These days we have a plenty of choices in body butters, cold creams & skin care lotions in the stores. However, if you look at the contents of these products, they are loaded with parabens & chemicals that, in the long run, can cause more harm than good. Many of the ingredients in these products are known carcinogens.
Did you know that almost 60% of what we put on our skin, gets absorbed into the bloodstream??? So why take a chance ,when you can make your own body butter at home? Though I never thought so before, making your own body butter is as simple & easy as making icing for a cake.
In this post, you’ll learn how to make your own Body Butter that is oh-so-creamy! It looks & feels delicious…. just like whipped cream!
What is a body butter??? It’s a mixture of natural butters & oils. It has amazing moisturizing & nourishing properties
Ingredients :
1/4th cup Unrefined Shea butter, roughly chopped
1/4th cup Unrefined Cocoa butter
1/4th cup Sweet Almond Oil
1/4th cup Coconut Oil (Extra Virgin/ Unrefined/Filtered)
8-10 drops Essential Oil of your choice (for fragrance)
Equipments:
Whisk (egg beater)
Double boiler or a metal pot with a metal or glass bowl kept on top
Hand blender (egg beater/whisk attachment)
Ice cubes & water in a big bowl
Time :
20 minutes plus refrigeration time.
Method :
Fill the metal pot/vessel with water, place it on a gas stove & let it heat up. The pot should have enough water in it ,so that the water touches the bottom of your glass/metal bowl, but doesn’t spill out.
Pour the ingredients (all except the essential oil) in another bowl. Place it on the warm bowl of water. When it starts melting mix it gently with a whisk. As soon as it melts completely, switch off the gas & remove the bowl from heat.
Let it cool down & then place in the refrigerator. Keep it in there around an hour or more till it solidifies completely. Place it in a bowl of ice cold water & start whipping it with a hand blender. Whip it for 5 minutes.
When it has turned a bit creamy, add 8-10 drops of essential oil. Whip it again for 5-7 minutes or till it turns creamy & fluffy.
Transfer it into a glass jar with an air-tight lid. This is very important because we do not want the body butter to get oxidized.
This makes around 400 gms of whipped body butter.
What you must know :
This body butter is unusual. It melts into the skin just the way butter melts on a warm surface. It feels different at first. But then it gets absorbed into the skin & leaves & velvety feel! If you have a normal skin, a little bit of it is usually enough. Depending on your skin type, you may require more or less of it.
Additional Tips :
- If you wish, you can skip cocoa butter & use double the quantity of shea butter instead.
- Some good smelling essential oils are : Coconut , Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Rose, Sandalwood. You can use any floral or fruity fragrances as per your choice.
- Cocoa butter has a chocolaty fragrance that goes well with coconut essential oil or peppermint essential oil
- You can make lesser quantity also. Simply put the ingredients in exactly half the quantity given
- All the ingredients are shelf stable, so this has a long shelf life. However, there are no emulsifiers or preservatives added. So make sure it is kept in an air tight glass jar. If you don’t, it might change texture after a few days.
- Use raw /unrefined/cold pressed versions of these oils & butters.
- Shea butter & Cocoa butter can be purchased online. Buy 100gms to 20o gms of each.(ebay & amazon)
- Almond oil & Coconut oil can be purchased at the stores or online (I bought from flipkart)
The many benefits of this body butter :
Shea butter is an all natural Vitamin A cream. It is an excellent moisturiser. The moisturisers in shea butter are the same moisturisers that are produced by the sebaceous glands of the skin. Shea butter has exceptional healing properties. It promotes wound healing & has anti-inflammatory properties. It is excellent for preventing stretch marks during pregnancy or during weight loss.
Cocoa butter is extracted from the cocoa bean & smells divine( like chocolate) !!! It’s a rich emollient & leaves the skin well moisturised. It helps build skin elasticity & is therefore very useful in preventing & lightening stretch marks.
Coconut oil has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory properties. It is a very good moisturizer. It acts as a natural sun-block too. Use the filtered or cold pressed version, as the nutrients are intact in these.
Almond oil is a rich source of Vitamin E. It helps improve the complexion & brings a glow to the skin. It is excellent for nourishing the skin & making it smooth & soft. Almond oil also soothes skin irritation & inflammation.
All in all, this body butter helps :
- Moisturize & nourish the skin
- Prevent wrinkles
- Erase fine lines
- Makes skin look younger
- Enhances smoothness
- Softens rough areas
- Prevents & lightens stretch marks during pregnancy or weight loss
- Soothe irritated or inflamed skin
All this in less than 20 minutes of the preparation time that it takes!