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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Hello, I followed your recipe but I used $100% argan oil and unrefined shea butter. For some reason my body butter whipped up nicely but it didn’t take it long to melt. Any advice?
Try adding either more shea or just a bit of beeswax to solidify it a bit.
I mixed shae butter with cocoa butter pellets, i used a teaspoon of 3 diff. Carrier oils whipped and melted 7 times according to recipes . I had to leave so put saled lid on pyrex bowl and came home it was hard as a rock. Had to start all over with teaspoon of oils instead. Does added carrier oils harden the butter. This one is better but still not as soft as should be.
Aside from coconut oil, I also added a little bit of carrot oil. Hope i have not messed up the butter?
Hi there,
This recipe sounds wonderful! A lot of folks are commenting on how hard the finished product is afterward. I was wondering if you can use fractionated coconut oil instead? Would that make it more lotion-y and less firm? I’ve never made a butter before, so I’m curious! Thanks!
I made this today: it’s divine! I love that this recipe is vegan and all natural, and I might even make this a Christmas present. It does take a while for the skin to absorb the butter, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with lazying around in your bathing rope in the meantime. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Wonderful! I love this recipe.
Thank you so very, very much for your kindness on sharing your brilliant recipes with all of us!
You make it so easy and simple but at the same time it’s so healthy that makes anyone do it.
Thanks again, ls
Hi there!
I find I get tiny, stone like lumps through the butter. I usually only notice it the day after when I apply it. It’s not s huge problem, but it doesn’t look as nice. Do you know what might cause this?
Hi, I live in the Caribbean so its hot alot all of the time and inside is even hotter. I made a recipe from another site, it was 5 tablespoons of Shea butter, 2 tablespoons Rice barn oil( the recipe called for another type of oil, but this is the one I had, and essential oil. It whipped beautifully, the texture was amazing and smelled yummy (strawberry oil). But then after a couple of hours it became stiff, it melted instantly when applied but it lost that wonder whipped texture and look. I am going to try your recipe this week end and would let you know how it turns out. I am absolutely looking for consistency in keeping the whipped look and feel.
I use the exact same combo with added olive oil and use for both body and hair.❤️ Amazaballs
I made the recipe 60/40 as suggested but it’s as hard as a brick and unuseable. Any suggestions to make it more user friendly?
Hi Deb! You can always gently remelt the body butter and add more oil to thin out the consistency. The recipe was developed in a very hot country, so the higher ratio of hard butter, hold the butter together in very hot weather. When we’re using only butters and oils – so beeswax – you may find that our environment makes a big difference, where the product can harden or melt. Keep playing, it’s not a mistake, its just learning what will work best for you!
Do all body butters have a shelf life of about 3 months?
Hi Manu! They can actually last well up to 6 months to 1 year – I tend to try to use up my homemade products within 3 months, so it’s fresh and I’m not worried about contamination.
Thank you so much for this article. Actually, this article is so attractive for all. Body lotion are most important for body skin care. I think this article is better than another article.
Was wondering if we can add any scented oils such as lavender lemon citronella?
Can I use olive oil instead?
Hi! I stay in a hot country but inside its all very cold (air conditioner) so do i need to tweak the recipe? Also instead of freezing butter after melting, why are we not letting it cool naturally?
Hi! It’s best to freeze the butter quickly, so that it doesn’t become grainy. Which, just incase – if that does happen, where it forms little grains, it doesn’t degrade the final product at all! You can still use it :)
Hi! Does this recipe fit a 100g container? Hoping for a response. Thanks!
Where did you purchase ypur bain-marie?
Hi Nikka! i’m not sure anymore of where I specifically bought the set, but you’ll find it online, Amazon. Also in home good stores, in the kitchenware section. You can also set a metal bowl over a pot. If you have a heat-resistant glass container, you can also set that in. Hope that helps! :)
Well, I don’t know where I went wrong because I followed the recipe to a “T”. Whipped up fantastic, immediately put it into 2 jars and screwed the lids on tight…. and now its hard again and I can’s scoop it out to use it. The little that was left in the bowl also hardened (it’s been a couple hours) and I had to remelt it a tad to use it. Now I’m sitting here smelling like cocoa butter and shiny and slippery to the point I had to use a paper towel to wipe it off and I’m STILL all greasy. Also, cleaning up the tools used to create product were a pain and a half to get cleaned up. I used Organic Raw Cocoa Butter and Organic Coconut Oil.
Hi Michelle! I totally hear you on the clean-up! That’s just part of the process of making. Hot water and soap does the job nicely though! If it came out too hard, it’ often down to outside temperature. I lived somewhere incredibly hot and humid, so the extra hard-butter held the product together. You can play with the ratio, add more oil than butter to create a softer consistency.
It’s a rich product. Use a little – it goes a long long way. I hope you’re not discouraged from trying again, because when it comes together – it’s beautiful and lush and makes your skin feel incredible. But either way thanks for sharing your experience!
do you often add scented oils to this?
I. I did. I put a little camomile oil into it and it smells wonderful! I also used infused coconut oil and made my jars medicated.
Whip it up and store it in a timely manner though. I was trying to do 3 things at once and ended up letting it sit too long. Its not whipped but hard. It works, I just think ill do my second batch when in not trying to do a million things at once so it comes out right. I’m 100% it was user error on my part. :)
Hi,
Are you able to add scents to this?