Tutorial: Homemade Whipped Body Butter

A homemade whipped body butter recipe made with shea butter and other natural ingredients.

Whether you are an avid DIY’er or a novice thinking about taking the plunge into homemade skin care, I’m telling you, this homemade whipped body butter recipe is the bomb!

Here’s why I love it so much:

• Contains only 3 natural ingredients (plus essential oils if you want it to be scented)
• Made with rich, nourishing oils that truly moisturize the skin (not just sit on top of it)
• Cheaper than high-end lotions and body butters
• No preservatives or other yucky ingredients
• Super simple to make!

 Whipped Body Butter Recipe

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Ingredients you need (and where to buy them)

1/2 cup raw, unrefined shea butter

Unrefined shea butter is extracted from the nut of the shea tree without chemical solvents and contains natural healing properties that would be lost during the refining process. Unrefined shea butter has a naturally, yellowish color whereas refined shea butter is bright white.  I purchase shea butter in bulk from my local co-op but you can also find shea butter online.

1/4 cup cocoa butter

Buy raw organic cocoa butter disks like you see in the photo above or by the jar.

1/4 cup sweet almond oil

I buy mine in bulk but you can easily find it at natural food stores or online.

10 to 24 drops essential oil of your choice 

Many brands are available but my go-to brands for DIY projects are Aura Cacia and Now Foods.

How to make it

Bring water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler. (If you don’t have a proper double boiler, create one by putting a metal or Pyrex bowl on top of a saucepan, keeping bowl well above the water level.) Pack the shea butter into a measuring cup (like you would brown sugar) and place in the top of the double boiler.  Add the cocoa butter disks or chunks from your jar of cocoa butter. Allow both ingredients to melt together.

Next, mix in the sweet almond oil and turn off the heat on the double boiler. If you want to add essential oils, now is the time to add them. I created this tranquility blend with 3 of my favorite essential oils:

Tranquility Blend: 6 to 8 drops each of: geranium, sweet orange and sandalwood essential oils

Let the mixture cool until it has started to set up but is not yet solid. I recommend putting it in the refrigerator for about an hour. It should look opaque and a bit yellowish – like lemon curd!

Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the ingredients until they magically change from lemon curd to whipped cream (takes a couple of minutes – maximum). Just don’t be tempted to eat it!

Carefully spoon the cream into a glass jar, keeping its whipped texture intact. I often use repurposed jelly jars but you may want to invest in a new glass jar if the body butter is for a gift. The jar you see in this post is from Organized Living but I’m pretty sure it’s the same as this glass jar available on Amazon.

This recipe makes about 1 cup of body butter. Shelf life is approximately 3 months. Body butter can be stored at room temperature but you may want to store in the refrigerator in warmer months to keep it solid.

What is your favorite DIY body care product?