consider F-Balm from The Tallowed Truth. I started using this tallow balm on my face and skin two years ago, and I absolutely love it! Tallow is rendered beef fat, which is a rich in fat-soluble vitamins and nourishing fatty acids that support hydration and skin barrier function. The Tallowed Truth is also a small Canadian family business that supports freedom in every sense of the word, including freedom from nasty chemicals in your skincare and body products! You can feel good about supporting this company and using their products all ways around.
Get 15% off at checkout when you purchase through this link.
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness 🙂
Related Posts:
- Quick & Easy DIY Bath Salts with Essential Oils
- Peppermint Sugar Scrub Recipe
- DIY Hair Pomade With Rosemary Essential Oil
- All-Natural Homemade Toothpaste Recipe
- DIY Dandelion Healing Salve
- Homemade Soy Candles with Essential Oils
- DIY Essential Oil Rollerballs for Fall & Winter
- 35+ Last-Minute Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas
Hi, I see others in the comments talking about cocoa butter in the ingredients. Are the ingredients in the fatty oils, Shea, coconut oil, almond oil? Just making sure the ads are not covering up the part of the ingredient list. Thanks!
Hi May – you’ve got it, the posted recipe only contains the following ingredients:
½ cup Shea Butter
¼ cup Coconut Oil
¼ cup Sweet Almond Oil
30 drops Essential Oils
The comments you’re seeing may be because people are substituting cocoa butter for shea butter.
-Ashley (assistant)
What scents are good to mix together for body butter?
Hi Kara,
Around the middle of the blog post, Anna has listed several of her favourite essential oil combinations for this recipe.
-Ashley (assistant)
I took the oils out of the fridge overnight and it’s rock solid and I’m unable to whisk it.
Should I be waiting for a hours before trying to whisk it?
Yes, I’d give it some time at room temperature before trying to whisk it. -Ashley (assistant)
I let mine solidify on the counter overnight it’s winter though so probably summer the fridge is needed
I can totally relate to your journey of transitioning from drugstore body lotions to embracing homemade, all-natural alternatives! It’s eye-opening how many harmful ingredients are present in commercial products. Your choice to create a homemade whipped body butter is inspiring. The information about the potential dangers of common ingredients in store-bought lotions is crucial for everyone to be aware of. Taking care of our skin with natural products is just as important as choosing healthy foods. Thanks for sharing your experience and insights – you’re making a positive impact on people’s well-being! ?✨
Hi, I’ve done everything it’s said but all the olis separated and texture went all weird ? I did have to substitute the sweet almond oli with canola and used coconut oil but was liquid version should I be using that solid coconut oil or am I just doing something wrong?
Hi Molly – I would definitely try again using solid coconut oil and not substituting with canola oil. The texture would definitely be off with those specific substitutions. Good luck! -Ashley (assistant)
What if the lotion smells to much like the almond or coconut oil, can we reduce the amount we use? Or should we add more fragrance oil?
You don’t want to mess with the amounts of the main oils too much because it can change the consistency of the lotion. You can definitely try using more essential oil to cover up the smell!
What oil can be substituted for coconut oil?
Hi Amie – this is actually quite a big and complex topic, because you have to consider substituting for the consistency of coconut oil, otherwise the body butter may not be the correct consistency. Here is a guide that you might find helpful: https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/guide-to-substituting-ingredients – Ashley (assistant)
Can I add like pumpkin, nutmeg or cinnamon spices to this? Or it has to be essential oils? Also what homemade body butter would be good for eczema?
You could add spices in lieu of essential oils but the fragrance probably won’t be as strong. I’m not sure about eczema specifically but you could certainly try this recipe. I do find myself reaching for my homemade dandelion salve whenever my kiddos get a rash. You can find the recipe here: https://thehouseandhomestead.com/diy-dandelion-salve/
Jewelweed is good for eczema. I harvest it from my yard and make it into a tincture that I then add to a salve for my daughter. It would probably be better in a body butter.
Thank you for the reply and the link. I did find fragrance oils are those safe to use cause they say do not use on skin but I don’t know if they mean on diluted?
Could I use pure vanilla extract instead of essential oil
This isn’t something I’ve personally tried, but according to google, it should be ok as long as you aren’t allergic!
Hi.
I made mine and after about 15 minutes the the whipped cream literally started to harden now ll my tubs have hardship Shea butter with the fragrances. What did I do wrong ?
Thank you
Sorry to hear! My guess would be either accidentally messing up the measurements (too much shea butter or solid coconut oil maybe?) or not mixing everything well enough. I’d give it another try and make sure to follow the directions super closely! -Ashley (Assistant)
Absolutely love the essential oil combination list you gave!
Would vanilla and myrrh essential oils go well together?
I think they would! If you want to be sure, you can try mixing a drop of each on a tissue or the back of your hand beforehand, just to be sure you like it, before you commit to a whole batch.
How do I measure a half cup of shea butter? I came in a huge hard block. Do you melt it first and measure it when it’s liquid?
You could melt and measure – or you could grate it through a cheese grater and measure it that way. Alternately, you could google and see if anyone has done the legwork to measure shea butter by weight and then measure it by weight if you have a food scale! -Ashley (assistant)
Does arrowroot powder used a preservative in body butters?
Generally, arrowroot powder is used as a thickening agent. For more information on shelf life for this recipe, read the section titled “What’s the shelf life of homemade body butter?”
Hi,
I live in a warm humid climate (South Africa) and the risk of melt is high, so I’m suggesting a “butter bell” to keep it solid yet soft. It works well with my kitchen butter so should work here too.
How do you keep the Shea and Cocoa butter from getting grainy in the made product?
Hi
You need to cool them in the refrigerator since their freezing point differs . At very low temperature, they all tend to cool at the same rate thus preventing grain formation of the different types of fatty acids in the butters.
Hello,
How can you make an unscented body butter? Thanks, Joan
Hi Joan,
Just omit the essential oils and it will be unscented:)
Hi Anna,
I am going to attempt to make the body butter. I purchased the organic raw shea butter but it smells so bad. Is there a substitute that can be used instead?
That’s odd. I’ve never noticed a bad or unpleasant smell. You could substitute it with cocoa butter however cocoa butter is much harder at room temperature. That might not be a bad thing though as the body butter might stay firmer at higher temperatures.
Another option is mango butter. I haven’t tried it but it’s a bit softer than coca butter and can be substituted for shea butter.
I used mango butter in mine and it turned out very well. However, I would like to add the arrowroot powder so it’s not so greasy. Or do you think I could blend it with distilled water and aloe vera gel to get it to lotion consistency?
Those are both good ideas that are worth a try – however they haven’t been tested on this end. If you do try, please let us know how it works!
There are two types of Shea Butter – Refined and Unrefined. The unrefined has a strong odor that is difficult to mask, the refined only has a slight odor…
I’ve tried this recipe twice, once in the thermomix and once on the stove, but get the same result. When I go to whip it it stays chunky, I get small pieces of hard white stuff throughout making it unusable as I have to spend time removed all the hard bits after applying. It doesn’t look creamy like yours. I left it in the fridge overnight, it was firm when I started whipping it. Do you have any ideas as to why this would be happening? Thanks!
It should have a light smokey scent. Of it smells bad, it is likely rancid. Shea butter has a shelf life of 24 months as long as it is kept in a cool dark place, so it may have been stored improperly before sale or during shipping.
can i use baby oil instead of almond oil
Personally, I have only ever made homemade skincare products with natural oils, because the entire draw for me in making them is avoiding unnatural additives. Baby oil is petroleum-based. I would recommend substituting the almond oil for another natural oil such as apricot kernel seed oil, fractionated coconut, or even olive oil. There are many options!
Is it possible to substitute the shea butter for vasaline or something?
The only thing I’d consider substituting the shea butter with would be another butter of similar consistency, such as mango butter. I would not sub with vaseline.
Hi! Once whipped will it remain the same texture? Or will it harden again?
It should remain the same texture once all of the ingredients are emulsified.
Hello, quick question! Does your body butter recipie make enough for an 8oz container?
Hi Kaitlyn – yes, this recipe makes approximately 8oz / 1 cup 🙂 -Ashley (assistant)
Hi,
Can I add honey to recipe? And soy milk or oil?
You could try adding a little honey, but I’m not sure how it would affect the finished product (ie. if it would be sticky, etc.) I’d start with just a small amount first to try it out.
I wouldn’t add soy milk as I’d think it could spoil. As for oil, it already contains oil, so if you’re thinking of adding another type of oil I would simply substitute it for the sweet almond oil that’s already in this recipe, rather than adding extra oil as this could affect the consistency of the finished product.
I’ve tried whipping it for almost five minutes and it remains clumpy. I used the solid shea butter and the exact coconut oil in your recipe, Is that right? Thanks
Hi Kelly,
Some clumps are normal. The more you whip it the smoother it should get.
Can you substitute almond oil?
You can substitute any liquid oil for the almond oil. Olive oil, grapeseed oil, apricot kernel oil or avocado oil are all good options. I get most of my carrier oils from Plant Therapy. I believe they carry all of the oils mentionedhere (except maybe olive oil): Plant Therapy Carrier Oils (affiliate link)
This recipe is exactly what I’ve been looking for! My mom used to lather us in cocoa and shea butter daily as kids and I was looking for an easy way to whip it up into an easier consistency to apply for my own kids.
When I measure the Shea butter should it be solid or liquid? The butters I have are in solid blocks that we break a little piece off at a time to use. I know breaking little pieces into a 1/4 cup will get me some air pockets and compromise the measurement.
I usually measure it out when it’s still solid. I just sort of smoosh it into the cup. It doesn’t need to be exact, just close:)
Hi I made a few batches of the lotion for my family and friends. It came out very oily and greasy. I was wondering what I did wrong. I used, cocoa butter as well to cut down the greasiness and oil. It did cut out the greasiness but when you applied it, it just turned to oil. Is there anything to make the body butter more whipped?
Hi Amber,
You may want to try this suggestion from the blog to cut greasiness “If you’re finding that your body butter is too greasy, try adding one tablespoon of arrowroot powder. I’ve had multiple comments and messages about this working great, and have done research on other recipes and found that many people recommend adding around one tablespoon of arrowroot powder to similar recipes to cut the greasiness.”
Okay I see. I don’t have any arrowroot powder. What is similar to the arrowroot powder that I can use?
Hi Amber, you could give cornstarch a try. Anna hasn’t used it but another reader suggested that it will work as a substitute for the arrowroot powder.
At what point do I add the arrowroot powder, please?
Hi Jamie – whip up the body butter as per the recipe, and once it’s thoroughly whipped and fluffy, add the arrowroot powder and whip it again to combine.
Can I use this as a face moisturizer? I have extremely dry skin
You can always try, although some of the ingredients can be known to clog pores on sensitive face skin. Personally, I wouldn’t, but I also have very sensitive skin on my face that is prone to congestion and blemishes. If you want to try, I’d recommend testing on a small patch of your face for a few weeks first to see if your skin tolerates it well. -Ashley (assistant)
If it’s greasy it could be one or all of your ingredients were not that fresh when you’ve bought them.
Make sure to buy them from a busy shop/store as they keep selling them and always replace them with fresh one.
What benefits does it have for the skin and what skin type is the body butter best for say for instance my skin is hyper sensitive can i use this recipe still?
Hi Zandre,
One of benefits of this body butter is that there are no chemicals or preservatives in it which can cause irritation in some individuals. So, in general, it should be good for sensitive skin unless you are sensitive to any of the ingredients (shea butter, coconut oil, sweet almond oil or arrowroot powder if you choose to use it). So if you feel you are not sensitive to these ingredients, then the next step would be to make some and test it on a small area to be sure you will be fine.
This recipe is a great way to moisturize dry skin without all the harmful chemicals in many of the products available today. And I find that I am much more confident of products I have made myself since I know exactly what ingredients were used. I cannot always tell what store bought products are actually using as they use generalized words like “natural fragrances” often on their labels.
hi! what if we don’t have almond oil? is it possible to use more coconut oil instead or possibly use olive oil as a substitute?
Hi Raia,
It’s best to use a liquid oil in place of the almond oil to maintain the right consistency. If you do opt for more coconut oil, use fractionated coconut oil as it’s in liquid form. Oilive oil will work too, or grapeseed oil or apricot oil… Pretty much any other type of liquid oil.
Hi there, thanks for the recipe and label resources! Do you have weight equivalencies for the measurements of each ingredient? Thanks!
Hi Mikala,
Sorry, we don’t have weight equivalencies for these. Anna used volume measurements for this recipe.
You can google a conversion chart to get metric volume measurements for this if that will help. Unfortunately, this recipe hasn’t been tested using weighted measurements.
I made this exact recipe but it feels really greasy. Not sure if I did something wrong. I think it could be the kind of shea butter I used. It was really yellow therefore, making my body butter really yellow as oppose to white as in the picture. I’ll try the recipe again next time with a better quality shea butter.
Of I don’t have coconut oil is it possible to just double up on the shea butter?
Hi Mikala,
If you read through the previous comments there are a few recommendations / tips for eliminating the coconut oil; however, Anna has not tried any of them so you would need to experiment with quantities.
Anna – I made a very large batch of the body butter because I needed about 50 gifts. I used 5# of shame butter and adjusted all the other ingredients accordingly. I mixed the batch very well and placed in the frig overnight. I didn’t get to it the next day; I got to it about 48 hours later. When I mixed it, the top part mixed very nicely but the bottom portion of it was solid that it did not mix with the mixer. I’m not sure if this affected the rest of the batch – It might have been a little too thin.
The bottom of the bowl that did not mix, can I heat and cool again and try to mix?
Hi Eileen,
Yes, you can absolutely reheat and then cool and mix again. I have found that sometimes as I try to mix it as I get further down to the bottom of the bowl it seems quite hard/solid, but usually I just persevere with the hand mixer and eventually it does blend up. Let me know how it goes!
You must be a very nice person to make 50 gifts so I really hope you don’t take offense…but”shame butter” made me laugh my head off. I can think of few people iould love to make this for with shame butter!
Is there a substitute for the coconut oil?
Hi Marty,
You can try substituting cocoa butter, or lard for the coconut oil. Anna has not tried either of these options so you would need to experiment a bit to determine the quantity required to achieve the desired consistency.
Keeping the proportions constant, I made a 2X batch of this body butter. It came out perfect. Thanks for sharing!
That is wonderful, Michele! Enjoy!! 🙂
I have read that cornstarch can be substituted for arrowroot 1:!
That is true, Ann. Cornstarch and arrowroot powder can be swapped at a 1:1 ratio when using in food recipes. Although, I assume that the same properties would apply here for this topical cream.
So, if you only have cornstarch, then I would try that and see how that works for you.
My daughter is allergic to coconut. Is there an alternative oil with a similar consistency you would recommend?
I can’t think of anything else that would really work well in place of coconut oil, so I would probably increase the shea butter by another 1/4 cup and see what the consistency is like. If it’s too thick then add another tablespoon of liquid oil until the consistency is right.
Babassu oil is what I use in place of coconut oil. It’s hypoallergenic!
Hi there, thank you for this recipe. I’m just wondering, could you use jojoba oil instead of sweet almond? Thanks
Hi
Babassu Oil is a great substitute for Coconut oil, I have a Homemade Shea, Cocoa, Kokum, & Mango Whipped Butter Business..
Babassu Oil is similar to Coconut Oil but so different.
Sameerahsspa.com…
Hello!
How much beeswax should I add in if I use this recipe to make body butter and I decided to include beeswax?
Thank you!
Hi Anaise,
If you add beeswax you will get a lotion bar that you can pour into molds – I don’t think it will whip up well. If that is your goal then just swap either the almond oil or the shea butter for beeswax.
When I make lotion bars, I use equal parts coconut oil, an infused oil and beeswax. Then I melt it down in a double boiler and mix in any essential oils you wish just before pouring into your molds. You can buy silicone molds for small soaps that work really well but the easiest is to use small canning rings (canning lids have 2 pieces, the flat lid and the screw on ring) placed on parchment paper. They solidify quickly and are easy to pop out of the mold. I store extras lotion bars in a canning jar with a piece of wax paper or parchment between each bar.
Hey i did exactly like your recipe and left it over night, and its hard as is it ment to be like that as its hard to mix it with a hand mixer
Yes that’s normal. It takes a minute to get the hand beater going but once it does it will whip it up nicely. Just gently press the hand beater into it and it should start to break up and start whipping. (This is why it’s important to whip it up after and not just leave it as it can end up being too hard and solid otherwise).
Ok i did do that didnt really whip up as nice as i thought it would stil bit clumpy
And kept all getting stuck in the mixer
Hi Alicia,
So sorry to hear you’re having trouble! I’m assuming you followed the recipe instructions as they were written and use all of the same ingredients, amounts, etc. So my guess would be that maybe it’s too cold?? You might want to let it warm up just a bit before whipping. And keep whipping until it does soften up and start to whip. This can sometimes take a minute and it can seem like it’s too hard at first. But otherwise I’m not sure why it would be behaving this way unless there’s a problem with the ingredient you used. Double check the recipe if you haven’t yet and maybe try letting it warm up just a touch before whipping. It might still have a few small clumps but that will melt as soon as you rub it on your skin.
How much does this make once whipped? I want to make sure I have enough storage for it. 🙂
Hi Nichole,
This recipe makes about one cup (or about one 8oz jar).
Hello,
If I wanted to use Mango butter and Shea Butter together how would i change the amount of ingredients? Also, if I wanted to add Arrowroot powder how much would i use?
Thankyou!
I would keep the ratio of 1/2 cup of the more solid butters (ie. shea and mango butters) so I would probably do 1/4 cup mango butter and 1/4 cup shea butter.
If I didn’t whip this could I use the mixture in a pump like normal lotion?
Hi Jessica,
Unfortunately, if not whipped, this recipe will be clumpy and thick. I doubt it would work in a lotion dispenser. But whipping it up does make it softer and smoother. Otherwise it is quite hard and solid at room temperature or colder.
Could you add food coloring to make it colorful or would it be harmful to your skin?
It wouldn’t be harmful to your skin, but it’s possible it could stain skin depending on how much you use.
What is the shelf life of this cream. Want to make as a favour for a wedding shower in January
Hi Allanna,
It should last at least 3 months if kept in a cool dark place like a cupboard. Anna has never had it last longer than 3 months because she uses it up by then but it should last at least that long.
If you want them for a January event, then I would probably make it a couple weeks ahead of the event or if you want, you can make it a month ahead and store in the fridge (with a label that it is not food- just to be safe). Your main objective would be keeping it cool enough so it won’t melt but I wouldn’t make it too far ahead since it has no preservatives so it won’t last forever.
I use mica powder to color mine 😉
Where do you get your products from? Especially the Shea Butter?
Great question Lacey,
I have gotten my Shea Butter from two different places. I have gotten it from Amazon, but I also got some from my local store – kind of a less expensive Whole Foods store here in my area (although Whole Foods carries it also). I try to wait until there is a sale in natural remedies and health section and then get what I can at that time. But Amazon is a good alternative if you can’t wait.
Hi Lacey,
This is the Shea butter I use right here.
do you have a printable recipe for the for the whipped body butter
Hi Tawana,
Yes, you can print the recipe card at the end of this post. If you look in the top left corner you should see a little printer icon.
I can’t wait to try this! Was wondering if you think I could sub Avocado oil I’m for the almond oil…? The former is so good for again skin!
I think it would be a worthy substitute for the almond oil as they are of a similar consistency. But, I would recommend that you use a good unrefined, cold pressed avocado oil, for the best results.
I would love to hear how it works for you!
I think it worked out great! Except I couldn’t get past the Shea butter smell – maybe I need a stronger oil for scent. Did and arrowroot for the oiliness, but the recipe was amazing. Thank you!
Beautiful essential oil combinations.
We use a similar recipe ~ we also add cocoa butter as well (we find it holds the body butter quite well as it has a much higher melting point).
This would be such a beautiful mothers day gift!
Thank you for the great post
You are so right! It makes a great Mother’s Day gift!
I may have to try some with cocoa butter to compare. Thanks!
I’ve tried whipping it for almost five minutes and it remains clumpy. I used the solid shea butter and the exact coconut oil in your recipe, Is that right? Thanks
very wonderful blog thanks for this posting.
Hi, must I whip it with an electric mixer, or can I just blend it by hand?
It’s much easier with an electric mixer but you could whip it by hand if that’s your only option.
Should I add the arrowroot powder before or after I put in the fridge?
Hi Keeley,
I would add the arrowroot powder before you put it in the fridge. It will combine better when the product is soft.
Would this work with 1/4 cup shea butter 1/4 cup avocado butter 1/4 cup coconut oil 1/4 cup almond oil?
I’ve never heard of avocado butter… If you meant avocado oil, then I would say no as the final product will be very soft and greasy. But if you’re talking about a more solid butter, then it might work, depending on the consistency of the avocado butter.
Aloha.
I made the body butter yesterday. It came out nice. But when applies it melts very fast and is oily and doesn’t soak in well. Wondering if I did something wrong
I added 1/2 cacao and 1/2 Shea butter and I added a few extra drops of essential oil.
Hi Angelina,
Since the body butter is all oil-based, it does tend to melt fast in the heat. I take it from your greeting that you’re in Hawaii?? Forgive me if my assumption is wrong! In either case, I would store it in the fridge if you live somewhere hot as it will melt faster in high temps. I haven’t had a problem with it soaking in, although I do find that if my skin is quite dry it can take a little longer to fully soak in so I give it a few minutes. (I liken this to watering dry soil… All of the water sort of pools on top until the soil moistens and starts to absorb it).
If you’re finding it too oily, you can add in some arrowroot powder. I haven’t tried this myself, but have had others suggest that as a remedy for the oiliness and have looked it up and found that if you add about one tablespoon of arrowroot powder that should be enough to cut the greasiness.
Hello!
I made mine with African cocoa butter and virgin coconut oil and peppermint oil. Smells delish, but 2 things: 1. I notice it doesn’t stay soft, it gets hard while in the cupboard, although once you put it on your skin it melts immediately. However this makes it difficult to scoop out
2. Also, I noticed it kinda sits ontop of my skin. Its not softening my rough spots.
Should I add a carrier oil?
Hi Margarita,
Yes I would add a liquid carrier oil. Cocoa butter especially an be quite hard (shea butter is naturally a bit softer), plus the coconut oil is also solid at room temperature, so adding in a liquid oil like sweet almond oil or even olive oil will help to soften it up.
I made this twice and it came out perfect. I used grape seed oil as my liquid oil as that is what I had. I wish I could post pictures here to brag on your recipe! So now I want to make labels. I found that page but how do I know which Avery labels to buy and such? Please.
Hi Rhoda!
I use Avery brand 2.5″ labels. I also design my labels with their online software so they are formatted to fit the labels (or you can also design your own!). Here is the link to the labels I use:)
If I wanted to add color to it, what ingredients do you recommend?
Hi Dominique,
There are lots of artificial dyes on the market, but I like to steer clear of artificial products whenever I can. You can add natural colour with flowers and spices (ie. turmeric for yellow/gold, hibiscus flowers for pink, butterfly pea flowers for blue, etc.) I don’t add colour to my body butters so I haven’t personally tried this method, but I found a great instructional video on adding natural colours to homemade body butter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mQHs1Na71Y
I hope this helps!
Can I sub the coconut oil for sunflower? Coconut oil is rated a 4 on the comedogenic scale …
The only issue I see with this is that coconut oil is solid at room temperature whereas sunflower oil is not, so it could affect the consistency of your body butter and make it too soft. You could try to cut down the oil by about half (so only add 1/8 cup) and increase the shea butter by 1/8 cup to balance it out and see how that works.
I’ve been making body butter for sum time and absolutely love it. However, haven’t figured out how to keep it creamy, so that it doesn’t solidify hard… Thank u ?
Ya, it depends where you store it and what the temperature is too. If it’s colder it will solidify and if it’s warmer it will melt a bit. (If it’s hot it could melt completely). Just like coconut oil. But that’s the way when we’re working with more natural ingredients! The whipping does incorporate air so I find it keeps it a little lighter and fluffier:)
Hello, thank you for sharing! I wanted to note that orange essential oil is phototoxic and typically isn’t recommended for leave-on products. It’s wonderful in products like soap, where most of it is rinsed off.
Hope you have a great 2022!
Hi Tiffany!
While some citrus oils like lemon, lime, grapefruit and Bergamot oils are phototoxic, sweet orange and mandarin oils are not and are actually safe for topical use.
You can find more information on which citrus oils are considered phototoxic and which ones are deemed safe here and here
Happy New Year to you too!
Thank you for your feedback, Anna. Unfortunately, many people aren’t aware of the difference between sweet orange/mandarin and regular orange essential oil. It may be helpful to make that distinction, as you reference orange essential oil, not sweet orange or mandarin. Hope this helps. Thanks again for the great ideas!
What can I use to cut the greasy ness down?
I don’t know that there’s much you can do to cut the initial greasiness down as that’s the nature of the oils/butter used in this recipe. However I find that it’s only really greasy when you first slather it on. Your skin absorbs it very quickly and the greasiness tends to disappear pretty fast.
arrowroot powder works well to eliminate the greasy feeling.
Good call. I’ve heard of people using arrowroot but I haven’t tried it yet myself. Thanks for the tip!
Does this leave your skin greasy? Seems like it would :/
Actually, surprisingly no. It’s a bit greasy immediately after you put it on, but your skin really absorbs the it well.
Arrowroot works wonders to cut down on the greasy feel but you are correct. Your skin does absorb the butter well. Plus its overall a better option for your skin.
I haven’t tried using the arrowroot for this but that is a great tip and worth a try! Thanks!
How can I whip it if the mixture is completely hardened?
It can be a little tough to get going but I use an electric hand mixer and I just push into it (gently) until it starts to whip up and eventually it all starts to whip together.
Is there an alternative to using a hand beater or stand mixer please? I’m in isolation at the moment and have neither of those 🙁
You can just say try to mix by hand with whatever you’ve got. You might not get quite the same “whipped” effect, but it will still blend.
Hey, how long does the product last, expiration date wise?
Hi Margeux,
I’ve had body butter last for a good couple years at least. It really doesn’t ever go “bad” as there’s no water in this product, just oils. The water is what can make moisturizer go bad. But it can start to sort of congeal after a long time. It can also melt if left in a warm place, which doesn’t affect the shelf life, but it could cause ingredients to separate a bit when it solidifies again. If you’re worried about it you could always keep your body butter in the fridge and it will last pretty much indefinitely.
Anna
Can we add arrow root powder to cut grease feel ,to body butter?
Andrea Rose
You can certainly give it a try! I’ve never used arrowroot powder in my body products so I’d be interested to know how it works!
What the 3 essential oils used for the body butter ? I couldn’t hear in the video
I don’t want to seem like an oaf but what IS body butter? Do you use it like hand lotion? a moisturizer for your face?
Ah yes! I guess that would have been a good point to cover!
Body butter is like lotion, but unlike lotion, there’s no water in it. It’s all oil/butter based. So no water, which means no preservatives and an extra rich, moisturizing end product that incredibly nourishing for the skin. But since there’s no water or tucks ingredients to stretch it out, real body butter bought from the store can be very expensive, which is all the more reason to make your own:)
How much does this recipe make?
Hi Molly!
This recipe will make roughly one cup, or an 8oz jar. I like to use the short, wide, half-pint Mason jars, although a tall, slim, jam jar would work too.
Anna, I’m Glad Charlotte asked this question.
I’m grateful for your answer. I did not know about the water part or “tucks ingredients” ? whatever they are. But good to know.
can i substitute the almond oil for avacado oil? the almond oil is more expensive and hard to find in a large quantity since i’m doubling the recipe and making 4 16 oz jars as gifts.
Yes, you can substitute any liquid oil for any other liquid oil. Some are better or worse for your skin, but avocado oil actually has lots of benefits for skin so it’s a great substitute for the sweet almond oil!
Hi… can’t wait to make this. Just wondering though do I have to add anything extra or can I stop at the Almond Oil?
Hi Sandi,
If you mean do you need to add essential oils, then no, you absolutely can just add your coconut oil, shea butter and almond oil and omit the essential oils. Let me know how it turns out!
Hi do you have advice for making bath melts with colour and nice fresh scent please?
Hi Rose,
I haven’t actually made bath melts before. I don’t usually use any dyes or colouring in my products, but when I have for bath items I’ve just used food colouring. I’m not sure if this would work for bath melts.
For scent I recommend using essential oils. I use Plant Therapy essential oils as I find them to be of very high quality and all-natural while still being very affordable. Here’s a link to check them out: https://bit.ly/2WldQl1 (affiliate link).
I do have recipes for homemade bath salts with essential oils: https://thehouseandhomestead.com/diy-bath-salts-with-essential-oils/
As well as homemade sugar scrub with essential oils: https://thehouseandhomestead.com/peppermint-sugar-scrub/
I hope this helps!
Anna
What’s the formula needed to fill a 10 oz jar?
This recipe makes roughly an 8oz jar, so I would just stick to the recipe and it will fit in a 10 oz jar. You could add a little bit more of each ingredient or of just the shea butter if you want to bulk it up just a bit.
Hi,
Should the coconut oil be liquid or solid coconut oil?
Thanks
Hi Brianna,
The coconut oil should be solid. Liquid would probably make the body butter too liquid/soft.