I’m thrilled to be back on The Haute Life and sharing my recipe for homemade body butter! I love this stuff. Not only because it feels fabulous on my skin, but because I know it’s full of safe and clean ingredients.
You know by now that I care about what I feed my body, but that passion also goes beyond food! I like knowing exactly what goes into what I put on my body and the little bodies of my babes each day. Plus, it’s so much less expensive than buying it already made.
I started making my own body butter while pregnant with our second babe and have been doing it ever since.
My husband thinks I’m nuts to make my own, and if you’re super short on time, you may be thinking the same! But, the truth is it really is quick to make and the stuff lasts! After one batch, you are well stocked for a while.
Body Butter Recipe
What You Need
- Mason Jars – you can buy these online or at any hardware store. I like the small ones for gifts and use the large ones for myself
- Shea Butter – I prefer the Shea Butter Brand
- Coconut Oil – I buy the big Nutiva 78 ounce jar on Amazon since I use it for cooking as well
- Cocoa Butter – I always use the Caribbean Cacao brand
- Essential Oil– This is OPTIONAL. But, if you do choose to add a different scent, peppermint, tea tree, frankincense, and lavender are some my favorites!
TIP: I love the cocoa butter scent, as well as the benefits, especially since I’ve been pregnant for the better part of the last three years! But, it can overpower the scent of the essential oils that you add. So, if you don’t want that luscious chocolate scent intermingling with your other scents of choice, I suggest using the same process outlined above, but omit the cocoa butter and add sweet almond oil. I recommend Plant Therapy.
How To Make Body Butter
- Take equal parts of each oil. You can use as much or as little as you want. However, a 1/2 cup is a good guideline. I never measure anymore, just eyeball it!
- Place mixture into a bowl over a double boiler to melt.
- Once melted, remove from heat.
- Let cool on the counter for about an hour and then move to the fridge to continue cooling for another hour or so.
- When the mixture is ready to be whipped, it should look solid on the top, but not the whole way through. Once it looks like this, remove from the fridge and whip it with a hand mixer until fluffy.
- Transfer to your mason jars and get ready to enjoy!
Essential oils have the potential for a wealth of health benefits including aiding in better sleep, combating stress and fatigue, boosting immunity, balancing hormones, improving digestion, healing skin conditions, and possibly reducing cellulite and wrinkles.
There is also a long list of potential benefits to the other oils in the butter. Coconut oil is revered as a natural anti-fungal and antibacterial. Shea butter has a high concentration of natural vitamins and fatty acids, making it incredibly nourishing and moisturizing – plus, it’s considered an anti-inflammatory. Cocoa butter is rich in antioxidants, which are believed to provide protection against aging, skin stressors, and free radicals!
This is such a treat for me at the end of a long day and I love the peace of mind it brings knowing that what I am putting on myself and my kids is pure and safe. Plus, you’ll look like a superstar if you make it for friends and family this holiday season!
The Impatient Mother (Christie Bigelow, 36) is a mom of 3 (11, 2, and 11 months). She’s on a mission to make nutritious food for her family and herself, usually with limited time and sometimes limited ingredients!
Fast, simple, delicious, and flexible is the name of the game… that and time optimization.
From baby food, on up to toddler, teen, and husband, she has a wide range of mouths to feed and is constantly coming up with creative ways to get the best stuff into the people she loves.
Christie shares many of her tips and tricks for things like getting veggies into kids, cooking with whole foods, and baking with nutrient dense ingredients on her Instagram feed and will soon be launching her own blog.
Foodies and mom’s alike, be sure to follow her on Instagram @theimpatientmother and stay tuned for the blog.
