My natural DIY body balm is full of nourishing aromatic ingredients to soothe, soften, deeply hydrate and care for your skin.
Body balms are a great way to provide deep moisturisation. They are totally pampering and will leave your skin feeling taken care of. They are super helpful for those who experience dry/rough skin or for those who live in cold or dry climates.
I have been on a journey to transform my skincare to completely natural and chemical free. Many skincare products contain chemical additives and synthetic ingredients that can disrupt your skins natural balance. This DIY body balm is all natural and chemical free and will help repair and soothe your skin.
I experience dry skin, particularly in the colder months and my DIY body balm has been a replenishing and rejuvenating treat for my skin particularly repairing for areas like my elbows, knuckles, feet and more. The nourishing ingredients in this recipe provide a heap of benefits to your skin from the anti-inflammatory properties to being able to reduce the appearance of scars.
Creating your own body balm is a budget friendly way to make a high quality product that is all natural with no chemical additives. Making your own means that you can control what is added to your body balm, choosing from ingredients that your skin benefits from.
It is simple and easy to create your own body balm. It is also a lot of fun and a rewarding feeling, especially once you see and feel the amazing benefits.
My DIY body balm recipe applies nicely to the skin and is perfect for moisturising particularly dry, rough or chapped skin as well as being an aromatic pampering treat for your skin.
In this guide, I will run you through all you will want to know about body balm use, body balm benefits and answering questions like what is body balm used for and exactly how to make your own.
So, let’s get started!
What Is Body Balm?
What is a body balm? It’s basically the ultimate skincare product for hydrating the skin.
A body balm is essentially a mix of oils, butters and waxes to which essential oils can be added. They do not contain water like creams, and you only require a very small amount to moisturise your skin.
Body balms provide moisture while helping the skin to retain moisture. It is great for particularly dry areas such as the heels, hands, elbows, etc but you can use it anywhere on your body. However, it is not always recommended for use on the face as they can cause breakouts on oily skin.
PinA body balm is full of nourishing ingredients from moisturising oils to nourishing butters that heal and soften the skin. They are solid and thick and melt when they come in contact with the skin.
Body balms work best when they are applied to dampened skin and only require a small amount to moisturise your skin.
Body balms are particularly helpful for individuals with dry skin and for those who live in dry or cold climates.
Why Make A Homemade Body Balm Recipe?
There are plenty of reasons you should make your own homemade body butter and below, I go through some of the reasons why I love creating my own.
You Can Customise The Ingredients
You can control what is added to your DIY body balm which means you can create it with your favourite ingredients.
For example, if you are vegan and don’t want to use a body balm recipe with beeswax, opt for candelilla wax instead.
You can mix and match ingredients that are best suited to your skin needs.
It’s Super Moisturising
Body balm is up there with the most moisturising products you could use on your skin. Those who have dry or rough skin will love the effects of body balm.
If you enjoy pampering your skin, body balm is a lovely product to have. It leaves your skin feeling soft, smelling great and glowing.
It’s Super Nourishing
The ingredients I chose for my DIY body balm are all super nourishing for your skin.
They hold plenty of nutrients that are going to benefit your skin in a number of ways. I talk more about the benefits of each ingredient below.
It’s Natural And Chemical Free
One of the best benefits of making your own body balm is that it’s all natural and chemical free. Many skin care products contain harsh chemicals and extra additives. Creating your own means you know exactly what you are putting onto your skin.
PinIt’s Easy And Fun
Creating your own DIY body balm is super enjoyable, simple and easy. It is also a super rewarding feeling creating your own and getting creative with the ingredients adds to the fun.
Ingredients For The Best DIY Body Balm
One of the best things about this easy beeswax body balm recipe is that you can easily customise it to what you want. Feel free to switch the sunflower oil to any other oil you like. For example, almond oil or safflower oil. You can also switch the cocoa butter for another butter or beeswax for another wax.
You can experiment to make the DIY body balm recipe for you.
eBay and Amazon Australia are quick and easy places to buy ingredients and all the gear you need. Below, I direct you to the best place to buy each ingredient or you can click here to buy now on Amazon or here for eBay. This is how I buy all of these ingredients.
Sunflower Oil
PinSunflower oil, a carrier oil, is an oil that is extracted from the seeds of sunflowers. It is non comedogenic, super absorbent, light and it is suitable for all skin types.
Sunflower oil is high in essential fatty acids; linoleic and oleic acids which are both known to be great for the skin. It’s also a great source of vitamin E, antioxidants and other nutrients that your skin loves. It provides moisture to the skin, it is nourishing, and it will help soften the skin.
When purchasing sunflower oil, ensure you are buying the unrefined, cold pressed variety rather than the refined, cooking type of sunflower oil.
Alternatives for sunflower oil include sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, apricot oil or extra virgin olive oil. These oils are the best picks for cleansing the skin, along with castor oil.
As mentioned above, you could switch sunflower oil to another carrier oil if you prefer like almond oil, safflower oil or more. So, for example, if you want a coconut oil body balm recipe, switch it in here.
Click here to buy sunflower oil now.
Cocoa Butter
PinIf you experience dry skin, cocoa butter is fantastic option. It helps to create a nourishing natural body balm, full of essential fatty acids like oleic acid, antioxidants and vitamins E and K – all known to promote skin health.
Cocoa butter is easily applied on the skin and will soothe and soften the skin. It also has a delicious chocolate aroma. When applied on the skin cocoa butter provides a protective barrier on the skin that helps to keep the skin beneath hydrated.
Cocoa butter also has anti-inflammatory properties which means it is also a handy product to have for rashes and redness.
Cocoa butter works well in this body balm as it provides a soothing and smoothing effect on the skin and I love the richness it provides. It is important to remember to buy unrefined cocoa butter for your body balm DIY.
If you would prefer to make a shea butter body balm recipe, you can switch cocoa butter for shea butter in the recipe below. You just won’t get the chocolatey aroma.
Click here to buy cocoa butter oil now.
Beeswax
PinBeeswax in body balm primarily helps to solidify the balm. Beeswax can be found in a number of products like sunscreen, makeup and more. However, it holds plenty of benefits for the skin cosmetically and medicinally itself. Working as an emollient and a humectant, beeswax draws moisture to your skin and seals it in. Beeswax also works as a natural exfoliant.
Beeswax soothes, hydrates and calms your skin. It can help to repair skin damage, help with skin regeneration, can soothe irritation and create a long lasting barrier against external pollutants. Beeswax can also help the healing of abrasions, by preventing bacteria entering through the broken skin by providing a barrier on your skin.
The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties can help individuals with skin conditions like eczema.
You can vary the amount of beeswax in this recipe to make your body balm either softer or harder depending on your preference. If you live in a hotter climate, it can make sense to add a little more beeswax.
If you want to make a body balm recipe without beeswax or you’re looking for vegan homemade body balm recipes, you can switch beeswax to candelilla wax.
Click here to buy beeswax now.
Mandarin Essential Oil
PinThis essential oil is very light and mild and is suitable for most skin types. It is gentle on the skin and has an invigorating and rejuvenating aroma.
Mandarin essential oil can help in reducing acne scarring, stretch marks and any additional skin scarring. It can also help to reduce the risk of skin infections as it can help to prevent bacterial and fungal development.
Using mandarin oil with a carrier oil like sunflower oil and cocoa butter is a great method to get all the benefits of mandarin oil, like reducing scars, brightening the skin, reducing oiliness and age spots and the aroma can also aid in relaxation and alleviating insomnia.
It’s important you don’t use more than 2% essential oils in this recipe. At the moment, it is 1% so you can double it if you love a stronger scent. If you have particularly sensitive skin, you may want to remove this essential oil.
You could also switch this for any other essential oil that is safe for your skin.
Click here to buy mandarin essential oil on eBay now.
How To Make Your Own Organic Body Balm
It’s crazy straightforward to make your own body balm. The most important part is that you have your scales, ingredients and a container to put the finished product in. I recommend aluminium jars (on eBay) (mostly because they look cool!), but you can really use anything.
You also need a double boiler (also on eBay), or you can use a regular pan of water with a heat-safe bowl on top, so you can melt your ingredients.
Once the main ingredients have melted, you just need to cool a little, add the mandarin essential oil and then pour into your aluminium jar (on eBay). Then you’re done!
My recipe below is only for about 25mL, so if you want to make more, simply double the ingredients below. You won’t be sorry you did!
PinI recommend you weigh all your ingredients – it’s the easiest way to get the quantities right. I use these scales here.
To make your body balm organic, simply ensure you use only organic ingredients.
Chocolate Mandarin Body Balm Recipe
Want softer, healthier skin? Then you can't go pass this delicious chocolate mandarin body balm recipe! It's easy to make in minutes and your skin will thank you for a long time 🙂
Ingredients
- 19.75g Sunflower Oil
- 2.5g Cocoa Butter
- 2.5g Beeswax
- 0.25g Mandarin Essential Oil
- Double Boiler
- Aluminum Jar
Instructions
- Have all ingredients weighed and ready to go
- Have the aluminum jar ready with lid off
- Set up your double boiler or pan and heat-safe bowl with water on a low heat
- Add the sunflower oil, cocoa butter and beeswax
- Stir gently until everything is melted and well mixed. This usually takes a few minutes
- Turn off the heat and allow to cool a little (but not solidify) while still stirring
- Mix in the mandarin essential oil
- Pour it into your aluminum jar
- Let your new body balm completely cool. You can carefully move it to the fridge to speed this up
Notes
This recipe only makes a small amount of body balm. If you want to make more, you can double or triple the ingredients. The main thing to ensure is that you never use more than 2% essential oils.
It's not essential to store this in an aluminum jar as pictured. I think this style of container works well and looks great though.
How To Use Body Balm
Its simple and easy to use your body balm- simply rub some body balm on your fingers and rub it onto your skin.
Before bed is a great time to apply your body balm. This gives the balm time to soak into your skin. However if your skin is feeling dull and dry, feel free to apply your balm anytime of the day, for deep hydration and a healthy looking glow.
You can use this body balm anywhere on your skin you’d like.
PinFinal Words
I hope you have enjoyed this guide to making your own chocolate mandarin body balm. It is totally worth the small amount of effort it takes to produce as the results are so worth it and your skin will thank you.
Want to learn more? Learn how to make my body oil here or body butter here. They are both great options for your skin as well! Or find my under eye balm here, cleansing balm recipe here, my peppermint fudge lotion bar here or all my DIY natural skincare recipes here.
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