Body butter is simple to make at home; many people like to use it on rough, dry skin or pregnancy stretch marks. There are many different recipes for various body butters online. The exact amounts and specific ingredients vary per recipe depending on the quantity and texture you prefer when you make body butter. Five parts of liquid shea butter to one part of liquid coconut oil is one option to use when starting to make butters. The basic ingredients to make body butter include cocoa and shea butters, coconut and/or olive oils, beeswax and an essential oil such as jasmine or sandalwood.
The butters, oils, beeswax and essential oil may be melted using a double boiler on the stove or a microwavable container in the microwave. It’s important not to over-melt the mixture when you make body butter. To cool the butter, add the top section of the double boiler or the microwave container into a bowl filled with ice water.
When the body butter is chilled, you can use a whisk to whip it up before placing it into jars. Body butters in attractive jars tied with ribbon make great gifts. When you make body butter for yourself, you could also make some for gifts. Be sure to label the product and add an expiration date of two months since the butter should not be used any longer than that.
Water shouldn’t be added to body butter unless a preservative will also be included. If water is used in the butter, bacteria will grow. If you want to make body butter than has a creamy consistency, without adding water and a preservative, using mango butter rather than cocoa butter is a good idea. Cocoa butter creates a firmer texture that some people prefer. Some body butter recipes call for cornstarch to be added as a thickener.
The best time to use body butter to moisturize the skin is after a shower. Variations on the basic butter such as adding avocado can create even more moisturizing properties. Avocados are naturally rich in moisturizers as well as vitamins thought to be extra beneficial to the skin such as vitamin E. Experimenting with different Internet recipes when you make body butter can be fun and allow you to choose combinations of ingredients that you enjoy.