Let's Talk Body Butter!

This is a Body Butter made with Shea, Cocoa Butter and Ccoonut Oil.

My first encounter with Body Butter was a year or so before launching Soap Doctor Soaps. As our family embarked on the journey of making our own products and simplifying what we used, I came across a pin on Pinterest about Body Butter. I was pregnant at the time and it was the middle of Winter, so the idea really resonated with me. After finding several recipes, I settled on one to try. I hit up Amazon to order the butters and oils that I didn't have. I had Coconut oil on hand, so I ordered Sweet Almond Oil, Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter. I got some arrowroot powder at my local HEB in the bulk section and I cleaned out an old salsa jar for my body butter to go into.

Most of these oils I had never worked with, so I had no idea what they were supposed to smell like or look like. If only I had known! I melted my butters together, added my oils and arrowroot powder and whipped them until I had a nice consistency. Transferred it all into my glass jar and waited until the next day to see the final result. Little did I know at the time, but the Shea Butter that I had ordered off of Amazon was rancid. Having never worked with it before, I didn't recognize the slightly off-putting smell before melting it into my other oils. Only after I applied the body butter from head to toe did I start to realize that it kinda stunk. And then that kinda turned into a bit more and then into an "Oh my word get this stuff off of me!" stink. Remember, I was pregnant at the time, so my sense of smell was heightened. I was so discouraged but hated to waste anything, so I went on Amazon again to order some Rose Essential Oil to try and mask the smell of the Shea. Alas, it was to no avail. I could still smell the rancid butter, and now I just had a jar of stinky roses. The whole thing went in the garbage, the Shea went back to Amazon, and several weeks went by before I revisited the idea of Body Butter. The lesson I learned was this: if you have never worked with a butter before, try melting it separately and smell it before adding it to your big batch. For me, the rancid smell was so much stronger in the melted form and if I had done that I might never have added it to my large batch.

The whole experience was so scaring that it took me delving into bath bomb making to revisit Shea Butter. I wanted nothing, and I mean NOTHING to do with it because of my memory of that rancid rose Body Butter. To this day, I have never cared too much for Rose Essential Oil either.

Getting back to body butter, when I revisited the whole issue, I decided to try Mango Butter instead. After trying this combination, I fell in love with body butter. It is so rich and luxurious, goes on so nicely and leaves your skin feeling supple and loved. By adding the Arrowroot powder, you minimize a bit of the greasy feel and truthfully, this is not as much an issue in the winter months for me. It is still my go to when pregnant, as it has helped ward off that itchy skin feeling caused by the stretching to accommodate a growing baby. It's also great for dry heals! I am a barefoot kinda gall, and my feet do pay the price for that. I love to slather a bit of body butter on my heals at night before bed and especially if I have just popped out of a warm bath. You can almost see you skin smile and sight with contentment. Ok, maybe that's a little exaggeration. But I like to think it does.

Here is a link to the recipe that I started out with and really enjoyed: Whipped Body Butter.

If you are going to try this at home, here are three tips I can give you:

1.      When you melt your hard oils or butters together, keep them melted at 160 degrees for about 15-20 minutes before moving onto the rest of your recipe. This helps to prevent crystallization of the hard oils later. I have always had smooth butters and have avoided any grainy textures when following this step. Before I had a thermometer to measure, I would just keep it in a liquid state for the allotted time. But, if you can measure your temperature, it's easier.

2.      After you combine your whole recipe, set it in the fridge overnight. Next morning you can move onto the whipping part, if you want a whipped butter. When you take it cold out of the fridge, let it warm up just a bit, and then whip it, you will get a much lighter texture.

3.      Even though it is ready to use right away, I like to let mine sit for a couple hours before using. Most even until the next day. The scent, if I add any, usually gets stronger and the texture solidifies a little more.

Body Butter melts beautifully with the warmth of the skin.

A little goes a long way. So even if the recipe looks like it doesn't make much, it will last you a good long time. If you subject this to high heats, it will melt and you will lose the whipped effect. If you wish to take the time to rewhip, you can. But it is still a great product just as is. Maybe a little harder to get out of the jar, but still amazing on the skin.