Body butters may seem like a luxury since they are sold in fancy body-care shops, but they are a form of pampering you don't need to splurge on to enjoy. You can make smooth, creamy coconut body butter in your kitchen with a handful of ingredients from candle and soap-making shops or health-food stores. Once you have enough for your own use, consider packaging the extra as gifts for friends.
Step 1
Place the shea butter in a double boiler over medium-low heat on your stove and melt the butter until it becomes liquid. Cook it for 20 minutes without boiling to prevent the butter from later becoming grainy when it cools.
Step 2
Pour the shea-butter oil into the bowl of a stand mixer or into a bowl you can use with a hand mixer. Drizzle the coconut oil into the shea oil. If you prefer, add a few drops of essential oil, and cut open a vitamin E capsule and squeeze the oil into the mix.
Step 3
Whip the mixture together until it is cool and the consistency of frosting or thick whipped cream. This will take several minutes. Place the bowl into the freezer for a few minutes at a time to expedite the cooling process.
Step 4
Transfer the butter to shallow jars or other air-tight containers. This recipe makes 1 lb. of butter.
Tips and Warnings
- Experiment with different combinations of butters and oils. Try using coconut butter instead of shea butter as your base. Use almond or soybean oil instead of coconut oil. Just keep the proportions of your butter 60 percent starter butter to 40 percent carrier oil.
- Don't add water to your recipe. Water can facilitate the growth of bacteria in your butter.
Things You'll Need
- 10 oz. shea butter
- Double boiler
- Mixing bowl
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- 6 oz. virgin coconut oil
- Essential oil (optional)
- Vitamin E capsule (optional)
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