This whipped body butter recipe is soft and creamy, almost like a cloud! Learn how to make body butter at home with natural ingredients!
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I’m a DIYer and particularly love to make my own beauty products, especially body butter.
What Is Body Butter?
If you haven’t used body butter before, you’re in for a treat! It’s like butter for your skin. Homemade body butter is an easy DIY project for anyone. It’s so simple; all you have to do is melt and whip lovely oils together in a KitchenAid, and voila! Beautiful body butter!
While I love my basic whipped coconut oil moisturizer, it can be a little greasy, and it also melts at room temperature. I needed a good moisturizer that wasn’t too oily, so I decided to play around with some of my favorite plant-based butters and came up with this lovely body butter recipe.
I seriously love the way this homemade body butter feels and smells. It’s also very nourishing and will leave your skin feeling super soft.
I use this body butter on my sensitive skin and my children. You can leave it as it is or add essential oils to create a great smelling body butter for yourself or as a gift.
How To Make Whipped Body Butter
Ingredients: You will need 1/3 cup coconut oil, 1/3 cup shea butter, 1/3 cup cocoa butter wafers, 1/3 cup jojoba oil, 2 tsp arrowroot powder, and essential oils.
To make body butter, you will melt the coconut oil, cocoa butter, and cup shea butter in a double boiler or saucepan over low heat. If a double boiler isn’t available, a large pyrex measuring cup will work instead.
Next, remove the melted cocoa butter and oils from the heat and mix in the jojoba oil and essential oils. Mix well to incorporate the essential oils.
Pour the mixture into a large kitchen aid bowl (or medium glass bowl) and place in the refrigerator. Chill until it’s solid, about two hours. Alternatively, you can use the freezer to cool the oils.
Once the mixture is solid, remove the bowl from the fridge, place the bowl into the kitchen aid, and whip the body butter (a hand mixer works too if that’s what you have). Add arrowroot powder (if using) and continue to beat until the body butter is light and airy. Note: You can make whipped chocolate body butter by adding two tablespoon of cocoa powder to this body butter.
Finally, scoop the body butter into a glass jar and store it in a cool, dry place.
About The Ingredients
- Coconut Oil: Organic coconut oil is unlike any other skin product! Because of its low molecular weight and the method of binding to proteins, coconut oil can penetrate the skin more deeply than other products.
- Shea Butter: Shea butter is an intense moisturizer for rough skin. Due to its emollient properties, it’s a perfect ingredient to include in your body care recipes, especially in body butter.
- Cocoa Butter: Cocoa butter will soften at body temperature and add a thick and creamy consistency to lotions, creams, and body butters. In addition, cocoa butter contains the natural antioxidant Vitamin E and several other vitamins and minerals.
- Jojoba Oil: Jojoba oil is low comedogenic carrier oil that’s moisturizing and soothing to inflamed skin. If jojoba oil is unavailable, sweet almond oil is a good substitute that contains fatty acids and vitamins A and E and penetrates quickly into the skin.
- Essential Oils: These plant-based oils are natural and safer than synthetic fragrances. But don’t go overboard; a few drops are all you need to scent homemade body butter.
- Arrowroot Powder: Because this moisturizer is an oil-based, it can feel a little greasy on some skin types. Adding arrowroot powder or cornstarch helps to cut the greasy feeling on your skin. If arrowroot powder isn’t available, corn starch or tapioca starch are good substitutes
Essential Oils for Whipped Body Butter
Below are some of my favorite essential oils to use in this homemade body butter recipe:
This whipped homemade body butter is versatile! Add different essential oils to each batch. Essential oils are natural and much healthier than using synthetic fragrances.
- Peppermint (15-20 drops of essential oil). You’ll smell like a candy cane! Great for the holidays
- Frankincense & Lavender (15 drops each), this mix promotes beautiful skin!
- Vanilla & Lavender (15 drops of Vanilla and 10 drops lavender essential oil), this mix is very relaxing!
- Grapefruit & Lime (20 drops each). This smells AMAZING!! Just be careful not to wear this outside since citrus oils are photosensitive. Other citrus oils like wild orange and lemon are wonderful too!
Supplies & Ingredients
I stock up on glass jars (like these) and make this homemade body butter for presents almost every holiday season. Of course, my coffee body scrub and simple sugar scrub are other great items to make for gifting too!
Shop Whipped Body Butter Recipe Equipment & Ingredients:
My favorite butters and carrier oils can be found here (note: these are affiliate links to products I love):
- coconut oil
- shea butter
- cocoa butter
- jojoba oil
- arrowroot powder
- essential oils – Use your favorite essential oils!
Equipment:
- A high-quality stand mixer (I use a kitchen aid)
- Double boiler
- Rubber spatula
- Mason jar
How To Store Homemade Whipped Body Butter
Because this recipe is oily-based and natural, the oils and butters may melt if stored in a warm environment. Therefore, it’s best to keep this body butter in a cool, dry place. Then, if the oils begin to melt by chance, you can refrigerate the butter and re-whip it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use instead of jojoba oil?
You may substitute any liquid oil in place of the jojoba oil. However, I suggest using skin-loving oils like sweet almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, olive oil, or macadamia nut oil since they work so well for dry skin.
What can I use in place of coconut oil?
Unfortunately, because coconut oil is a softer oil, it isn’t easy to replace it in this recipe. However, Shea butter is the best substitute, so I suggest doubling the shea butter if you aren’t using coconut oil. Mango butter is another great textured body that can be used as well. Do not use a hard butter, like cocoa butter to replace the coconut oil in this recipe.
I don’t have an electric mixer; will a blender work?
I don’t think a blender will work for this type of recipe. The oils and butters will get stuck in the blade and will be difficult to remove.
What’s the shelf life of this body butter?
If stored in an air-tight jar in a cool dark place, this body butter will keep for up to 6 months.
What preservative can I use to extend the shelf life of this body butter?
I haven’t personally used a preservative in this whipped body butter but Geogard ECT would be my choice. This preservative should be .6-1% of the formula.
How do you make homemade body butter? This recipe is so simple! Just follow the instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Update: Several people noted a strong cocoa butter smell when they used this body butter recipe. Raw cocoa butter does have a strong smell and can be off-putting to some. You are welcome to use refined cocoa butter instead of raw cocoa butter. The same goes for coconut oil. Unrefined oils and butters are high in antioxidants and are great for your skin. However, they can often have a strong scent so if you prefer, use the refined options.
Love this DIY recipe? Then I know you’ll enjoy my other body butter recipes, like this coffee-infused body butter and magnesium body butter. You may also like my Lotion Bars Recipe made with coconut oil!
PrintWhipped Body Butter Recipe
This whipped body butter recipe is soft and creamy, almost like a cloud! Learn how to make body butter at home with natural ingredients!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 ounces 1x
Ingredients
- 2.5 ounces coconut oil (approximately 1/3 cup)
- 2.5 ounces shea butter (approximately 1/3 cup)
- 2.5 ounces cocoa butter (approximately 1/3 cup) (raw cocoa butter has a strong smell. Use refined cocoa butter instead if this is an issue for you.)
- 2.5 ounces jojoba oil or sweet almond oil (approximately 1/3 cup)
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder (optional – makes it not feel greasy on the skin
- 15–30 drops essential oils (add more if you like)
Instructions
- In a double boiler or glass bowl, combine all ingredients except essential oils.
- Bring to medium heat and stir constantly until all ingredients are melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Move to the fridge and let cool another 1 hour or until starting to harden but still somewhat soft.
- Use a hand mixer to whip for 10 minutes until fluffy. Add essential oils and whip for another minute.
- Store in a glass jar with a lid.
Notes
Can I omit the cocoa butter and use something else instead? Like more shea butter or coconut oil?
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Shea and mango butter are good alternatives to cocoa butter.
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I actually haven’t made this yet but using my own knowledge of making lotions & lip balms, Coconut Oil tends to sit on the skin rather than actually absorb. I refuse to even get a lip balm with it as an ingredient because my lips will feel even more chapped 5-10min later. Beeswax has to be the #1 ingredient because it protects the skin. Anyway, adding Cocoa Powder is absolutely unnecessary if you buy ORGANIC COCOA BUTTER. Also, Unrefined Cocoa Butter naturally has a heavy chocolate scent and is actually better for your skin than the “deordorized”/unscented. I buy mine on Amazon.
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I find this recipe helpful. Can be used Shea butter the same as coconut butter?
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Your blog post help to make a good whipped body butter. I have tried many times before to make homemade body butter but I did not succeed in this. Thank you for sharing this beautiful article. Also, the images in the article are pretty good.
I successfully created my first batch of body butter! Simple, and the results were excellent! Next time I will stir the mixture halfway through the cooling process to ensure more even texture, and use a bigger mixing bowl to catch splatters.
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I am a little confused with this recipe. For the coconut oil and the butters, recipe calls for 2.5oz, which I would typically read ounces as liquid or dry measurements in a recipe, but I am guessing you are using weight instead? Would I use a scale opposed to a measuring instruments for these ingredients in this recipe?
Yes, a scale is more accurate for measuring in recipes like these.But I also listed the measurement in cups next to each ingredient for anyone who doesn’t have a scale.
What can one use in place of the shea. My son is allergic to it, and I’m wanting to make a body butter for his eczema…
Mango butter is a good option or you can use more coconut oil.
I made it today. The result is that it’s like a lotion type not a whipped cream. Im frustrated with the result. What do you think is the problem ? Also the shea butter smells so strong..
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Did you use the same ingredients listed in the post? There could be a few things that happened, but I would start there. Next, I would ask if it’s hot in the area you are making your body butter. The butters will melt if it gets too hot and will not whip up well.
Is it better to use refined shea or mango….cocoa butters in the body lotions…or raw?
I made this tonight— the directions vary based on the print recipe screen versus blog instructions… Which is frustrating. The photo makes it look like arrowroot is sitting on top of the Shea in the bowl. Anyways, I added that when the butters melted (not at the end when whipping) and I added the essential oils before cooling it down or whipping. I’ll add more once whipping bc I would like to be able to smell it. Please make the 3 formats consistent with more details for this. Thank you
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Hi,
I live in Florida heat, so if I wanted to use beeswax, how many ounces would I put in this whipped body butter recipe?
Thanks.
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Not sure on Beeswax, but cocoa butter sets harder than she’s butter, so increasing the ratio of cocoa should help somewhat
Hello,
How much beeswax should I use in this exact recipe ? I live in Florida and it’s super hot and I want stability in my whipped body butter without melting. Thanks!
Have you ever taken a premade body butter and tried to whip it for a better consistency?
Beautiful!! What a gorgeous picture too
Thank you for your post, was so nice to read!
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What preservative would you recommend & the percentage please
Can I omit the cocoa butter or use something else in its place ?
Hello, I just made a small test batch before I make some as gifts, and after about 7 minutes of whipping, it turned very runny and I’m not sure why that happened. It wasn’t exceptionally warm in my home, so could it just have been that it was such a small batch? I did only 0.5 oz of each ingredient. I’m considering omitting the jojoba oil so that it will stay firm. Does anyone have any thoughts in why this happened?
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I learned from watching youtube videos that if you want thicker body butter, you will add more butter, less oil. If you want your body butter to be not as thick, then less butter, more oil. You have to play around with it to see which you like best and of course jot down how much product you added so you’ll know what to do and what not to do.
Hi!!!
I’m interested in making this recipe for gifts for the Holidays and I’m wondering how long this would keep?!
Thank you!!!
The article said six month shelf life.
I am having the same issue! We’re you able to fix it?
What I found to help with it not setting or being fluffy is you really do need The arrow root powder I made this recipe times four also I added extra butter 2.5 ounces of each and I Do not wait for it to get as hard as it was in the video I waited until the sides in the bottom and the top was hard but the middle was still kind of soupy
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Hi, I wanted to say that I loved this recipe and everyone else that has tried it does too! Thank you!
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Greetings!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! It is so silky & luxurious. You are such an Angel for blessing others with your knowledge!!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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I was looking for a body cream to make and thought I would give this one a try. When I went to whip the ingredients together it became so hard I had to stop just after a minute. Not exactly sure what I did wrong. Also I find it is very oily after it rubs into your skin. It’s stains my clothes. LOL. I measured all The ingredients with a kitchen scale so I’m not sure what else to do.
Hello! When I make my body butters, I have found that sometimes corn starch, or tapioca starch can reduce oiliness and greasiness. And if you don’t have any starches, make sure to add less oil and more butter. 🙂 I hope this helped.
I have been looking for a DIY recipe to replace the coconut body butter from Trader Joe’s…I love everything about that stuff but hate the plastic packaging. I made this recipe exactly as written (added arrowroot but no essential oils) and it turned out amazing. I used unrefined coconut and refined cocoa butter so the scent is just slightly coconutty. The texture is like that lovely whipped butter they serve with pancakes at a restaurant. Seems a bit oily when it goes on, but soaks right in and doesn’t feel greasy. One batch made enough to last me a long time. Thank you!
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Hi, I followed this recipe to a T but for some reason it came out very oily and hard to rub it into the skin. It was just so much it’s sitting on top of mine and my husbands skin. Any suggestions? Should I use less almond oil? Should I have let it sit in the fridge longer? I made sure to whip it for 10 minutes in my kitchen aid. Thank you!
Hi! I use corn starch, or any sort of starch if my body butters become too greasy. If you don’t have starch, the easiest way is to just reduce the amount of oil, and add more butter.
Veronica, applying the butter to damp skin can help avoid that outcome. You probably did nothing wrong in making it.
I made this butter sans coconut oil, as I was out; I added the equivalent weight of shea butter and Shea Moisture African water mint & ginger massage oil. I also skipped the cornstarch, since I apply this stuff only to damp skin, and added a couple tablespoons of beeswax to help protect winter skin. (Not surprisingly, I added peppermint essential oil to this mix.) To speed the whipping process, I cooled the melted mix in a second bowl in the fridge. It whipped up to a consistency I liked in maybe 8-10 minutes with the whisk attachment on an immersion blender and set up thick in a few hours. Feels great on my skin and makes a lot to share.
Thank you for the Recipe and your knowledge I am starting my own business currently in trying some new things this is going to be very helpful it’s very much appreciated thank you so much??
This is the third batch I have made and just love it… as do my clients who I have given pots to for a number of dry skin issues which it solved. I adore the smell, the softness and hydration this gives my skin and the process. Making your own natural beauty products is self love and kinder to you and to nature. Thanks you for sharing your passion and hope that you and your 3 coconuts are thriving! Much Aloha..Linzi 🙂
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Hi,
I’ve heard of people putting their body butter in the freezer instead of the fridge to solidify it. Is this something you have tried or recommend or would you stick to the fridge for an hour? Thank you
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If you put your mixture in the freezer, I recommend checking it every 10 minutes so it isn’t frozen solid. If that does happen, let it warm up a bit before trying to whip it. If it gets too warm, return to the freezer, then whip again.
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I want to use Shea butter, mango butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil, and arrow root. Is that fine ?
I want to just use Shea butter, mango butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil, and arrow root. Is that fine?
Hi coconut mama, can I make it using only Shea butter as I have got loads of it? Also can the oils be substituted for other oils like olive instead of almond etc?
Thanks for your time!
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You can make this with just shea butter. It’ll be a little softer without the cocoa butter and coconut butter, but that’s okay. Olive oil is a great choice to use in place of almond oil.
Hello, i tried making the body butter recipe today with some minor substitutions. Everything looked great, it whipped up nicely and was white but once i out in the container it hardened and was not smooth. When i tried scooping with fingers it got all crumbling. Any thing i did wrong?
Can you use this in hair or face?
Question, can I substitute the jojoba oil for vitamin e oil instead? I made up a batch last night – did not whip it as I just found this recipe and it hardened. I’d like it a bit more creamy.. and what brand of essential oils are best with kids
Hi, I’m very new to making body butters and I wanted to know if I can make this without the cocoa butter and Arrowroot powder? I’m trying to make a simple body butter without using too many oils/butters. Do you think 2oz Shea butter, 2oz Coconut Oil, and 2oz Sweet Almond oil is a good recipe? Or should I tweak it?
I would try 3oz of coconut oil and shea butter with 1/3 cup of sweet almond oil. Cocoa butter is a thick butter and gives this body butter a nice thick consistency. The shea butter and cocoa butter will make great body butter, but won’t be as thick. The arrowroot powder is optional.
Hello, I’m thinking of substituting these:
Cupuacu Butter
Mango Butter
Coconut Oil
Sunflower Oil
Pumpkin seed Oil
What do you think would work out the best?
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Hi,
On the subject of substitutions, I wondered if it would work to use Olive oil instead of jojoba or almond? If so, should I change the quantity? I am also new at this and would love to use what I have in hand.
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Yes, olive oil will work in place of almond or jojoba oil. Your body butter may have an olive smell depending on how strong the flavor of your olive oil is.
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This was my first time making a body body so I couldn’t wait to give it a shot! I tweaked it suit my needs and it worked beautifully for both variations. One was for my MIL who suffers from psoriasis, instead of almond oil I used extra virgin olive oil (3 tbs), 1 tbs neem oil, and 1 tbs rosehip oil. 10 drops of tea tree oil and 10 drops of lavender. It whipped up nicely. I did one for myself and followed the recipe pretty close but used evoo (3 tbs) and 2 tbs rosehip. I added 20 drops of peppermint so its smells like wonderful chocolate with a hint of mint. Feels amazing! Thank you!!
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I love this recipe, but mine didn’t turn out like yours, I’m not sure why. Your end result is light dry and airy and cloud like, mine after whipping is shiny and dense looking, how can I get that nice cloud like look to it? Thanks so much!
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Does this need a preservative if being sold? Just wondering what the shelf life is…
Do you think vitamin e bursting beads would be a nice addition to this?
Do we add the arrowroot powder into the oils in the double boiler or before whipping it?
Before whipping!
Uh oh lol! I put it in the boiler. The recipe says all ingredients except essential oils go in the boiler. I will let you know how it turns out lol!
How did it turn out?
It turned out okay. I had to put a lot or arrowroot powder in during the whipping process but the lotion was still good. Started out as a little greasy but absorbed quickly. There was little crystalline chunks in the lotion but they usually dissolved during application. Overall the lotion was great and I’m on my last jar so time to make some more 🙂
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Does the lotion go bad? What do you do with the left over ingredients so they don’t go bad?
I am pretty excited to try this recipe! Can I sub evoo instead of sweet almond oil? Also, can I add some neem oil in place of some of the olive oil to help with psoriasis?
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Yes, I think evoo and neem oil will work perfectly in place of the almond oil.
Thank you for sharing your cocobutter recipe, Tiffany! I tried it today and it came out perfectly. I love the result!! Thank you! I.l.
Video looks like you are adding arrow root before melting process
My butters that I sell to customers get grainy during transit I do use cocoa and candellia wax however it still is grainy. Do you think it’s due to my high amount of shea butter in it?
Graininess happens when the butters aren’t tempered. It’s the different fat crystals reforming after it’s been melted down, instead of remaining smooth.
Maybe try and harden it in the freezer instead of the fridge. Somebutters need to cool quickly and the fridge is too slow. The 1st time I made some I cooked in the fridge and it was grainy. I reheated and cooled it in the freezer and it was fine.
what would you say the shelf life of this is?
Beautiful, I used cocoa butter instead of Shea, with almond oil and little of olive oil. My cocoa butter has a delicious strong smell so after trying with tea tree and bergamot (didn’t work for me scent wise), I found the perfect match with some ylang-ylang and vanilla extract (+a bit of lemon oil for conservation). It smells amazing. Thanks for the recipe !
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Wonderful! Ylang Ylang and Vanilla is one of my favorite combinations!
Tiffany making the body butter now but it is not white, it is the color of the butters. What makes it white?
It may turn out off white or tan depending on which brand of cocoa butter and shea butter you use and if they’re raw or refined.
Hi, does butter stay soft after putting it in the container and storing. I have some that was given to me and it hardened after it cooled down. Thanks
Hello!
Just wondering where you have found refined cocoa butter? I can’t find it on Amazon, any other spots?
Thank you!
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Sounds nice. I used Cacao butter and COULDN’T get rid of the cocoa scent, which I didn’t find to be pleasing. I used 30, then another 30 drops of EO.. How much Ylang-ylang/vanilla/ lemon did you use? Thanks!!
Hello Tilly,
This sound amazing!!
what are the amounts you used for ylang – ylang and vanilla? (did you use vanilla extract?). Can you share?
Thanks
I don’t own a mixer–would I be able to whip this by hand, in a Nutri Bullet blender, or in a mini food processor?
A hand mixer or even an immersion blender will work but I don’t think it can be done (easily) by hand or in the blender.
I made a batch and I love it! The only thing is I dumped a little too much scent into it.
Would it be possible to make another batch without adding any essential oil to it, then combining the two batches to make the scent a little milder?
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Yes, I think that would work! 🙂
So excited to try the body butter. All the ingredients arrived this week. Just waiting to get jars to fill them. My daughter has allergies so this body butter will be wonderful and she is going to enjoy making it with me. Thank you ?
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I made this amazing whipped body butterI didn’t have coco butter so instead of coco butter I just doubled Shea butter and added jojoba oil, some apricot oil to measure 1/3 total oils and added rose essential oil as it’s my favorite in fall for some reason and it is unbelievable and turned out wonderful. I love this recipe.
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I read where one comment mentioned using Diatomaceous Earth in the recipe. Excuse me for not paying more attention but I thought it made the butter less greasy or something.
Is there an amount I can use in this recipe that makes sense?
How long will it stay good? Shelf life?
Can someone please give us the product shelf life rule of thumb?
Thank you
Oil product shelf life depends on the oil and how it is stored. Coconut, Shea and cocoa butter have a longer shelf life a couple of years. Almond oil is a little less. You could add vitamin E or grapefruit seed extract to prolong the life. Store extras in a cold place. It is heat and oxygen that will make oil go rancid.
Hai Tiffany! Thanks for the recipe i made this today and love it! I think because we lived in Jakarta at 33C at daytime, the end product is rather runny. I should put inside the fridge to solidify. Any tips?
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Awesome recipe! New to this whipped body butter making thing. Lol I came across this recipe, read the reviews and decided to use it. Soooo glad i did. My go to recipe now. ??Thank you!
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I bought unrefined cocoa butter and it smells like chocolate! I put essential oils in it & could not get the chocolate smell gone. Am I using the wrong kind?
Thank you
Amber
Cocoa butter does have a chocolate smell! You can add more essential oils or next time use refined cocoa butter which is neutral in smell.
I used mango butter instead of cocoa butter, because I couldn’t stand the smell! Mango butter works great, doesn’t even smell like mangos!
I was wondering what to substitute for the cocoa butter since it actually clogs pores. Shea butter doesn’t so I’m fine with that. Just not sure if I can double the Shea or use a different noncomedogenic butter to replace the cocoa butter.
Ok. This is the first diy body butter that I’ve made that I can say I love ? it’s just perfect!
I left out the starch as I don’t mind the oily finish, I just use less body butter as it has amazing coverage! I did two batches, one with cocoa butter and one without, I left them unscented. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
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First of all, Thank you so much for the amazing recipe, I love it! I couldn’t find coconut essentials anywhere, could I use coconut extract?
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They don’t sell coconut oil in any grocery stores near you? Most grocery stores sell it. Coconut extract is water based. You would have to use a preservative so your butter doesn’t start to grow mold.
This was amazing making…Check your local hobby lobby, I found some there and they had 50% on bases
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