Simple Homemade Body Butter

Making Homemade Body Butter is an easy, affordable option for those with sensitive skin or who want to avoid putting chemicals on their body.

Since my mom retired awhile ago, she has made it her new hobby to make all kinds of skincare products. She has made all kinds of soaps, shampoos, deodorants and body butters.

I had not tried making any myself, mostly because my mom usually gives me whatever she makes. Plus, I had a bad experience with some really horrible-smelling beef tallow soap that I made once in my organic chemistry lab in University, and I didn't care to try making it again.

However, I did eventually decide to venture into the world of homemade skin care products because I loved this Simple Homemade Body Butter she made me so much.

She first made it for me to use on Peanut when she had a bit of a rash on her back. We used it, and it cleared up right away. Since then, I have been using it on her and myself as a moisturizer, and to treat rashes, stubborn dry skin patches, etc.

It's been doing a great job at keeping stretch marks off my huge, pregnant belly (though maybe I'm just not prone to stretch marks, who knows). I also plan to use it on my new baby, as a general moisturizer, massage lotion, and bum cream.

How to make Simple Homemade Body Butter:

The process of making this homemade body butter is very easy. All you have to do is put everything in a double boiler to get it all melted together. Once it's a liquid, you just let it harden slightly to a gel-like consistency, then whip it up, which helps keep it soft and spreadable.

Even the whipping step is optional. If you forget about it and it hardens completely, don't worry, you just have to scoop a little harder out of the container and let it melt a little in your hands before rubbing it into your skin.

The scent of your finished body butter will vary depending on the quality of the ingredients you buy. Some cocoa butter, as well as coconut oil, have very strong scents of chocolate and coconut, respectively.

This is how my mom's first batch turned out - it basically made you smell like a Bounty bar. Not a bad thing in my opinion. My ingredients were much less potent, so it has a more subtle smell. Also not a bad thing.

I have written the recipe below with the intention for you to scale the amounts to however big a batch you want. I just made up a small batch - ¼ cup of each ingredient to make about 1 cup total body butter.

I have not had any problems with this body butter going rancid, or "bad", so you can easily make a larger batch. In fact, I think making a bunch and giving away small jars would make great gifts, either for Christmas or as gifts for baby or bridal showers. Enjoy your soft skin!

Simple Homemade Body Butter Ingredients:

• Cocoa butter - it comes in chunks and wafers. If you think you might also use it in edible (food) products, make sure it is culinary grade. If you want your body butter to have a chocolatey scent, look for a product that is labeled "non-deodorized".
• Shea butter - may be available in both yellow, and white, which may affect the color of your finished body butter.
• Coconut oil - despite it's name, coconut oil is solid at room temperature. Don't buy fractionated coconut oil, which is liquid at room temperature, as it will affect the texture of your body butter (it will likely be less of a "butter" and more of a "lotion")
• Olive, jojoba, or almond oil (avoid using almond oil if you have an almond allergy)

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Simple Homemade Body Butter

Carissa Serink

Making your own rich and creamy, moisturizing body butter is quick and easy. Safe for sensitive skin and no chemicals.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Cooling Time20 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Cook ModeKeep your screen on

Recipe Equipment

• Double Boiler or bowl set over a pot of water
• Hand Mixer optional, see note below

Ingredients

• 1 part cocoa butter
• 1 part shea butter
• 1 part coconut oil
• 1 part olive oil or jojoba oil, or almond oil

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a double boiler or small glass bowl placed over a small saucepan of lightly simmering water. Stir until ingredients are melted together.
• Transfer oil mixture to another bowl and allow to cool slightly. Move bowl to refrigerator and cool until mixture begins to turn cloudy and starts to thicken. Note that this process doesn't take very long, so remember to check on it every 10 minutes or so.
• Whip mixture with a hand mixture until it lightens in color and becomes creamy (see note).
• Store in an airtight container or jar. Use sparingly on your skin as you would any moisturizer.

Notes

Recipe can be scaled to make as much or as little as you want. I used ¼ cup of each ingredient, to make a total of 1 cup of body butter.

Whipping can be skipped, but the resulting product will be much more solid.

Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.

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