How to Make Body Butter

You may have ask the question on your DIY skincare journey, how do you make body butter? You can make body butter by heating, cooling, and mixing together butter and oil. 

The process of a simple body would be placing your butter and oil in a heat-resistant container and setting that in a double boiler on low heat to melt the ingredients. After the ingredients have melted, you will pour the mixture into a container. Place that in the refrigerator to cool. Finally, once the body butter has cooled, you can use an immersion blender or a whisked blender to mix it.

This is a quick and simple explanation of the process you would be going through when you make a simple body butter. 

You can add other ingredients during the body butter-making process. Some ingredients you add will help make your body butter less greasy or have a harder consistency. You can add powders, waxes, hardeners, and essential oils.

A traditional body butter is anhydrous. This means it does not contain water. 

You may see some people use a water phase in their body butter. If they have a water phase, then it is no longer a true body butter. Adding a water phase to a body butter would make it lighter and less greasy, which is a fix to some common complaints on body butter.

Oils to Use in Making Body Butters

There are many different oils that you can use in body butter. Some oils are considered lighter, and others are a little heavier. It is best to find an oil that will quickly absorb into your skin.

Safflower Oil

Safflower oil is very moisturizing and promotes skin healing. It is mildly comedogenic, making it best for people with dry skin.

Safflower oil is high in linoleic content and vitamin E. Due to the linoleic content, it is effective in ridding your skin of blackheads and other skin impurities.

Jojoba Oil

Jojoba oil has a chemical structure that closely represents the sebum in the skin. Because it mimics our sebum, jojoba oil is excellent for treating acne. 

Not only does jojoba oil help with treating acne, but it has other benefits to offer your skin. It helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. It also minimizes the appearance of scars. 

Sweet Almond Oil

There are many vitamins and minerals in sweet almond oil. The vitamin and minerals it contains are monounsaturated fatty acids, potassium, zinc, vitamin A and E.

Sweet almond oil soothes dry and irritated skin. Because of this, it is perfect for people with dry or sensitive skin types. 

It is also non-comedogenic. This means that it is unlikely to clog pores. It is known to clean out oil and dirt from pores and prevent blackheads. Because it is non-comedogenic, sweet almond oil is best for acne-prone skin.

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil is known to prevent the loss of moisture from the skin. This makes it a very hydrating oil for skincare products. 

It also is wonderful for aging skin because it helps fight signs of aging.

Sunflower oil assists with skin regeneration. 

Rosehip Oil

Rosehip oil is a fast-absorbing oil into the skin. It is very nourishing and regenerating for aging skin. Not only is it good for aging skin, but it is also great for sensitive skin because it helps to soothe inflammation.

It also helps fight fine lines, wrinkles, and stretch marks. Rosehip oil also contains vitamin A and E. 

Butters to Use in Making Body Butters

An obvious ingredient in body butter is butter. There are a few kinds of butter that you can choose from. Just like the oils, some types of butter have a heavier or lighter feeling than others. 

The most popular butter you will see are shea, cocoa, and mango.

Shea Butter

A butter that you will commonly see in skincare products is shea butter. It is a powerful moisturizer that helps in reducing inflammation and soothing distressed skin.

It protects skin in cold and dry months. This makes it a popular butter in body butter. It helps to hydrate areas of the body that lose moisture quickly, such as the elbows and the bottom of the feet.

Cocoa Butter

Another popular butter is cocoa butter. It is a harder butter compared to shea butter. It is good for sensitive skin and helps with different skin issues, such as stretch marks and scars. 

Cocoa butter is a deep moisturizer for chapped and dry skin.

It contains vitamin E and is rich in antioxidants. The antioxidants protect our skin from the free radicals in the environment. 

Mango Butter

Mango butter is a light butter and has a low chance of clogging pores. It is not as common in the skincare industry as shea or cocoa butter, but it is growing in popularity.

Mango butter works well with dry or sensitive skin types.

It helps to soothe inflamed or irritated skin. For example, it treats insect bites, wrinkles, stretch marks, sunburns, and rashes.

Powders to Use in Making Body Butters

If you want to make your body butter less greasy, adding a powder may help. Two of the powders used in DIY skincare body butter are arrowroot powder and cornstarch.

Arrowroot Powder

Arrowroot powder acts as a thickening agent to help make your body butter less greasy, and it gives it a light and fluffy texture. It provides a natural glow to the skin.

It also contains vitamins and minerals that help the skin. Some of the vitamins and minerals in arrowroot powder are iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamin B6.

There are some benefits that arrowroot powder offers the skin. It helps to treat skin irritations such as acne and rashes. 

Cornstarch

If you do not have arrowroot powder, cornstarch is a good substitute. 

If you would If you would like to avoid lumps of cornstarch in your body butter, here is a secret. Put your cornstarch in a small bowl. Add a little oil and whisk it till it is dissolved. Finally, pour the mixture into your body butter.

Hardeners and Waxes to Use in Making Body Butters

If you want a harder body butter, you can add wax or a hardener. Two commonly used waxes and hardeners are beeswaxes and cetyl alcohol.

Beeswax

When creating skincare products, typically people use white beeswax instead of yellow beeswax.

There are some skin-health benefits to adding beeswax to your body butter as well. Beeswax is a humectant. Because it is a humectant, beeswax attracts water keeping your skin hydrated and happy.

Keep in mind that beeswax will add a slightly sticky feeling to your body butter. So do not use too much in your body butter recipe.

Cetyl Alcohol

Normally, when looking at ingredients in skincare products, we try to stay away from alcohol. Cetyl alcohol is safe and non-toxic alcohol for your skin.  

Cetyl alcohol is an emollient. This means that will help soften and soothe your skin.

It is considered a fatty hardener for body butter. It will help you harden body butter. If your body butter is harder you will not apply too much body butter. 

Conclusion

Body butter is a heavy-duty moisturizer for your skin. You can apply it after a shower or whenever your skin is feeling like it just needs a little extra hydration.

If you will be touching your body butter with wet hands or if it will be exposed to any water, it is recommended to put a preservative in the body butter. If your body butter comes in contact with water, it could develop bacteria.

Now that you know the basics of how to make body butter. Have fun and be creative. Mix and match ingredients that make your skin happy and healthy.