Homemade Body Butters

A body butter cream is an intense moisturizer that can be applied onto the entire body. These creams are specially formulated to maximize skin hydration. What makes body butters so hydrating? The secret lies in the emollient seed and nut oils that form the base of each blend. These oils are extracted by first grinding or cold-pressing the seeds or the kernel of the nuts, and then cooking the remaining mixture until the fat and oils are released. (One caution for those with allergies: If eating nuts or mangos is problematic for you, steer clear of skin-care products with high concentrations of their oils.)

A body butter is made by combining oils (liquid) with butters (solid). Example:

• oils (liquid): coconut oil, sweet almond oil, safflower oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil (See Cosmetic Oils for a list.)
• butters (solid) : shea butter, mango butter, cocoa butter

Many commercial body butters contain oils from the following nuts and seeds:

Kukui nut - The kukui tree is Hawaii's state tree. Its nuts have been used for centuries--in fact, the oil extracted from the kukui nut's kernel was originally used to light primitive lamps. Today it's added to body butter because of its high concentration of essential fatty acids, that benefit the appearance of skin, and vitamins A, C, and E.

Cocoa bean - Grinding the seeds of the cacao plant (more commonly known as cocoa beans) releases cocoa butter. It's a key ingredients in the making of chocolate bars. Cocoa butter is loaded with antioxidants and countless nutrients such as calcium, potassium, and iron.

Shea nut - Shea butter is made from the fruit of the shea (karite) tree, which is 100 percent organic; the trees, indigenous to West Central Africa, grow wild without the use of chemical pesticides. Evidence also suggests that shea butter, which contains cinnamic-acid esters, may provide some UVB protection along with its skin-smoothing benefits, thus helping to protect the skin from the sun.

Mango - Known as the "apple of the tropics," the mango is an Asian native that thrives in Southern California. The fruit of the tree, which has a waxy, smooth skin and sweet flavor, contains seeds that are cold-pressed to produce mango butter, which is rich in beta carotene and Vitamins A and E.

NOTE: The body butter I bought at a bazaar at work has these ingredients listed in this order: cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and essential oil. It has a faily thick consistency, thicker than a body butter given to me as a gift. Its texture is thicker than peanut butter or frosting, more like the thickness of chapstick, but even a little more so. From my reading I am assuming because of the cocoa butter in the ingredients which is fairly solid at room temperture. Looking at the butter, it appears quite solid, but when you touch it to scoop some up, it is soft enough and melts into your skin when you apply it. I really liked it. I think its scent was cucumber.

Basic Formula
from https://livesimply.me/

Main Ingredient: Butter

Homemade body butter starts with butter. I’ve found that shea butter is the perfect base butter, since it’s soft and easy to work with. My homemade formula calls for a 1/4 cup of shea butter as the base butter. From there, it’s up to you, the maker, to customize the body butter. You’ll need a total of 1/2 cup butter, so you can either double the shea (for a total of 1/2 cup), or mix the shea with a different butter: 1/4 cup of cocoa butter or 1/4 cup of mango butter.

Mango butter will yield a softer body butter than cocoa butter. Cocoa butter will yield a thicker body butter that smells a bit like chocolate. You can also use shea butter again, if desired, instead of using mango or cocoa butter.

• Shea Butter: Shea butter comes from the “nut” (or pit) of the fruit found on the Karite Tree. It has a strong scent when it’s purchased in an unrefined state. I use unrefined/crude shea butter in recipes (including body butter), but if you don’t care for the (natural) fragrance, I recommend using refined shea butter. Since shea butter is naturally soft, it can be used as the main ingredient in body butter, or it may be combined with another butter–cocoa or mango butter–to create a custom body butter.
• Cocoa Butter: Cocoa butter comes from the cocoa bean, so it smells like chocolate. Cocoa butter is hard, at room temperature, and it melts easily. I don’t recommend making a 100% cocoa butter body butter because you’ll end up with a final product that’s solid as a rock. Cocoa butter must be mixed with a softer butter, like shea or mango butter, to yield a soft and spreadable final product.
• Mango Butter: Mango butter comes from the seed of mango fruit. It’s a soft butter, similar to shea butter, that can have a bit of a gritty texture before it’s melted down to create body butter. If you don’t want to use shea butter to make body butter, then mango butter is the best replacement. Mango butter may be combined with shea or cocoa butter to create a custom body butter.

Main Ingredient: Carrier Oil

Oil is the second main ingredient used to make body butter. The oils used in skincare recipes are typically referred to as carrier oils, although I usually call them nourishing oils.

The oil used is completely up to you. For my body, I usually stick with almond or jojoba oil, and just started playing around with grapeseed oil. Virgin coconut oil may also be used; it’s just not my personal preference. [Her recipe calls for 1/4 cup]

[One recipe I found used 3/4 cup cocoa butter and 1/4 cup coconut oil. It said: Cold climates, adjust recipe to 60% cocoa butter, 40% oil so that it's not as hard.]

Optional Ingredients: Arrowroot and Essential Oils

Some folks find that body butter is a bit too greasy to apply all over the body. The good news is that there’s a simple solution for this issue…arrowroot flour/starch. A small amount of arrowroot flour/starch may be added to the liquid oil before pouring the oil into the melted butter(s). [1 1/2 tsp.]

Finally, an essential oil may be added for scent and additional skincare benefits. At the moment, my personal favorites are: lavender, geranium, and frankincense (Carteri). [about 30 drops essential oils]