The Simplest Coconut Oil Body Butter Recipe
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This coconut oil body butter recipe is easy to make and ideal for dry skin. It only needs four ingredients, including coconut oil, sea buckthorn oil, and essential oils, and is probably the simplest body butter recipe you’ll ever come across! You can make it in mere minutes and do not need to use a stand mixer, double boiler, or any special equipment.
Body butter is my favorite skincare product to make. It doesn’t take much time or expertise, yet it still feels luxurious and nourishes your skin as much as any expensive brand. What’s especially exciting about DIY body butter is that all you need is a couple of ingredients and mere minutes to make it. The coconut oil body butter recipe I’m about to show you is probably my simplest.
Let’s rewind, though. Back in the day, one of my favorite beauty products was Body Shop body butter. I loved the texture and consistency, and their scents were always amazing. In my 20s, I would buy one and be done with it within about four days! Being on a budget, I couldn’t afford this for long, so I had to give up this little luxury until I learned how to make my own.
Coconut Oil for Healthy Skin
Once I started making skincare products, I taught myself how to make body butter. I started by trying to use cocoa butter, which was one of my favorite scents. It was a messy process, and the butter ended up hardening. Then I tried it with shea butter, which worked much better, but it was also messy to make.
Lastly, I tried making body butter with coconut oil, which has been the easiest process by far. Plus, I don’t have to order coconut oil online and then wait for it to arrive. If I need it quickly, I can just run over to Trader Joe’s or my local health food store and buy some. Living in California, I also don’t need to melt it before making this recipe – if anything, it’s the opposite.
Coconut oil is easy to source, smells incredible, and nourishes your skin. As an oil-based product, it conditions rather than moisturizes, but if you use it on wet skin, it will help lock the moisture in. The only downside to homemade body butter made with coconut oil is that it can liquify on hot days. That makes it less suitable for gifts or retail, but for personal use, it’s perfectly fine. If yours melts, stir the mixture together and put it in the fridge until it rehardens.
More Skincare Recipes
- Coconut Oil Soap Recipe (cold process)
- Rose Skin Cream Recipe
- How to Make Rose Water
- DIY Calendula Lotion Recipe
Coconut Oil Body Butter Recipe
Equipment
- fork (or spoon)
Materials
- 4 oz virgin coconut oil 113 g
- 1/4 tsp sea buckthorn oil or jojoba oil
- 5 drops carrot seed essential oil
- 5 drops rose otto essential oil or rose absolute for a rosier scent
- dried rose petals optional
Instructions
- The first step is to get the right consistency of coconut oil. It should be relatively firm and look white but you should be able to easily stick a knife or a fork in it. The consistency of coconut oil straight from the jar varies with how warm the ambient temperature is.
- If your coconut oil is melted, pour it into the mason jar and put it in the fridge for about ten minutes. If you’re starting out with coconut that is already rock hard, place the jar in a pot of hot water so it can soften.
- Transfer the coconut oil to a bowl and mix it with a fork or a spoon. A fork works best for me. By doing this you're aiming to whip the oil into a butter, so it should be soft and easy to mix. If it’s still too hard, just let it sit out for a bit longer.
- Once the oil has the consistency of body butter, add the sea buckthorn oil to give it that beautiful amber color. Sea buckthorn oil is an orange liquid oil, and a little goes a long way! This oil is also renowned for its anti-aging properties and essential fatty acids.
- Transfer the coconut oil body butter to the mason jar and decorate it with dried and crushed rose petals if you'd like.
- Store it in a cool, dry place when not in use. It's best to store it in the fridge during the warmer seasons. Use after a shower or bath on semi-damp skin. Take a scoop from the container and massage it into your skin as desired.
Hi how can I make this butter to last longer time? Thanks
Hi Mariela, I’ve just added further information on shelf life. It’s completely dependent on the shelf life of the ingredients you use to make it. The closest best by date of any of them is the best by date of your body butter. So, if the tub of coconut oil you use expires next month, so will the body butter you make using it.
Just wondering if I can replace the Sea Buckthorn oil with a different oil?
Yes, you can replace it with any liquid oil of your choice.
what an amazing body butter – i have made this and since then i have had a mastectomy – it is so soothing on the surgery site – after the drains and dressings were removed obvs – i have found it is relaxing the scar tissue and keeping the skin soft – so i apply it at least 3-4 times a day – the skin just sucks it up – lol – i am getting into also now applying it as a body butter – it is simply amazing – but i need to ask – why does my cat eat it – i had left the lid off as i got sidetracked in the bathroom laundry and came back to my cat scoffing it – gently got it away from her – she wanted to follow the jar – lol – but got the hint when the lid went on – so she sat there licking her lips – is it safe for her?? – she is a little guts and eats anything moving or still – just hope i havent made her get sick on me tonight – its winter and trying to snow so she wont be able to get outside – which quickly brings me to another point – its the first body butter that hasnt set like a brick for me in the middle of winter – i can get minus 10-17 degrees Celsius – dont know what that is in Fahrenheit – so anyways – will it make my greedy guts of a cat sick??
You should keep this, and all other beauty products, away from kitty. If you have concerns about your cat acting strangely please ring your vet. Hopefully, the worse that happens is a dodgy tummy though :)
Please can u recommend a book for me ? I want to make baby cream and I really need recipes that will help me . Thank u so much
Ohh I bet this is a lovely and luxurious body butter! Thanks for sharing the recipe!