Luxurious DIY Body Butter Recipe

This three ingredient body butter is completely natural and so easy to make that I don't think I'll be buying shop-bought lotion ever again! Buying the ingredients in bulk also means that plastic use is considerably reduced; though shea butter and coconut oil often come in a plastic tubs, these are more easily recycled than your typical lotion bottle (particularly those with pump dispensers that can't be recycled) or, even better, can be re-used for storage or whatever other inventive use you can think of.

My main problem with home-made body butter has always been the greasiness, I have previously made some that sit on the skin and take a long time to absorb, but with a little experimentation I've found that reducing the amount of coconut oil in the recipe also reduces the time it takes for your skin to drink it all in. Nevertheless this body butter couldn't be described as "light", but the problem is that to make it into a lighter lotion you'll need to add water, which means it's longevity is drastically reduced. Shop-bought lotions are light and long-lasting because they contain chemical preservatives, and I'm not too keen on putting them on my skin. With this body butter though I think I've found a good middle ground, I wouldn't put it on before going to the beach, but it absorbs quickly enough for me to get on with daily life after applying it!

Anyway I hate it when blogs go on for ages before actually giving you the recipe, so here it is:

Ingredients

• 1 cup shea butter
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon of jojoba oil
• *optional* a few drops of whatever essential oils you choose - I like frankincense, lavender and geranium in my body butter because they're good for your skin.

You don't necessarily need the jojoba oil if you don't have it, it could be replaced with another tablespoon of coconut oil, I just love it for all its amazing properties which you can read about here. 

Method

1. Measure out all your ingredients and place in a heatproof bowl.

2. Create a double boiler by placing the bowl over a pan of boiling water on the stove-top, to gently melt your oils and butter together (with the exception of your essential oils, which you'll have to wait for the mixture to cool before adding)

3. When the mixture is completely liquid remove it from the heat and whisk it with an electric hand mixer for a minute or two.

4. Place the mixture in the fridge and allow to cool until it begins to solidify to a creamy consistency that's kind of like soft butter (it took about 20 minutes for mine to get to this stage)

5. Add any desired essential oils and whisk it again until its light and fluffy.

6. Decant into a jar of your choice - I reused an old glass sauce jar.  

Voila!