This whipped body butter recipe is easy to make and produces a dreamy, fluffy and rich body butter that smells sooo relaxing!
~ Updated 2/16/20 ~ Originally Published 2/6/18~
Many Christmases ago I was gifted a body butter by a well-known handmade company. And I was absolutely blown away by just how fluffy this stuff was. I’m talking chocolate mousse, whipped cream or puffy cloud fluffy. It was that amazing.
My goal was to come up with my own body butter recipe and recreate said “body mousse” at a fraction of the price. And when I looked at the ingredients it really didn’t seem that hard to do.
I use this whipped body butter especially during the winter months. Together with my nourishing coconut milk bath and gentle baby soap it’s my go-to remedy for dry irritated winter skin.
Why I love This Whipped Body Butter Recipe
1. It Stays Soft
I lost count of how many whipped body butter recipes I’ve tried that I found on the web. They all looked great at first (soft, whippy) and then the next day – rock hard. I don’t know about you but I prefer my body butter to be spreadable.
Here’s why some whipped body butters turn hard: Most recipes don’t use enough liquid oil in my opinion. If 3/4 of a recipe consists of a cocoa butter (a brittle butter, completely solid at room temperature) and the other 1/4 of coconut oil (a soft oil which is also solid at room temperature) then guess what? Your body butter will also turn solid over time no matter how much air you whip into it.
I’ve made at least 5 test batches with the final version of this recipe and have tracked down it’s consistency at different room temperatures (66℉/19℃ – 74℉/23℃) and it stayed soft for me. If for some reason it doesn’t for you, I have a fix for that – keep reading.
2. No Grainy Shea Butter
Shea butter is very prone to graininess if it’s being heated until liquid and then slowly cooled down. Here we’re whipping up the Shea butter at room temperature, there’s no freeze-whip-freeze-whip cycle.
Sometimes Shea butter can melt and then solidify during delivery to you. Check for small crystals in your Shea butter before you begin this project. If you feel rough particles, warm the Shea butter over low heat in a water bath until completely melted (no more grains) and then put it in the freezer until solid. Let it come back to room temperature and proceed.
3. It’s Quick
Whenever I used to follow a whipped body butter recipe in the past I would always be instructed to melt the ingredients then engage in a freeze-whip-freeze-whip frenzy. A tedious process that involved setting timers and whipping ’til the cows came home. In the end it didn’t make a difference in the final product.
Well, Mama ain’t got time for that (anymore;). We’re going to whip-cool-whip and we’re done. Beautiful!
4. Made without Coconut Oil
Now don’t get me wrong I LOVE coconut oil, just not necessarily in this recipe. Coconut oil takes a while to be absorbed into the skin. Considering that the bulk of this body butter is made of Shea butter which absorbs very slooowly, I didn’t feel like we needed another greasy oil in the mix.
FAQs & Troubleshooting
Over the years I’ve tweaked and tinkered with the recipe for this whipped body butter as well as the combining method. Since this original post came out 2 years ago I’ve received many questions from you lovely readers. I’ll try to answer the most common ones here.
Can I make this Body Butter without Adding Clay for Color?
Yes, absolutely you can. The clay in the recipe is added for decorative purposes, you can simply leave it out.
What’s the Shelf Life and Do I Need to Add a Preservative?
The shelf life of your body butter should be at least 1 year if all of your ingredients are new. If at any point it starts to smell rancid, throw it out and whip up another batch.
This body butter is completely oil based. Since it doesn’t contain any water you do not need to add a broad spectrum preservative.
Will it Feel Greasy?
Shea butter is one of the greasier butters – so yes. I wanted to use it in this recipe because of it’s amazing skin benefits (very soothing for eczema!).
If we talk about a greasy skin feel we usually mean that a certain product isn’t quickly absorbed into the skin. To counter the slow absorbency speed of Shea butter, I’ve chosen cocoa butter and apricot kernel oil because they both absorb fast. This body butter is minimally greasy I think – you might be pleasantly surprised.
You can also add arrowroot powder, tapioca starch or cornstarch (amount stated in recipe) if it feels too greasy to you.
Help, My Body Butter Seized up and is Now Too Hard!
To achieve a mousse-like-texture that doesn’t deflate or seize up, you need to carefully balance the ratio of the soft butter (shea butter), brittle butter (cocoa butter) and liquid oil (apricot kernel oil). But the consistency also depends on the ambient temperature. Just like the butter we eat, it will be harder the lower the temperature and softer the higher the temperature.
After your body butter has come back to room temperature whip it again. To make sure you’ll love the consistency of your end product, leave the body butter out at room temperature for 12 hours and check if it’s still soft and spreadable. If not add another 5g of liquid oil (in our case apricot kernel oil), whip it again and wait to see if it improves. Repeat this step until you’re happy with how your body butter feels.
Help, My Body Butter is Too Soft or has Turned to Soup!
Again the consistency of body butter heavily depends on the temperature it’s in. If the body butter is way too soft when you’re whipping it up, try putting it in the freezer for 10 minutes and try again. If your room temperature is very high the body butter will feel softer and possibly not as airy. Make sure you store it in a coolish place (70 – 74). Body butter will melt if exposed to high temperatures (like in a hot car, delivery truck or someone’s door steps.
Can I Use a Different Butter?
You can, but the body butter will have a different consistency. If you want to use mango butter, for example instead of shea you will most likely have to add more liquid oil. Basically you will have to come up with a different recipe.
Let’s Make Some Body Butter:
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you will I earn a commission if you decide to click through and make a purchase.
Ingredients:
For around 7 oz (200g) of finished product filling 2 4oz jars, loosely filled):
- 3.52 oz/ 100 g / 3/4 cup shea butter
- 1 oz/ 28 g/ 1/4 cup cocoa butter
- 2.46 oz/ 70 g/ 1/3 cup apricot kernel oil (you could use any lightweight oil here: argan, rosehip, jojoba, etc.)
- 1 tsp tapioca starch (cornstarch or arrowroot powder; optional)
- 1/2 tsp purple Brazilian clay (optional for color)
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
Equipment:
- Accurate digital kitchen scale
- Small glass container
- Deep small bowl
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Spatula
- Pairing knife
- Airtight containers for packaging (like these ones)
Instructions:
- Into a glass container measure your cocoa butter and apricot kernel oil
2. Heat in microwave using 20 second bursts or in a water bath until cocoa butter is just melted (Caution: container will be very hot at that point)
3. Let cocoa butter mixture cool down until warm NOT hot to the touch (~ 100° F/ 38° C)
4. Measure out your Shea butter and cut it into small chunks with a knife add it into a small deep bowl
5. Start whipping the Shea butter at room temperature with a stand or hand mixer on high speed until it appears white, fluffy and smooth (no more chunks)
6. Little by little add your melted cocoa butter mixture, thoroughly whipping with a mixer after each addition. You really want to add as little as possible each time, if you add too much at once you could end up with a puddle.
7. Whip on high speed until your mixer leaves a trailing in the butter and until it holds a soft peak
8. Add essential oil, clay and tapioca starch (if using) to the body butter by incorporating them in a small portion first with a spatula
9. Whip until clay and essential oil are mixed in, scraping sides of bowl with a spatula often
10. Let body butter cool down fully and come to room temperature (it will get even fluffier as it rests)
11. At room temperature give the body butter another whip
12. Set your body butter aside for 12 hours and check if it is still soft. If not: Add more apricot kernel oil (start with 5g) and whip again, repeat procedure until body butters stays soft
13. Using a spoon or a piping bag transfer into an air tight container, fill it loosely
14. Enjoy!
I want to thank Marie over at Humblebee & Me for all her helpful tips and information for making body butters.
Until next time. Happy Tinkering!
Lavender Whipped Body Butter
A fluffy nourishing body butter made with rich shea butter and lovely lavender essential oil. Sooo good!
Materials
- 3.52 oz/ 100 g/ 3/4 cup shea butter
- 1 oz/ 28 g/ 1/4 cup cocoa butter
- 2.46 oz/ 70 g/ 1/3 cup apricot kernel oil (you could use any lightweight oil here: argan, rosehip, jojoba, etc.)
- 1 tsp tapioca starch (cornstarch or arrowroot powder; optional)
- 1/2 tsp purple Brazilian clay (optional for color)
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
Tools
- Accurate digital kitchen scale
- Small glass container
- Deep small bowl
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Spatula
- Pairing knife
- Airtight containers for packaging
Instructions
- Into a glass container measure your cocoa butter and apricot kernel oil
- Heat in microwave using 20 second bursts or in a water bath until cocoa butter is just melted (Caution: container will be very hot at that point)
- Let cocoa butter mixture cool down until warm NOT hot to the touch (~ 100° F/ 38° C)
- Measure out your Shea butter and cut it into small chunks with a knife add it into a small deep bowl
- Start whipping the Shea butter at room temperature with a stand or hand mixer until it appears white, fluffy and smooth (no more chunks), scrape down sides with a spatula as needed
- Little by little add your melted cocoa butter mixture, thoroughly whipping with a mixer after each addition. You really want to add as little as possible each time, if you add too much at once you could end up with a puddle.
Whip until your mixer leaves a trailing in the butter and until it holds a soft peak
8. Add essential oil and clay to the body butter by incorporating them in a small portion first with a spatula
9. Whip until clay and essential oil are mixed in, scraping sides of bowl with a spatula often
10. Let body butter cool down fully and come to room temperature (it will get even fluffier as it rests)
11. At room temperature give the body butter another whip
12. Set your body butter aside for 12 hours and check if it is still soft. If not: Add more apricot kernel oil (start with 5g) and whip again, repeat procedure until body butters stays soft
13. Using a spoon or a piping bag transfer into an air tight container, fill it loosely
Enjoy!
Step 2 the shea butter gets hard; in Step 6 I’m directed to start beating it. Do I need to soften it up before I beat it?
Hi Jenny,
That’s a good question. The shea butter has to be room temperature in order for it to get nice and fluffy otherwise you’re left with a more gloppy consistency. I even like my shea butter to by just a little chilled. Technically you could leave out the step of melting and cooling the shea butter again. I like to do that, because I find it’s easier to whip that way since you have a nice smooth surface instead of a bunch of clumps.
I hope that helps.
Let me know how it turned out.
Can’t wait to try this! What’s the shelf life. Do you reds preservative thanks!
Hi Paula, good question. The shelf life is determined by the oil or butter with the shortest shelf life. In this case it’s most likely the hemp seed oil which typically has a shelf life of 6 months. To be absolutely sure check the expiration date on your supplies and take it from there.
Body butter doesn’t contain any water so you won’t need a preservative.
Where I live it’s very hot right now. If you live in a warm climate it’s a good idea to store your body butter in the fridge. High temps will turn your fluffy body butter into a sad gloppy puddle 😉
I can’t wait to true this😊
How many jars does this make? I apologize if I missed it…
HI Nancy, good question and no you didn’t miss it 😉 I forgot to put it in there, my bad. This recipe will make about 24 oz of finished product. So, if you’re using a 4 oz jar you would need six of those. Happy Tinkering!
Celine,
Followed instructions exactly and just have soup!! Is there anyway this can be saved?
Help!!
Julie
Oh no! I’m guessing the cocoa butter and hemp oil where still too warm when you poured it in the Shea butter. Summertime is a little tricky to be making this project since room temperatures can run higher than usual…
You can absolutely save this badge. Put the whole thing in your fridge. When the sides start to set up a fair bit, take it out and whip it up. It probably won’t be as fluffy, but it will still be light and spreadable. Remember to then keep your finished product in a cool place.
Let me know how it goes.
Hi Celine, Do you have to worry about bacteria or mold? Do you disinfect your equipment.
Hi Debbie, good question. I do desinfect my equipment with 99% rubbing alcohol. However, there’s no water in this product. That’s why I didn’t add a preservative. But you could if you’re worried it could get in contact with water, I recommend Optiphen.
This body butter has a shelf life of about 6 months, depending on how fresh your oils and butters are. Overtime those will go rancid. Even a preservative can’t prevent that. What you can do to extend the shelf like is add a little vitamin e oil to your body butter before whipping it up.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions!
I melted the Shea butter (100% shea) and let it cool for several hours but it never got hard again. All still very liquid. What’s that about?
Hi Deb, did you try putting it in the fridge? Sometimes in the summer room temperatures can be too warm. Remember to store your finished body butter in a cool place, if you live in a hot climate.
Thabks for sharing this. I have a question when mixing in the cocoa butter.. do I whip as I add the cocoa butter or just add the cocoa butter and mix using say a spatula?
Hi Linda, yes you want to whip it with a mixer. I will add that to the instructions;)
I tried the recipe but the Shea butter smell is so unpleasant that I could not stand next it.. I added 20drps lavender essential oil, 10 drops of sweet orange oil, 20 drops calendula oil and still could not get rid of the Shea butter smell can you please help in explaining how did u manange. M making a baby body butter n I want to smell good..
your prompt response will be highly appreciated.
Thanks
Krisztina
Hi Krisztina, I used refined Shea butter and didn’t have an issue with the smell. Unrefined Shea butter however can have a smoky odor that can be unpleasant. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to get rid of the odor if you bought the unrefined type.
Hi! I wanted to use Sweet Almond Oil in place of the jojoba oil, would that work?
Hi Victoria,
yes, I imagine it would work.
Thank you for your post, I have tried several different ones before and never quite got that whipped texture at the end. So far this one seems to be great although I didn’t have any dry oils so did substitute it for coconut oil but it looks great!! Hopefully it won’t go too dense later. Thanks again 👍
Hi Joanne, I’m so glad to hear. Coconut oil has worked well in the past for me. Hope it stays fluffy for you:)
I just bought hempseed oil..I doubt I dump the whole thing in there…how many drops??
Hi Tracie, for a fairly large batch you’ll need 2 oz. But you can easily split the recipe in half.
Do you use refined shea butter and refined cocoa butter? Also, can you use food coloring or mica powder in replacement of the clay to add color? Thanks!
Hi Naomi,
I use refined shea butter simply because I can’t stand the smoky scent of the unrefined one. Unrefined cocoa butter could work, but your body butter will have a slight chocolat-y scent to it. Mica definitely works, if you use food coloring use gel based food coloring. You don’t want to introduce anything that contains water or you will have to add a preservative.
Hope that helps, Celine
Ow wow that’s amazing thank you for this post I’m from Russia and sell natural cosmetics in my district , I want to add something new to my shops and will try to make this one soon
I did it but somethings wrong its not fluffy.. my cocoa butter and liquid oil was at 37’ celcius.. ı dont know whats wrong but its just soup… Will wait for more in the fridge. Then whip it i hıpe i can save tha batch
Yes you will be able to whip it up once it’s cooled. No worries!
Help! My body butter is hard as a rock, what did I do wrong???
Hi Bobbi, did you use shea butter or another butter? What was the temperature in the room you whipped or stored it?
How long is the shelf life? I tend to use product slowly would you recommend any kind of preservatives?
Hi Maria, the body butter should be good for around 6 months. Since this product doesn’t contain water a preservative isn’t necessary but you could use a broad spectrum preservative if you wish like optiphen plus. To lengthen the shelf life of the body butter you could add vitamin e oil. I would suggest making a small amount at a time. Happy Tinkering:)
HI i have made this recipe 3 times and did not get a fluffy result at all. It gets too hard, and almost waxy.I
Im not sure how your coming up with fluffy, but any tips would be nice thanks
Hi Cindy, I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve had body butter that hardened, but it was mainly due to the room temperature being too cold. I’m not sure what could make it feel waxy, but I’ll ask other DIYers if they ever encountered that. In the meantime you could try to omit the cocoa butter and add more Shea instead. Will get back
to you soon.
Hi, I love your site. I made your Charcoal vetiver soap as my 2nd soap ever. Can’t wait to try it after it cures, it smells divine!
I’m going to try this lavender mousse but notice a few comments mention hemp oil. I don’t see hemp oil in the ingredients. Is it missing from the ingredients? If so, how much? And when to add it?
Hi Lisa, I’m so glad you enjoy your soap. I changed the recipe after some folks had trouble with it. You can basically use any soft oil you have on hand. 🙂
Where do you get the ingredients from. Recipe sounds great.
Hi Gloria, I’ve linked the ingredients if you click on the name of the ingredient to a place you can order. Depending on where you live you could also order from a bath and body supply company like Brambleberry or Wholesale Supply Plus. Happy Tinkering 🙂
My grandmother loves lavander and I just made a dye from blueberries. It did not mix well this go around with my lip balm but I was going yo mix it with arrow root powder (‘dehydrating’in oven again if too wet). Do you think the ‘dye’ would mix well with this?
Hi Jezreel, I wouldn’t use it in this body butter you run the risk of your product growing mold if there’s still any moisture left in your dye. Happy Tinkering!
Hi! I made this and it turned out wonderful in the beginning. Nice fluffy texture but, I put it in a glass jar with a lid and about an hour later it was hard butter. I can still grab some and it will melt in my hands and moisturize really well but, no more fluffy. Any suggestions? I followed the recipe to a T except I used cornstarch because that’s what I had on hand and you said it would work as a substitution. Disappointed because I was so happy with the way it turned out 😞
Hi April, I’m sorry your body butter didn’t come out great. Interestingly enough the same thing happened to me recently. I never had an issue with this recipe until I changed the brand of my shea and cocoa butter. I’m still trying to figure out why this happens… here’s what you can do: melt the body butter you made completely and add more hemp oil or another soft oil to the mix. Let everything cool to room temperature and whip it up like you did before. Let the butter rest overnight if it hardened again repeat the process. If you’re happy with the result go ahead and pack it in your jar. It might not end up being quite as fluffy but at least soft and spreadable. Again I’m sorry. Happy Tinkering!
This looks amazing! What a great recipe for dry winter skin.
Thank you, Rebecca. It’s very moisturizing.
What a wonderful recipe, Celine! I love natural colour Brazilian clay provides, so pretty!
What a lovely recipe! This looks like the perfect body butter to use before bedtime. Love that fluffy texture and stunning colour!
Thank you!
Thank you 😊
Hello – Awesome recipe! I might have missed it but, when do we add the tapioca starch?
You can add it in with the essential oils. Happy Tinkering 🙂
I left this overnight, and it was still soft, hardened up just a bit…should I still whip it again with a bit of apricot oil?
Hi Ellie, it depends on your preference. I don’t mind it if it’s a little firm as long as it’s still spreadable. Happy Tinkering 🙂
A printable recipe that dosen’t require 10 pages of great BIG pictures would be nice
you got it.
How much lavender oil can be safely added to this recipe? I used unrefined she’s butter and I’d like to mask some of the smell but safely lol
you can add 2 g. Happy Tinkering:)
Thank you and mine turned out great. I wish I could have gotten the purple a little darker but it stayed beautiful and fluffy. Thanks again
I’m glad to hear that!
Hello
What would be the measurements say for a 6oz container as opposed to a 24oz batch?
Hi Jasmine, this recipe fills 2 jars loosely that are 4 oz each. For a 6 oz jar I would make the same recipe, fill up the jar don’t pack it in too much and use the little bit of left over up quickly or fill a smaller jar.
Hi I was wondering if you could help. I made a batch of body butter i used different ingredients and applied your concept. Can out beautifully and still holding its texture. So thank you. I have a slight issue. My butter is transferring color. I happened to notice because i have a white blanket and saw yellow (which is the color of my butter). Is there a reason why this happened? How can I avoid that?
Hi Monica, I’m glad you like the way your body butter came out. Some butters or oils naturally have a yellow tint to them. Did you use any additional color?
Hello I tried the recipe and love it but I only get barely a little over 4 oz and I read it makes 24? What am I doing wrong
Mine filled 24 oz by volume not weight after it was whipped. I also scooped it in very loosely in order not to squeeze all the air out.
Ok 24oz by volume. But won’t gravity condense the product over time? Like wont gravity flatten it making the jar appear pretty empty??
Im making this for Christmas gifts. But it seems that 1 batch only makes 8oz jar. Right? I’ve never made body butter before. I want to make sure its in budget to make. I realize making is cheaper than buying.
Hi there how can we make the whipped not melted if we shipped it especially in hot weather?
Hi Kristine, unfortunately that’s not possible with this product. You might want to look into making a lotion that won’t melt.
Hi,
I stay at Ireland. It has 10-13 degree Celsius now. Do you think if I use cacao butter and almond oil, the butter would stay fluffy in this temperature by any chance if i use more oil? Its winter here and I have extremely dry skin, was hence looking for something very moisturizing and chemical free. Your recipe came up when I searched body butter that stays fluffy even in cold climates and does not harden. It would mean a world to me, if you could help.
Hi Priyan, I think it would, but you will have to do a little experimenting on the amount of oil that’s perfect for your region. Follow the steps outlined when I explain what to do if body butter is too hard until you find the right consistency. Good luck!
How do i get the essential oil smells to stick ? I used to make it and the smell sticked well but now when I make it the smell is like not existent . Would you know why ? I’m assuming something with the temperature when i add the oils maybe .
Let the butter cool down until it’s only slightly warm to the touch before adding the essential oil. It’s also possible that you’re using a low quality oil or one that’s past it’s prime in terms of freshness.
Hey!
I made shea+olive oil body butter. it was fluffy after whpping but was finding it hard to spread. Can u please tell me what went wrong. and what shall I do to make it spreadable. plus what shall I add to make it less sticky.
thanks
You can add more olive oil like I talk about in step 12. Add a small amount, whip and see if it stays fluffy.
Good evening and thank you very much for sharing this recipe, I cannot wait to try it. Can I add activated charcoal to this recipe and if so, how much would I add. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
I have personally never tried activated charcoal in this recipe. I would keep the amount low 1/2 – 1 tsp. Keep in mind that it could stain your clothes.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I cannot wait to try it.
Can I add activated charcoal to the recipe and if so,how much would I add? Thank you.
Hello! I want to make this for Christmas gifts. But I am struggling to understand how much ingredients I need to result in the finished qty I need. You said 24 oz. by volume. But won’t gravity eventually settle the butter so that the jar looks empty? Because this makes 8oz by weight, yet filling a 24oz jar by volume. so., tomorrow, If I make 1 batch, fill 6-four oz jars, will they settle between now and Christmas appear half full?
Hi Sarah, the body butter will settle slightly. I have a jar here I made in February and it still looks full. If you’re on a budget I would definitely omit the clay for color. It doesn’t add to the recipe except for visual interest. Let me know if you have more questions.
In the most recently updated recipe, can you replace the apricot kernel oil with cold pressed extra virgin olive oil?
Hi Olivia, yes you can but olive oil has a pretty distinct smell that might be noticeable in your body butter.
Will the scent of the olive oil and unrefined shea butter be too hard to mask with essential oils?
Yes, you can’t really mask it entirely.
Hey!! My butter consists of about 50% oil and it is still hard after i whip it. At first it is very soft then it hardens after a while. Should I double whip it to get the creamy consistency?
Is your room temperature pretty low? I would try whipping it again and if that doesn’t work use a little more oil.