Homemade Body Butter
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A simple homemade body butter that works great for shaving your legs too.
A couple of weeks ago I ran across an article about additives in cosmetics and skin care products that was quite disturbing. Of course, I freaked a tad and thought about tossing everything in our home. After I calmed down, I decided to chill out and take a gradual approach, beginning by making some homemade versions to use. I started with what we had in our home, specifically our kitchen. My thinking is if I put in in my body I should be okay with putting in on my body.
I began by creating a body butter of sorts with only three ingredients we usually have on hand: coconut oil, honey, and citrus. A simple mixing of the three created a fresh, smooth cream that I’ve used to shave my legs, as well as a moisturizer for really dry areas, especially my dry, cracked cuticles. OR add a spoonful to some hot tea (Carrie from La Pomme de Portland recently share that handy tip).
*Please note, since this homemade body butter does not contain preservatives it is intended for use within a week or less when covered and stored in a cool dry place. The recipe shared below makes a bunch, so consider splitting it with friends or dividing the amounts used to be able to use within a week. If a longer shelf life is desired, look into using an oil soluble preservative and replacing the fresh citrus zest with an essential oil.*
As I said, I’ve primarily been using it to shave my legs. While there’s no lather, it’s pretty cool, because once I’m out of the shower or bath, my legs are already moisturized with no need for anything else. Very handy dandy, indeed. It can also be added by the spoonfuls to a hot bath as a bath oil/moisturizer.
Coconut oil and honey alone have so many healthful benefits, so just imagine what combining the two will do for your skin, without all of the junkity junk so many other skin care products can have. Be sure to check the notes below, and if you try this one soon, let me know what you think!
A few notes:
– Recipe is intended for using within a week. For longer shelf life, delete citrus zest, store tightly covered in a refrigerator, and consider using an oil soluble preservative.
– Store covered tightly in a cool dry place.
– Note that Coconut Oil is used for this recipe, not coconut milk, or coconut water.
– Primarily I’ve been using this as a shaving cream for legs, and moisturizer for dry areas like elbows, cuticles, and feet, as well as an addition to bath water. I’ve called it a body butter for lack of a better term, so test on others areas before using as an all-over body moisturizer.
– For this batch I added the zest of grapefruit for a fresh scent, but any citrus zest will do, or a favorite essential oil added to your preference could be substituted. Just imagine the wonderful combination of scents you could create!
– The “recipe” below makes a large amount, which is perfect for splitting with a friend, or having some to keep in the kitchen and bath to keep those cuticles nice and hydrated.
– Although mixture starts out soft, it will firm up, solidifying more after a day or so.
– Be aware that since it’s an oil base it can make the shower floor or tub quite slippery, so be careful!
– Since there is citrus zest in the mixture, there may be little pieces of zest that you will need to wipe off. Essential oil can also be used for scent.
How to make Homemade Body Butter:
- 1 1/2 cups of coconut oil measured as solid
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons zest of grapefruit or other citrus (substitute essential oil to preference)
- Mix all together until combined and smooth.
- Transfer to a container and cover.
I swear is there anything coconut oil can’t do?!?! I just used it as an eye make up remover and it changed my LIFE!! It worked better than my Neutrogena for getting rid of my makeup! Mind, Blown!
Oh my goodness, Megan! Totally trying that.
how long does it last at 15 to 20 degrees celsious or refrigerated
This stuff is amazing I love it as lip balm even though it seems to take only a few minutes to seep into my lips . Did you know you can use just plain coconut oil to put on after you get out of the shower some people might not like the texture on their skin .Thanks for the great idea I used orange zest can I use lemon juice or lime juice by any chance???
Hi there,
I’ve whipped coconut oil before for cradle cap – but like you mentioned in the notes, it solidifies in the next few days. If I were to use this as a shaving cream – and applied it to my legs after it had solidified – will it just kind of melt on my legs? The way it does if you just scoop a hand full out of the jar? Any idea on how to keep it fluffy, or am I destined to fail? 🙁
Thanks a bunch!!
Here’s a thought: try making a smaller amount so that you don’t waste your products on your first try should you do something not-quite-right.
I cut the recipe down to 1/4 of the recommended amount and, since it is so simple and effortless to make, I continue to enjoy using the mixture as needed, wasting nothing.
I also recommend using raw honey, as cooked honey (e.g., Golden Blossom) does not have the antibacterial properties and benefits of natural honey and can cause all kinds of irritations – inner and outer.
The same with coconut oil: pure, unrefined, uncooked is what works.
That’s a great idea to reduce down amount to try it out to see if you like it before making the full amount.
Just made a batch of this! I added the oil from four Vitamin E capsules, some lemon zest, and essential oil (lemon). It was a little runny due to the heat, but I put two small jars in the fridge, the rest is in the medicine cabinet. I finally found a use for all of my old Clinique jars, Body Shop containers. It smells amazing.
This made enough for 1 large body butter container, two large Clinique jars, and two small eye cream jars. It also made the house smell so good the kids came and asked what was baking. 🙂
Unless you are planning on using this right away, the honey will separate and seep out. I would make just enough for a one time use.
Irena, have you actually made this recipe? When made according to instructions the honey should not separate and seep out.
I’m not sure if I’m talking to Jane, Julie or Sânziene, but thank you for your helpful comments. I have edited the post to note that this homemade body butter should be used in a short time, stored in a cool, dry place, and an oil soluble preservative should be used, as well as deletion of citrus zest in favor of an essential oil, if wanting to keep longer than a week. Thank you again for your input.
Again, in the future please contact me directly if needed and I will always edit the information I share to be correct if I am at fault. There is no need to bombard my site. You should know that some will see a multitude of comments (some with links to other sites) as spam, or at the very least, suspicious, and question their authenticity. Your group may consider another approach to get your important information out there to the people that need to see it.
How much would you suggest for shaving once?
I love making my own natural soaps and scrubs so of course I had to try this delightful and easy looking recipe. At first the body butter came out with a great consistency although slightly greasy, which I didn’t mind. I stored the body butter in a jar in my bathroom and the next day when I went to use it, it was completely liquified and frothy. I moved the jar to the fridge and have to store it in there to maintain the solid state, which makes it difficult to use, like real butter. We live in Southern California where it’s always warm so I don’t know a good solution to keeping it at a “fluffy” spreadable form because I do love the mixture when it’s originally whipped.
Hi.
I’ve been looking for an home made body butter for quite some time now. This seems very nice and i can get all the ingredients here. I want to use it for myself and my little girl (she’s just 1 year old). The thing is coconut does not work for us, can i use something else instead?
Hope to hear from u soon.
Greetings,
Daphne
According to the recipe, I have to use coconut oil. I clicked on the link, that thingy looks like coconut fat . So I went to shopping and I ask the lady in the shop if she has any coconut oil. She gave me a package which contains a sunflower oil-like something (but of course it’s made of coconut) . I bought it anyway cause I thought she knows what she’s selling. But as it turned out, the oil and the honey don’t work together. I mean they can’t be mixed. So I had to throw the hole oily honey out. Kinda mad now.
I’m thinking of trying this, but with matcha green tea powder instead of the citrus zest. I’ve read about the benefits of caffeine, and thought that might make a nice stretch mark cream for my pregnancy!
Hi Amy –
I really want to try this but I have small concern. Coconut oil sold in my country is really oil, meaning liquid. Yours in the photo looks like it has the texture of a cupcake frosting, which helped solidifying the body butter. Will mine gradually turn creamy as I mix if I use the oil that I mentioned first or no? Please help.
The coconut oil I used comes in a jar. It’s white and in solid form to begin with. You will need to use that kind of coconut oil for this to be a thicker consistency.
For a thicker consistency just add some shea butter to the recipe. As coconut oil has a very low melting point. Instead of the orange zest use an essential oil. No refrigeration needed except to stop the coconut oil from liquefying if you live some where hot.
Most of these are irritants when not diluted w a veg based oil. I use all of these with either coconut oil or olive oil. Many of these have wonderful healing properties if u use high grade ESS oils like young living. Have fun!!
Worth noting: Only raw honey offers the benefits you want on your skin. The honey you find at most grocers and supermarkets is not what you’re looking for, even if it says “Pure” or “Natural” on the container. You want raw, unprocessed, organic. Your best bet, if this is an accessible resource in your area, is probably a whole foods or a co-op supplied locally – or if you live in a farming community, you may be able to buy it directly from the source. The kind I’ve gotten doesn’t crystallize but does solidify and become cloudy and gritty after a while.
For BOTH honey and coconut oil, it’s best to return them to their liquid state by placing the jar in hot water rather than by microwaving them. This way, you melt them without possibly cooking them, which changes the properties of the honey or oil.
It’s also worth noting that the coconut oil pictured here is not ideal for use on skin. The best kind that retains all of the benefits you want from the coconut will be cold-pressed, unrefined and unbleached, and extra-virgin.. and if it’s already all those things, it’ll likely be organic/non-GMO too. It should taste and smell distinctly like creamy coconuts rather than just oil.
Nature’s Way has been the easiest to find in supermarkets, in my experience. Check the vitamin section if you can’t find it in the cooking oil section. Nutiva is another popular brand, though it seems a little more specific to whole foods co-ops.
Avoid LouAna and Spectrum. I’ve bought both and they’re a waste of money – it’s essentially the same as getting those clover honey bears from the grocery store instead of buying raw honey: You wind up with a product so over-processed that its original natural properties are rendered moot because it’s little more than the leftover byproduct of the refining process. Plain oil, sticky sugar. Not stuff you want on your skin.
Can anyone suggest any alternatives to honey for this? Or could I just leave the honey out? This sounds amazing all the same!
You can leave out the honey if you’d like.
Thanks for the easy recipe! I just whipped up a small batch this evening. It turned out nice. I did opt for grapefruit essential oil rather than the zest. I also added some sweet almond oil to the mixture in hopes that the final product would be a bit thinner than coconut oil alone usually is. Even with the sweet almond oil, it is still rather thick (consistency of thick body butter) but I really like it anyway. I melted the oils and honey together in a double boiler and then added the EO. After everything was melted and mixed, I put the bowl in the freezer for 15 mins approx., took it out and whipped it. I noticed that mine does leave a slight sticky, honey residue if not rinsed off. I’ve only used this once but after I rinsed off, my skin was wonderfully moisturized and smooth. I will continue to use it as an in-shower body butter – which for me is easier than regular lotion anyway. I’m hoping to give some of these as mothers day gifts! Thanks again!!
I would love to make this for Christmas gifts…Someone spoke about natural preservatives…where can I find them and what names do they go by? Any help would be great…can’t wait to make this!!