Luscious Whipped Body Butter

I’m so excited to share this non-food recipe with you today! When I posted a photo of homemade body butter on Instagram a few weeks ago there was an overwhelming response from you guys asking for the recipe. Over the years I've experimented with recipes for sugar scrub, coffee scrub, lip balm and many versions of body butter. It's incredible how natural ingredients like sugar, salt, coconut oil, and beeswax can transform into homemade body care products that actually work.

This DIY whipped body butter is the ultimate mini self-care project. It looks and feels luscious but you can make it with little effort in your own kitchen. Because of the simple and natural ingredients this body butter isn't like traditional lotion. A little bit goes a long way and it gives your skin a nice shine. When you first apply it your skin might seem a little too oily, but it absorbs rather quickly and leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth. The dry winter weather can be so brutal on my skin, but using this body butter helps to keep it soft and moisturized. I keep a jar right on my nightstand and like to moisturize right before I go to bed.

I’ve seen several recipes using different combinations of butters and oils. After playing around with a few different recipes I found the texture I really like. The ingredients are typically available at health food stores, natural markets and Whole Foods. If you have a hard time finding any of the ingredients, I recommend ordering them from Amazon.

Cocoa Butter – an oil extracted from the cocoa bean that’s solid at room temperature. Because of this it has a slightly chocolate scent, which is really lovely!

Shea Butter – yellowish in color, this is another solid oil that works great in lotions

Sweet Almond Oil - liquid oil made from pressed almonds, works well in many DIY body care products

Coconut Oil – you might have this one in your pantry for cooking but did you know it’s also great for your skin?

Start with the base recipe from above and then mix and match any essential oils you like. I love mixing lavender essential oil with citrus oils like grapefruit and lemon. You can really go crazy with essential oils, but if you've never brought them before I recommend starting with a few basics. If you aren’t sure which essential oils will smell nice together here are a few suggestions:

Lavender + lemon
Lavender + grapefruit
Lavender + wild orange
Lavender + tangerine

The whole process to make body butter couldn’t be much simpler. Start by melting the butters and oils in a double boiler. Remove it from the heat and put it in the fridge to cool and firm up. It takes a few hours, so be patient! It’s important for it to firm up before trying to whip it. At this point the body butter will be pale yellow, but watch how it turns completely white once it’s all whipped.

To get the body butter light and airy, use a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip air into it. It'll look similar to whipped cream with lots of fluffy peaks.

Luscious Whipped Body Butter

Ingredients:

¼ cup almond oil
½ cup cocoa butter
½ cup shea butter
¼ cup coconut oil
15-18 drops of essential oils (any combo - my favorite is 8 drops lavender + 8 drops grapefruit)

Tools:

Measuring cups
Hand mixer or stand mixer
Double boiler – to make your own use a small pot with water in the bottom and set a heat safe bowl on top. The bowl should sit in the water, but not touch the bottom of the pot.
1 big or a few small mason jars – depending on how you want to store it

Instructions:

Heat a double boiler over low heat. Measure out the ingredients (except the essential oils) and add them to the double boiler.
The oils and butters will start to melt – gently stir them with a wooden spoon.
Once melted remove from heat and place the bowl in the refrigerator. The mixture needs to chill and set completely.
Remove from fridge and scrape into the stand mixer or break apart slightly in the bowl and use the hand mixer to whip the body butter.
You may have to turn off the mixer to scrape down the sides. The body butter will start to whip into what resembles whipped cream. Halfway through add the essential oils.
Whip until fluffy but don’t over whip as this will begin to heat it up too much.
Transfer to a mason jar or glass container. Store at room temperature. Be careful not to store where there is a heat source or the body butter will melt.
Slather it all over your body to moisturize.