Organic Body Butter

In my pursuit to change to Organic I was very discouraged to find "natural" & "organic" on many products that were not really either! So I decided to jump on the net & get a recipe & make it my own. I soon found out that wasn't so easy.

 I have tried many recipes & had lots of...., well we will just call them science experiments gone wrong. I had batches turn out with chunks in them, too thick (no really it can be too thick, it left a powderish residue on my skin), too thin, & some that separated. Besides being very frustrating, it was expensive! I've been asked many times how I make my body butter. I finally got some time to write it down. I hope this helps.

                                                        SO, before we get to the recipe let                                                                                     me give you a few pointers that will                                                                                 hopefully help you save some money                                                                               & time.

1. If you only use oil/butter & water they will separate. 
2. You can use oils & butters & keep them in the fridge & they stay together. It is more expensive to do it this way & is very oily/greasy.
3. I use a wax, water, & oil/butter blend. I have found this is a wonderful blend, but it is a little finicky. The wax has to be COMPLETELY melted, your oils have to be hot when combined with the wax or it will cool off the wax & you will have chunks of wax in your finished product. Your water also has to be hot, or it too will cause chunks.
4. When you put your lotion/body butter in the container you are going to keep it in, if it is not completely cool, DO NOT put your lid on it. It will get condensation in it, & the condensation can cause mold. 
5. Also when you put your lotion/body butter in the container it's good to have it in a container that you can see through (dark glass works best) so you can look for any air pockets. Air pockets can also form condensation & form mold. 

   

   air pockets 

                                 

OK now to get to why you're here! I enjoy making lotion. I know it works, it helps people & makes people happy. Chapped, dehydrated skin can be miserable.

I'll start by breaking down the ingredients.

1. I use wax in my lotion because it makes a nice barrier for the skin & acts as an emulsifier (helps keep everything blended). I don't use bee's wax because I have clients that are allergic to bees, & I don't want to chance cross contamination, so I just don't use it. Also I like to say that it's vegan, & I feel like bee's wax is an animal product. The last reason is because I don't like the honey smell that it adds to the cream, unless that is the scent I am going for. I don't use anything that has been deodorized, or processed unnaturally. I get my emulsifying wax from Organic Creations. I love it! It is all veggie & is smooth & creamy.
2. Butters/oils; you can use any butter & or oils that you would like. I always use coconut oil because it is kind of an in between. I love mango butter, shea butter, cocoa butter, grape seed oil, camellia oil, calendula oil, just about any oil that is organic. I like to do a blend of butter & oil.
3. Water: be sure you use either distilled or very filtered water. Tap water WILL cause the cream to mold. 
4. Preservative: I have used grapefruit seed extract in the past but it has a very short shelf life. I now use silver & I love it. It keeps the water portion stable. I haven't had any mold using it.

Now, keep in mind this ratio. Especially if your like me & not good at math.

1 Part wax

1 Part oil/butter 

3 Parts water

Here is an example: if you are using 1 cup wax you will need 1 cup oil/butter, 3 cups water. 

I like to do a blend of oil & butter. It doesn't matter how much of each you put in as long as the finished melted blend is the same amount as the wax. 

I start by melting my wax. I like to get an even amount, because it makes it easier for me to add the right amount of oils & water.

Solid emulsifying wax

Keep in mind, the amount of solid wax will not measure the same as melted wax. Neither will your solid oils.So wait until it's melted before you decide on how much oils you will need. If there is too much wax or butter ratio, your cream will be powdery, become solid, or it can have chunks in it. After you melt your wax & you are comfortable with the amount (I ended up with about 4.5 cups) you can melt your oils.If you choose soft butter you will need to add your oil to the butter when you melt it. Softer butters take less heat to melt. If you melt your soft butter & then add a room temp oil it will cool off the butter & when you add it to the wax you will cool off the wax too much & you will get chunks. I thought that it wouldn't matter because the water will be hot & melt it. But, I have found that the only way that works is for the water to be at a rolling boil. If you use water that hot it will overheat the oils. I don't like to heat up my oils that hot because it can damage the oils. It can "cook" out the benefits of the oil. So I make sure my butter/ oil combo is hot enough to melt & blend well with the wax without cooling it off. But, not too hot.
Next I heat the water. Good & hot but not to boiling point. If your wax & oil blend starts to get thick before your water is ready you can heat it up a little. You can also reheat if your oil blend cools it off. Just remember the wax & butters need to be completely melted.
For this batch I had 4.5 cups wax
4.5 cups oil blend. I like to use mango butter, coconut oil, & grape seed oil.
Once your water is hot you can add your wax/oil blend to the water. It magically turns white & is about the consistency of milk. The bubbles will be thin, I pay attention to the consistency of the bubbles. I like to whip my butter before putting it in containers. The bubbles will get thicker as the air is whipped into the cream, & as it cools down. I know that it is ready to put into containers when the bubbles are cloudy and creamy. If you whip too long it gets harder to pour.

This is right after I mixed the water, wax & oil blend.
See how thin & clear the bubbles are.

Just a note about your preservatives. I wait to add them until my cream is all melted & the consistency that I want it & has cooled down a little. It's not good to reheat after you have added your preservative. Your preservative shouldn't be heated (especially in a microwave), it will effect how well it works. 

Next I like to add vitamin E. Not only is vitamin E good for your skin it helps keep the oils stable. So I wait for the cream too cool off a little before I add it. Vitamin E is very thick so it doesn't blend well at first. 

 After I added the vitamin E

Next I whip it with a hand blender. After it cools down a little I like to add my silver & essential oils. I don't add them when it's hot because I don't want to damage the oils or lessen their effect.

Just as a reminder, don't put your lid on until it is completely cooled off & make sure there isn't any air pockets. 

This is what the body butter will look like if there isn't any air pockets

I hope that you can perfect your own personal recipe. I will never buy store bought lotion again. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or if you tried to make your own & how it turned out.

Here is a link to my store if you would like to buy some of mine. https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlissfullyOrganic?page=2