Homemade Whipped Body Butter Recipe
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.m
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 care 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 was one of the first body care 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 store-bought lotions 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 fragrances 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 an all-natural product. 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 beauty of this homemade body butter 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 of 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 a little stronger scent) and then mix everything together well.
Here are some of my favourite essential oil 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 a different scent, 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 oils 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 beater to whip it into a silky butter.
You could also use a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment if you like.
Transfer to a storage jar (I like using half-pint Mason 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 body butter 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 cool, dark 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 the ingredients are all-natural 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 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 recipe for homemade body butter!
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
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!):
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 oils 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 beater or stand mixer to whip the mixture.
- Spoon into a clean Mason 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 it up (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!)
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness 🙂
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25 jars of dills, 17 jars of sweet pickles and 3 jars of mustard pickles for something a little different!
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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 🙁
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!
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.
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