DIY Skincare: Make Your Own Body Butters With These Simple Steps

As the season changes and we move to cooler temperatures, it is normal for the skin to get dry, flaky and itchy.

In such seasons, a normal moisturiser would rarely work efficiently in comparison to a body butter.

What Is a Body Butter?

A body butter is essentially a skin moisturiser that is apt for colder season.

It is made with a base of various butter including shea, cocoa, and mango.

It is blended with skin nourishing oils like coconut, almond or sesame to give it a thicker texture.

Some body butters also contain essential oils to combat targeted skin issues.

They are thicker and creamier in comparison to lotions and you are likely to find body butters in a jar than a bottle so you can easily scoop out your desired amount of body butter to apply on your skin.

Body butters are known to be effective to rejuvenate and nourish the skin, especially the dry patches around the elbows and knees.

Most body butters require a base of shea, mango, cocoa butters and beeswax. If you want a vegan body butter, you can omit the beeswax to make it a vegan body butter.

Here are some basic body butter recipes that you can make at home. The good thing about making your own body butter is that you can experiment with various oils and essential oils and make fresh and small batches at home.

There are various types of body butters that you can try.

Here are some recipes to get you started!

A Decadent Body Butter for Glowing Skin

Everyone loves a glowing skin!

Essential oils of rose and sandalwood are potent skin enhancing oils that give your skin not just a boost of nourishment, but also keep your skin glowing and smelling fresh all day long.

What you need

• 1 tbsp of Beeswax (optional) – If you want a vegan body butter, you can omit this ingredient.

• 3 tbsp each of shea and cacao butter

• 2 tbsp each of coconut and almond oil

• Essential oils of sandalwood and rose – 10 drops each

• A clean glass jar

• A glass bowl

To make the body butter

• Take a sauce pan and fill it with water.

• Place the glass bowl on the pan, with the base touching the boiling water.

• Add the butters and reduce the flame. Let the butters melt.

• Remove from flame and add the coconut and almond oil and whisk it well.

• When the oils have cooled a bit (but not solidified), add the essential oils and blend it completely with the mixture.

• Pour the mixture in glass jar and let it cool completely.

• Seal and store in a fridge.

Whipped Body Butter for Everyday Use

This body butter is perfect for everyday use and for normal skin types.

Jojoba and argan oils are nourishing for the skin and low on comedogenic rating, so they will not clog the skin pores. The essential oils are rejuvenating and refreshing and are a perfect start to pep you for the day.

What you need

• 2 tbsp each of shea and mango butter

• 2 tbsp each of jojoba coconut and argan carrier oils

• 10 drops of essential oils of any citrus fragrance. I use orange and lemon because of its zesty fragrance.

• A clean glass jar

• A glass bowl

• An electric blender/whisk

To make the body butter

• Take a sauce pan and fill it with water.

• Place the glass bowl on the pan, with the base touching the boiling water.

• Add the butters and reduce the flame. Let the butters melt.

• Remove from flame and add the argan and jojoba oils.

• Add the essential oils and give it a stir to blend it well.

• Keep the glass bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes after it has cooled down.

• After 30 minutes, take out the bowl and use an electric blender to whisk this body butter till it gets a light and fluffy texture.

• Scoop out this mixture into a glass jar.

Nourishing Body Butter for Dry Skin

For drier skin, you need something that is more heavy and creamier than the usual body butters as it needs to absorb into your skin to give a long-lasting nourishment.

What you need

• 2 tbsp each of cocoa, mango and shea butter

• 2 tbsp each of coconut, marula and argan carrier oils

• 1 capsule of vitamin E oil

• 10 drops of essential oils of lavender and chamomile essential oils

• A glass bowl

• A clean glass jar

To make the body butter

• Take a sauce pan and fill it with water.

• Place the glass bowl on the pan, with the base touching the boiling water.

• Add the butters and reduce the flame. Let the butters melt.

• Remove from flame and add the coconut, marula and argan oil.

• Mix well and add the essential oils.

• Add the oil from the Vit E capsule. Mix well.

• Pour this mixture into a glass jar

Coconut oil is one of the highly comedogenic oils and it helps to lock in the moisture in the skin.

Essential oils of lavender and chamomile are soothing for the skin and will reduce dryness and itchiness. Vitamin E oil helps to nourish your skin.

Points to Note:

· Always keep these body butters refrigerated.

· Body butters are best applied on damp showered skin to let the oils absorb into your skin more effectively giving it a longer hydration boost.

· Scoop out the desired body butter before you step in for a shower so that it is easier to apply.

· Take the body butter between your palms and rub them to melt them and apply all over your skin. Massage for a few minutes to boost blood circulation and to let the oils seep in to your skin.

· You can reapply the body butter on drier patches like your elbows and knees for extra hydration.

· These body butters should not be applied on your face. Use a serum or a lotion according to your skin type for

(Pratibha Pal spent her childhood in idyllic places only fauji kids would have heard of. She grew up reading a variety of books that let her imagination wander and still hopes to come across the Magic Faraway Tree.You can view her blog at www.pratsmusings.com or reach to her on Twitter at @myepica.)