You know how sometimes you see a recipe and think… oh yeah, that sounds nice… but then never actually make it. Please don’t do that with this one.
This homemade whipped body butter is pure gold – and honestly – I think you’re going to love what it does for your skin!
A body butter is made by combining oils (liquid) with butters (solid). Example:
- oils (liquid): coconut oil, almond oil, safflower oil, avocado oil ( read my top 6 favorite oils)
- butters (solid) : shea butter, mango butter, cocoa butter
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I chose to work with coconut oil (as my liquid part) and cocoa butter (as my solid part)
Coconut Oil is a top favorite of mine. Always use a virgin cold-pressed oil, organic is best, to make sure that all the nutrients and beneficial properties are intact.
Coconut oil’s antioxidant properties protect the skin from free radical damage and because it’s so full of essential fatty acids, it also helps to build and strengthen skin-cell structures. This keeps the skin’s connective tissues strong and supple, which helps to prevent sagging and wrinkles. My skin loves it and I love that it’s easily absorbed.
Cocoa Butter comes from the cocoa bean. It has a distinct nutty, chocolate scent – so yes, you will smell… delicious! When I use it on my skin, my 5-year-old notices right away! Cocoa butter is a rich emollient, it leaves your skin buttery soft. It contains fatty acids which help to retain moisture and build elasticity and also has properties which can help ease dermatitis or rashes. And did I mention it smells like chocolate!
Just like your oils, you want to choose a raw, cold-pressed butter – free of chemicals that are used in bleaching and refining.
Let’s start making our Homemade Whipped Body Butter!
Cocoa Butter is solid, so you’ll need to melt it down in a bain-marie, a hot water bath. You want it to melt over steam, rather than direct heat.
Depending on where you live, and if it’s cold, your coconut oil may be hard…. melt them gently together until completely liquid.
Once the butter is melted, you’ll need to harden it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. TIP: make sure to cover the container in the freezer (with a lid or towel) so that no condensation drips into your butter!
Freeze it until it’s semi-solid – not too soft, not too hard. You should be able to press your finger in easily and make a dent. If it’s not whipping up, put it back in the freezer to harden a little more.
Now, I want to tell you something up front so that you’re not weirded out when you use it. This body butter is unusual in that it melts onto your skin the instant you apply it – like butter on a hot pan. Honestly, I found it to be a bit strange. The recipes that I had read don’t tell you this, so when I first used it, I thought it was greasy and that I wouldn’t like it.
But then, something magical happened – my skin soaked it all in – and instead of feeling greasy, it felt velvety soft! My skin is seriously thanking me and has promised to glow, if I use this everyday.
I’ve happily accepted.
Homemade Whipped Body Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cocoa butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
Instructions
- In a bain-marie, melt down your hard butters and oils until fully liquid
- Set in the freezer to harden, about 20 minutes.
- Once the mixture is solid again, but not too hard, whip it up using an electric whisk, a food processor with a whisk attachment, or your KitchenAid (lucky you!)If you need to, you can use a hand held whisk, and a lot of elbow grease! :)
- Whip about 5 minutes, or until you have created fluffy white clouds. Spoon it into a clean jar or container. It will keep for 3 months.
- Slather it on!
Notes
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I made this using shea butter and almond oil. It turned out well, with a good consistency. But when I use it on my skin, all I feel is greasy with dry skin underneath all the oil. It doesn’t all soak in, and it makes me worried about it ruining my clothes and sheets. I wish I liked it better, because it is so simple and easy to make.
Hi Brooke! I have two tips for you: apply the butter onto slightly damp (not wet skin) after you shower. Wet skin soaks in the oils better. Also, next time you make a body butter – you might look at trying a different oil, like grapeseed. Almond is higher in oleic acid, it has a richer consistency – whereas grapeseed soaks in faster and lighter… I hope that helps.
Thanks for the tip!
I made cocoa butter coconut butter whipped body cream which was whipped but when went to use it later it had hardened where did I go wrong ??
Hello,
I love how thick the final product looks once it was done. All I have at the moment is Mango, Cocoa and Shea butter, avocado oil and sweet almond oil. What is the best combo to get the same thick texture you did?
This body butter recipe sounds fantastic! I have been reading about DMAE and vitamin C serum. Could I include those in this type of recipe?
I’ve tried a few recipes and this is by far the easiest. Mixture of 2/3 Shea Butter, 1/3 Cacao Butter, and 1/4 cup Almond Oil turned out perfect. I would shorten the freezer time if using Shea Butter it hardens quite quick. I even use this in Costa Rica during the dry season, and yes y’all should visit there.
This was so easy and it turned out amazing. I used refined cocoa butter and added a few drops of vitamin e oil and some essential oils when it had cooled a bit, mixed that in and popped it in the freezer. Blended it in a old electric stand mixer with the beater attachments and oh my, I love this stuff. :)
Homemade Whipped Body Butter
I have made this twice now and both times, the butter does not stay in the “whipped” state and goes solid. Is this correct? Also, I have added essential oils prior to whipping but the butter does not smell of the oils when finished whipping? When I have purchased whipped body butters in the past they are softer than the ones I have made. Any tips on why and how to overcome this? Many thanks
try waiting until your butter is cooled from the freezer and then adding your essential oils before whipping.
I’m curious & would like 2 learn more about making lotion… different recipes & etc…
I have made this handmade lotion with same process as I followed you can you tell me why its not like other lotion I mean to say as its bit semi solid. correct me if I am wrong here.
I just got through making it I love it how ever mind got solid before I can put it into a jar so my question is that I whip it too long only a couple of minutes
I did sweet almond oil and shea butter. I am really surprised at how the shea butter smells 😕 but I can always use a little bit fragranced lotion to mix in until I can get some essential oils but so far I like it.
Where do you purchase cocoa butter and what kind does everyone recommend?
Hi Chritine! You might find cocoa butter in a health food store, or the healthy section of the supermarket. Its often with raw cocoa powder, and superfood powders… The brand that I often see in supermarkets in Nativas Organics, you can also find them online or on Amazon.
lovely recipie, like it a lot, managed to make it as I didnt leave long enough in the freezer to cool, so had to add some cornstarch to help it thicken, seems to have done the trick – thank you
I hope you can help me. I’m new to all this and have a problem. I’m one of those people that dislikes chocolate and the batch I made works well but to me, it’s not at all pleasant. I can smell the cocoa butter, is there something else I can use? I used lavender oil to try and mask the cocoa butter smell and it didn’t work. I gave it all to friends and want to make some more for me, any ideas? thanks
I like chocolate, but do not choose to smell like it. They have organic deodorized or semi-deodorized cocoa butters out there that have very little to no smell. Just search online.
Hi you can use kokum butter instead of cooa butter and it has no smell, allowing you to use essetial oils to fragrance it as you like
Hi Joan! I totally hear you, not everyone loves the idea of smelling like a chocolate bar! :) You can use refined cocoa, if you like the texture/feel of cocoa butter, but not the scent. Or, you can swap out the cocoa butter completely and use other butters like shea + mango butter. That said Shea can also have a strong scent… mango butter has a very neutral scent.
Now i have found SHEA BUTTER POWDER!!!
How do i make that in a facial cream??
try citrus or something earthy like rosewood
you can use shea butter and then add your favorite essentials
Yes! Shea butter is fantastic in this recipe. And yes to essential oils – it should be enjoyable for you to use!
I like the sound of this recipe. I don’t like shea butter, so I’m going to try mango butter.
Thanks.
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Yeap,spot on! I use this for years. I make it using 50% raw cacao butter, 30% coconut oil,15% shea butter and the rest of 5% argan oil and essential oils for fragrance. It’s pure heaven…It has to be kept in a cool place,under 23-24 degrees Celsius, to preserve its soft and creamy texture.
I’ve made this and it whipped up beautifully, and then moments later, was hard again while scooping it into tin. Am I whipping it too long maybe? It’ll still work, but not as nicely :(
followed the recipe to a T and it whipped up perfectly but the next day it was hard. Did not put it in a cool place was in my bathroom in a glass jar covered.
Love this simple recipe! Most people forget to add in where you live!!! Also, if it gets hard it’s because of the Cocoa butter. you can try melting it back down just until melted as to not kill important beneficial factors and add some more oil to it. I like Jojoba or Sweet almond oil. Or try 50% cocoa butter and 50% oil. Hope this helps the next person!
Cocoa butter is a hard butter. That’s why I do not use it as a main body butter ingredient. I prefer Shea or mango butters and add a small amount of cocoa butter in as a secondary butter in addition to the liquid oils.
I made it but it melted after a few minute. Is there anything that I can do to keep it from liquefying in room temperature
How to softing shea butter for lotion.
If I don’t launder my clothes after using the body butter, after a couple weeks, the clothes smell like rancid oil. Do you ever use any kind of preservative? Any other suggestions?
Add some vitamin E oil.