Whipping butters and oils together makes a super-rich combination that your skin will soak up. So if there was ever a perfect time for a decadent body butter, this is it. And this creamy lotion does this trick! Here’s how to make body butter with just two ingredients. Seriously, it’s that simple!
Dry skin is the worst. Sometimes it feels like no matter how often I slather on lotion, my legs, elbows, and hands feel scaly and parched. Regular moisturizers just can’t seem to keep up with all the drying effects of hot showers and copious hand washing, especially when temps start to drop!
Now is the perfect time to soothe your skin with the secrets to perfect homemade body butter.
Jump to:
- Body Butter Ingredients
- How To Make Body Butter
- How To Get Fluffy Body Butter
- How To Avoid Grainy Shea Butter
- What To Do If It's Not Whipping
- How To Add Scent To Body Butter
- How To Use Body Butter
- DIY Body Butter Recipe Variations
- 1. Magnesium Body Butter
- 2. Vanilla Coconut Whipped Body Butter
- 3. Citrus Burst Body Butter
- 4. Lavender Chamomile Calming Body Butter
- 5. Minty Chocolate Body Butter (No Shea Butter)
- 6. Green Tea Infused Body Butter
- FAQ
Body Butter Ingredients
To keep things simple you only need two ingredients—just coconut oil and shea butter.
You can make body butter with just coconut oil, but I wanted to get all the goodness of shea butter, too. In a clinical trial, it performed just as well as a medicated cream containing ceramides to heal dermatitis [source].
Shea butter also has antioxidant effects to protect skin from free radicals [source], as well as anti-inflammatory effects that soothe irritated skin [source]. So why wouldn’t you want to use this amazing natural plant oil on your skin?
How To Make Body Butter
Step 1 | Melt oils together
Heat the oils over low heat, stirring frequently, until they’re melted and well combined.
I don’t have a double boiler, so I put a small heat-proof jar in (or a bowl on top of) a saucepan filled with 1–2 inches of water.
Step 2 | Cool quickly
Pour your melted oils into a room-temperature bowl. Add essential oils or colorants, if desired.
Place in the refrigerator or freezer to cool the mixture quickly. The mixture should be almost solid before whipping.
Step 3 | Whip
With a hand mixer, beat the oil mixture for 5–7 minutes at a medium-high speed. The mixture should turn white and become fluffy, sort of like frosting.
Step 4 | Transfer to a jar
Transfer the mixture to a glass container with a lid and store it in a cool, dark place. Apply 2–3 times a day.
How To Get Fluffy Body Butter
The trick to getting fluffy body butter is to heat your oils until they’re just barely melted. Then let them cool for at least an hour before you whip the mixture with an electric mixer on medium-high speed.
The longer you whisk the butter after cooling down, the fluffier it’s going to be—the texture of this is completely customizable to your (or your giftee’s) preferences.
How To Avoid Grainy Shea Butter
There are different types of beneficial fatty acids in shea butter [source], but the thing is, they cool down at different rates. When a product using shea butter hasn’t been blended and cooled properly, that’s when products can get a little grainy, thanks to the shea butter.
Luckily, it’s easily avoided by rapid cooling—at least cooling down faster than room temperature. So cooling in the freezer or fridge is a must.
What To Do If It's Not Whipping
If your body butter isn’t getting as fluffy as you would like, I have found that it helps to whip it as much as possible and then cool it again. Place it back in the refrigerator or freezer for another 5–10 minutes. Usually, it will have firmed up just enough to give it some body and you can whip again.
And just a heads up, body butter doesn’t stay as frothy as it looks immediately after whipping. It may harden some, but it will still easily rub into the skin without feeling super greasy.
Shea butter also has a higher melting point than coconut oil, which helps keep this super luscious whipped butter from just melting in the summer heat.
How To Add Scent To Body Butter
You can adjust the scent by adding essential oils or extracts either just after the oils/butters are melted and combined or during the whipping stage. Start with a small amount like 10-20 drops per ounce of the body butter mixture. Popular choices include lavender, citrus, vanilla, and peppermint.
How To Use Body Butter
Use a Small Amount — Scoop out a small amount of body butter using clean fingers or a spatula. A little goes a long way, as body butter is concentrated and rich. Warming it in your palm makes it easier to spread on your skin.
Allow Absorption — Allow the body butter to absorb into your skin before getting dressed. This may take a few minutes.
Use After Bath or Shower — I like to apply body butter right after a bath or shower when my skin is still slightly damp. This helps lock in moisture and leaves your skin feeling soft and supple.
Use on the Face — Body butter can be heavy for some facial skin types, but if you have dry skin, you might try a small amount. I use whipped coconut oil as a face moisturizer all the time!
DIY Body Butter Recipe Variations
1. Magnesium Body Butter
This recipe incorporates magnesium oil and other essential oils that can help your mood. Add 25 drops each orange, bergamot, and frankincense to the oils below to create a fragrance that can boost the mood and ease tension.
- ¼ cup magnesium oil
- ¼ cup shea butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup cocoa butter
Heat shea butter, coconut oil, and cocoa butter together in a double boiler over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and add magnesium oil and essential oils. Then follow directions for 2-ingredient body butter.
2. Vanilla Coconut Whipped Body Butter
Follow the basic instructions for making body butter. Add the vanilla extract or essential oil after the oils are melted or during the whipping stage.
- ½ cup shea butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 60-120 drops of vanilla essential oil)
3. Citrus Burst Body Butter
Melt the mango butter and sweet almond oil together. Stir in the citrus zest and essential oil during the cooling stage.
- 1 cup mango butter
- ½ cup sweet almond oil
- Zest of one orange
- 100 drops sweet orange essential oil
4. Lavender Chamomile Calming Body Butter
Incorporate lavender and chamomile essential oils during the whipping stage for a soothing and calming effect.
- ½ cup shea butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 50 drops lavender essential oil
- 50 drops chamomile essential oil
5. Minty Chocolate Body Butter (No Shea Butter)
Make a chocolate-mint body butter by adding peppermint extract or essential oil during the whipping stage.
- 1 cup cocoa butter
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup sweet almond oil
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (or 50 drops of peppermint essential oil)
6. Green Tea Infused Body Butter
Infuse the coconut oil with green tea leaves before using it in the body butter. Add bergamot essential oil during the whipping stage for a refreshing scent.
- 1 cup shea butter
- ½ cup green tea-infused coconut oil (heat coconut oil with green tea leaves, strain before using)
- 75 drops bergaptene-free bergamot essential oil
FAQ
If you want your body butter to have a color, I recommend sticking with colorful herbs, like turmeric, beetroot powder, and chlorella. They’re non-toxic, and they’ll give your butter some beauty-boosting benefits thanks to vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Just make sure to add a small amount to avoid staining your clothes.
At room temperature, coconut oil and shea butter tend to be pretty chunky—even after beating with a hand mixer. But melting them together and letting them cool gets rid of the chunks and gives you a smooth, buttery consistency.
Look for other solid-at-room-temperature oils and butters, such as mango butter, cocoa butter, cupuacu butter, or palm oil (although, for ethical reasons, palm oil should be a last resort). Just note that you might need to add liquid oils to get the right consistency for whipping.
If your body butter is too hard, melt it down and add more liquid oil. If it's too soft, you can melt it and add more solid butter.
Whipped Coconut Shea Body Butter Recipe
Equipment
- Double boiler
- Hand mixer
- Glass container with lid
Materials
- ½ cup shea butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil
Instructions
- Pour 1–2 inches of water in a small saucepan.
- Place a heat-proof jar or measuring cup in the saucepan, and add the shea butter and coconut oil.
- Stirring frequently, heat the oils over low heat until they’re melted and well combined.
- Pour the mixture into a separate bowl and pop into the refrigerator until cooled to room temperature (about an hour). You’ll want to stir every now and then to help the oils cool evenly and prevent any chunks from forming.If you’re in a hurry, you can place the oils in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Just make sure to stir frequently.
- With a hand mixer, beat the oil mixture for 5–7 minutes at a medium-high speed. The mixture should turn white and become fluffy, sort of like frosting. If you’re having trouble getting it to fluff, increase the speed and move your hand mixer up and down through the lotion add a little air. You can also try placing the whipped body butter back in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes before whipping again. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of your bowl occasionally.
- If you plan on adding essential oils or colorants, you can do so now. Add 6-12 drops per ounce of oil and butter.
- Transfer the mixture to a glass container with a lid and store in a cool, dark place like a drawer or medicine cabinet for up to 6 months. Apply 2–3 times a day.
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Gina Jansheski, a licensed, board-certified physician who has been practicing for more than 20 years. Learn more about Hello Glow's medical reviewers here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
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