What is body butter, what is the use of body butter and what is body butter good for? These are all the questions I had when I first started researching body butters.

Body butters are a great way to make your skin feel pampered, well taken care of and very soft. They can be super helpful for people with dry, rough and/or peeling skin. They can be expensive and, when purchased from a store, they can often contain chemical additives that can take away from the great benefits of body butter.

I have been on a quest to go chemical free with all of my skincare. I was researching how to make a great body butter that could take care of my dry skin on a daily basis. After learning what I have about body butters through experimental recipes and research, I have written this article to share what I have learnt.

What Is Body Butter: Facts, Benefits And More!

Making your own body butter is a great way to make a high quality body butter with no chemical additives at a cheaper price. It is also a more eco friendly option and a lot of fun. You can control what you want to add and what you want to leave out. Make it super simple or make a concoction.

It is simple to make body butter and to make different body butters suited to your different needs. So if you’ve ever wondered what is the best body butter, it is the one you make yourself.

The recipe I have created (find it below) leaves my dry skin feeling soothed and hydrated and it applies really nicely.

In this guide, I will take you through everything I have learned about what is a body butter, what to do with body butter, the benefits of body butter and my favourite ingredients for body butter.

What Is Body Butter?

What is body butter for? Body butter is a deeply moisturising mixture of butters/oils that can really benefit those with dry skin, patchy or peeling skin and some other skin conditions.

Body butter is made with one or several natural butters or oils. Some of these butters/oils include cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter and safflower/coconut oil. Some people will find they usually have preference for one of these butters and will stick to using that in their recipe. You can, however, use a combination of butters/oils together.

If you choose to purchase body butter, they are often loaded with additives and making it yourself is a great option to ensure it is all natural.

Body butter is basically a thick cream that can be applied directly to dry areas of skin to bring them back to life. They are also a really nice way to pamper your skin.

What do you use body butter for? If you are prone to dry, rough or patchy, peeling skin, a body butter may be a great choice of moisturiser for you as it will provide a deeply moisturising effect that will leave your skin soft and hydrated.

DIY body butters do not have any water added meaning they do not require any preservatives which keeps additives to a minimum.

But if you want to buy a commercial body butter, click here for some options.

What Does Body Butter Do? Benefits Of Using One

What does body butter do? What is body butter used for? What are the benefits of using body butter? There are a heap of reasons why I personally love using body butters and making my own and I go through all of this below.

Super Moisturising

Body butter is one of the most moisturising products you can find to use on your skin. It is a great option for individuals who have dry skin, rough skin or patchy and peeling skin.

It is also a lovely product to have if you love to pamper your skin, it leaves the skin feeling soft, smelling great and looking well taken care of.

Can Reduce Stretch Marks

Many people use body butters to reduce scarring and stretch marks on the skin. Body butters are high in nutritious vitamins, minerals and fatty acids that can revitalise the skin.

Soothes The Skin

You can apply body butter straight to fresh shaved legs for a lovely soothing feel. It can provide deep hydration that leaves the skin feeling soothed and smoother.

homemade whipped body butter — My moisturising body butter

Great for Cuticles And Cracked Heels

Massaging body butter into cuticles and cracked heels can provide you with instant results. It will soften and smooth you cuticles and cracked heels.

You Can Control What Is Added If You DIY

When you look at the ingredients of many popular brands of body butters, they are loaded with chemical additives and ingredients that are hard to decipher.

Not only this but they are also super pricey. Making your own ensures you know exactly what is in your body butter and that the ingredients are going to benefit your particular skin needs.

It Is Super Easy To Make

Making your own body butter is so easy. When I began researching body butters, I actually couldn’t believe I hadn’t been making them sooner, they are that simple. When I think of how much I have spent on expensive body butters I am happy to know how to now make my own.

DIY Body Butter Is A Great Activity For The Kids

Kids love making and creating their own concoctions and body butter is no exception. DIY activities are always fun for kids and getting them involved gives you an opportunity to teach them all about the awesome ingredients you are using and how great they are for their skin. Kids will feel rewarded and proud applying their own made body butter.

What Do You Do With Body Butter? How To Apply

Applying body butter is very simple.

If you are looking to moisturise small patches/areas of skin with your body butter simply take a small amount and massage it directly onto your problem area. Leave it to settle into the skin.

If you are looking to use your body butter as a daily moisturiser you can simply take a small amount, as a little goes a long way, and apply it as you would any other moisturiser.

Massage it into the skin and leave it to settle. It is a good idea to apply body butter at night to really let the it settle into the skin. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t apply it any time of the day and multiple times if needed.

Click here for the price of body butter.

What Is Body Butter Made Of?

Body butter is primarily made of one or a combination of butters and an oil. Arrowroot powder and essential oils are optional but can really enhance the body butter. Its totally up to you how you choose to make it though.

Shea Butter/Cocoa Butter/Mango Butter

If you have dry skin, any one of these butters is going to be able to help your dryness. They make the perfect body butter as whether it is shea, cocoa or mango’, they are all full of vitamins and minerals, fatty acids and antioxidants that are going to soothe and soften your skin.

These natural butters are easy to apply onto the skin and provide a protective barrier on your skin that will help keep the skin underneath hydrated.

Shea butter and cocoa butters in particular have anti-inflammatory properties meaning they are also super handy products to have for redness and rashes.

I personally use shea butter in my body butter and have enjoyed using it, it provides a smoothing and soothing effect on my dry skin and I love its rich consistency.

Click here to buy shea butter now.

You can also find more information about making body butter with mango butter here.

Safflower Oil

Safflower oil is a great option for oil in a body butter recipe as it absorbs well into the skin and is light, making it a less greasy feel than other oils. It is full of antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory and it does not clog pores. No formal studies have been done to prove what the benefits of safflower oil are for the skin though.

Safflower oil may also provide a limited protection from the sun. SPF 5 to be exact. Certainly not enough to warrant not using sunscreen but pretty cool nonetheless. This oil also contains high amounts of oleic acid, a fatty acid that helps to make safflower oil absorb well into the skin.

Alternative oils you can try are coconut oil, rosehip oil or grapeseed oil. Note that coconut oil is heavier than safflower oil and may feel greasier.

Click here to buy safflower oil now.

Arrowroot Powder

Arrowroot powder can be used in this recipe to reduce greasiness of your body butter. Arrowroot powder comes from the starch of tropical plants and its going to help absorb any extra oils in your body butter to help reduce the feeling of oiliness.

There are a number of B vitamins in arrowroot powder which can help the skin absorb other nutrients in the body butter better. They can also help improve the circulation.

If you want to try an alternative product for arrowroot powder, you can try cornstarch or tapioca flour instead.

Click here to buy arrowroot powder now.

Essential Oils

If you enjoy the scents of essential oils, how they can benefit your skin and how they make you feel, you will most likely enjoy adding them to your body butter.

Essential oils can make the body butter feel more luxurious and pampering. However, they are not for everyone and if they are something that does not agree with you, simply leave them out of your body butter.

I personally love using essential oils in my body butters as they always bring a smile to my face and i know they are benefiting my skin too. I have listed just a few of my favourite essential oils below, but you could try any you like.

Lemon: A cleansing, clean and uplifting scent that can help with attention and focus.
Orange: Fresh and invigorating and can help depression.
Peppermint: Fresh and cooling effect, wakes the skin up and feels really good on sore lips and fresh shaved legs. Helps with focus and reducing inflammation.
Spearmint: A little bit sweeter than peppermint, good for stress and has a cooling effect on the skin.
Vanilla: Mood uplifter that smells sweet and romantic.
Rose: Can stimulate the mind, many skin benefits, smells invigorating.
Chamomile: Helps with relaxation and stress.
Lavender: My personal fave. Known to help with stress, helps you wind down and keeps you alert.

Click here to buy essential oils on eBay now.

Body Butter Vs Lotion Vs Cream – What Are The Differences?

There are a number of differences between body butter, lotion and creams.

Body butters are a thick consistency and will stay on top of the skin longer than lotions or creams, reducing the loss of moisture for longer periods of time and will keep the skin underneath hydrated. Body butters only have a few ingredients and lack water which means no worry about preservatives. Dry to very dry skin types would benefit from body butter.

Lotions work really well on individuals with oily skin as they are water based and are not nearly as heavy or greasy. They are a good option for a daily or ‘on-the-go’ moisturiser. Lotions usually contain additives. Oily to normal skin types would benefit from a lotion.

Creams are thicker than a lotion but lighter than body butters and are a blend of water and oil with about a 50:50 ratio. They are sometimes made to cater to particular skin care needs such as anti aging, skin brightening, etc. Normal to dry skin would benefit from a cream.

Body butter, lotion, cream, they all have their purposes, it all depends what you are looking for and what your skin needs are.

What Is The Best Body Butter?

I honestly believe the best body butter is the one you whip up yourself.

It’s just so easy to make your own body butter that there is no excuse not to. If you keep some shea butter on hand, you can always whip up some more, fresh body butter whenever you need it. This is what I do.

You can find my full body butter recipe post here or you can follow my best recipe below.

Super Moisturising Body Butter Recipe

Yield: 1.5 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

This shea body butter recipe is great for leaving your skin healthy and soft. It particularly works well on dry skin that wants some extra moisture and has arrowroot powder to make it a non greasy body butter recipe. I apply it daily and love how soft my skin is.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Shea Butter
1/2 cup Safflower Oil
1 tablespoon Arrowroot Powder
20 drops Essential Oil
Jar/container

Instructions

Add the shea butter and safflower oil to a bowl
Mix with an electric mixer until it's the desired consistency. This is usually a couple of minutes
Mix in the arrowroot powder and continue to mix for an additonal minute
Stir in the essential oils
Place in an airtight jar or container

Notes

This will last about 6 months depending on your ingredients. It can become super smooth in hot weather and less smooth in cool weather.

Final Words

Body butter is a great way to make your skin feel pampered and extremely soft and It is super easy to make at home with all natural ingredients. If you have trouble with dry skin, rough skin or simply want to pamper your skin, try making your own body butter and see how it works for you.