How to Make Body Butter: Whipped and Classic Recipes with Shea Butter

To make body butter, melt 3 oz (85 g) of shea butter with 1 oz (28 g) of oil, cool it until it is soft-set, then whip it for 5 to 10 minutes until fluffy. Baraka's shea butter is made by hand by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana.

How do you make body butter?

You melt a butter with a little oil, cool the mixture until it is soft, and whip it. The base ratio is 3 oz (85 g) of butter to 1 oz (28 g) of oil by weight, which makes a 4 oz (113 g) batch. Weigh the ingredients on a kitchen scale rather than using cups, because butters and oils pack differently.

For the butter, we suggest Baraka shea butter, because it is unrefined (strained and filtered only) and is the base of every recipe on this page. It is solid at room temperature and melts on contact with skin, which is what makes it a good body butter. The colour runs from ivory through cream to pale yellow and varies from batch to batch, and a mild natural smell is normal.

You will need:

• A kitchen scale
• A heatproof bowl and a pan for a double boiler
• A hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment
• A clean, dry jar with a lid

The method:

1. Weigh 3 oz (85 g) of shea butter and 1 oz (28 g) of oil into the bowl.
2. Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Keep steam and drips out of the bowl. Stir until everything is fully liquid and no grains remain.
3. Lift the bowl off the heat and stir once. Put it in the refrigerator for about 20 to 30 minutes, checking often. You want it soft-set: firm at the edges and still soft in the middle, not frozen.
4. Stir in essential oil if you are using it (see the limits below).
5. Whip for 5 to 10 minutes, scraping the sides, until the butter is pale, fluffy and holds soft peaks.
6. Spoon it into the jar with a clean, dry spoon.

This recipe contains no water, so it needs no preservative. The same method works for the other butters and oils mentioned below.

Classic or whipped: what is the difference

A classic body butter is melted, blended and left to set in the jar. It is dense and rich and spreads slowly as it warms on your hands. A whipped body butter goes through the same melting stage but is chilled until soft and then beaten, so it takes in air. It comes out lighter, looks like frosting and feels softer to scoop.

The ingredients are the same. The difference is the extra cooling and whipping. If you want a classic butter, skip the whipping: stir the melted butter and oil, pour it into the jar and let it set. Setting it in the refrigerator rather than on the counter helps keep the texture smooth (see the grainy butter section below).

How do you make whipped body butter?

You make it in three stages: melt, cool until soft-set, then whip for 5 to 10 minutes. Use the 3 oz (85 g) butter to 1 oz (28 g) oil ratio as your starting point. The timing matters more than the equipment. If you whip while the mixture is still warm and runny, it will not hold air. If you wait until it is rock hard, it will not whip smoothly.

Your choice of oil changes the feel:

• Shea oil is the liquid fraction of shea, pale yellow to golden, and lighter on the skin than the whole butter. Baraka's shea oil is made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana.
• Baobab oil is liquid at room temperature, pale yellow to golden, and absorbs quickly without feeling heavy. Baraka's baobab oil is also made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana.
• Virgin coconut oil is solid below about 75°F (24°C) and a clear liquid above it. It keeps its fresh coconut aroma and absorbs quickly. It will firm up and loosen with the room temperature, which is normal.

For a firmer butter, replace 1 oz (28 g) of the shea with Baraka cocoa butter. It is unrefined and unbleached, hard at room temperature, and keeps its chocolate smell. A pale bloom may appear on the surface after a temperature change. That is a change in crystal structure, not spoilage, and it disappears when the butter melts.

What is the best whipped body butter recipe?

The best one is the one that suits your skin and your room temperature, but a simple shea and oil blend is the easiest place to start. Here are three options built on the same 4 oz (113 g) batch:

• Everyday whipped: 3 oz (85 g) shea butter and 1 oz (28 g) shea oil or baobab oil. Light, soft and quick to absorb.
• Richer and firmer: 2 oz (57 g) shea butter, 1 oz (28 g) cocoa butter and 1 oz (28 g) oil. Holds its shape better in a warm room.
• Coconut whipped: 3 oz (85 g) shea butter and 1 oz (28 g) virgin coconut oil. Smells of coconut and softens quickly in the hand.

Change one thing at a time, so you can tell what made the difference. If the butter feels too stiff, add a little more oil next time. If it feels too greasy or loose, use a little less. Baraka also has single recipes for classic whipped shea butter, whipped shea and cocoa butter, whipped baobab oil body butter, whipped shea oil body butter and whipped kombo butter body butter. They are good places to go once you have the base method down.

How do you make whipped shea butter?

Melt the shea butter fully, chill it until soft-set, and whip it for 5 to 10 minutes. Shea butter will whip on its own, but a little oil makes it softer and easier to beat. The 3 oz (85 g) butter to 1 oz (28 g) oil base is a good guide.

Two points make the difference with shea:

• Melt it all the way. Any bits of unmelted butter act as seeds for graininess later.
• Cool it quickly and evenly. Use the refrigerator instead of leaving the bowl to cool slowly on the counter.

Baraka's shea butter is made by hand by women's producer groups at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana. If you would like to know more about the centre and the people who make it, read our Impact Report.

Why is my body butter grainy?

It is almost always because the shea butter cooled unevenly, or was not fully melted to begin with. Shea sets in stages as it cools. If one part of the bowl sets before another, or if a warm jar cools slowly, small grains form and stay in the finished butter.

Common causes:

• The butter was not heated until completely clear.
• The mixture cooled slowly on the counter in a warm room.
• The finished jar was left somewhere warm, melted partly, and then set again slowly.

To fix it:

1. Put the grainy butter back in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water and melt it fully, until there are no grains at all.
2. Cool it quickly in the refrigerator until soft-set.
3. Whip it again for 5 to 10 minutes.

The graininess is about how the butter set, and remelting and cooling it quickly will usually give you a smooth butter again. To avoid it in future, melt fully, cool fast and keep finished jars away from heat.

How long does homemade body butter last?

A water-free body butter lasts about as long as its shortest-lived ingredient. Shea butter keeps 2+ years when stored properly, away from heat and direct sun. Virgin coconut oil keeps far longer than most oils and needs no added antioxidant. Check the oil you choose, since it may be the limit.

To store it well:

• Keep recipes water-free. Water brings the need for a preservative, and the recipes on this page contain none.
• Always use a clean, dry spoon, and keep the jar dry.
• Keep the lid on and the jar away from heat and direct sun.
• If the butter smells or looks off, throw it out.

A warm room can soften a whipped butter, which is normal. Cocoa butter may show a pale bloom after a temperature change, but that is not spoilage.

Adding essential oils

Essential oils are optional, and there are limits. Baraka's recommended limits for leave-on products are up to 2% of the batch weight on the body, 1% on the face and 0.5% on the lips. These are our recommended limits, not a guarantee of safety. For a 4 oz (113 g) batch, that means:

• Body: up to 0.07 oz (2 g), about 40 drops
• Face: up to 0.04 oz (1 g), about 20 drops
• Lips: up to 0.02 oz (0.5 g), about 10 drops

Do not use bergamot or lemon essential oil in any leave-on butter, because both are phototoxic. Use sweet orange at the same number of drops, or leave the essential oil out. Do not put essential oils in any recipe for babies or young children.

Adding kombo butter

Kombo butter can be blended into a body butter at 20 to 30% of the butters. It is a traditional West African butter, softer than cocoa butter and firmer than shea, with a distinctive earthy smell. Baraka's kombo butter is made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana, and in Ghana it is traditionally used as a massage butter.

For 3 oz (85 g) of butters, 20 to 30% is about 0.6 to 0.9 oz (17 to 26 g) of kombo butter, with the rest shea butter. Use it in a blend rather than neat. Patch test before first use by applying a little to the inside of your arm and leaving it for 24 hours. Never use kombo butter in anything for babies.

Ready-measured kits

If you would rather not weigh ingredients, these kits come ready-measured:

• The ultimate whipped recipe kit, for a first whipped batch.
• The ultimate whipped kombo recipe kit, the same idea with kombo butter (patch test first, never for babies).
• The shea and cocoa luxury recipe kit, for a richer, firmer butter.
• The shea, cocoa and kombo luxury recipe kit, with kombo butter (patch test first, never for babies).
• The shea, cocoa and peppermint body butter recipe kit. Remember that recipes with essential oils are not for babies or young children.

If you want more recipes to try, the recipe book bundle collects them in one place.

Quick answers

How do you make body butter?

Melt 3 oz (85 g) of shea butter with 1 oz (28 g) of oil, cool it until it is soft-set, then whip it for 5 to 10 minutes until fluffy. Spoon it into a clean, dry jar.

How do you make whipped body butter?

Melt the butter and oil fully, chill the mixture until it is soft-set, then whip it for 5 to 10 minutes. A good base is 3 oz (85 g) of butter to 1 oz (28 g) of oil. Whip when it is soft but not rock hard.

What is the best whipped body butter recipe?

A simple blend of 3 oz (85 g) shea butter and 1 oz (28 g) shea oil or baobab oil is an easy place to start. For a firmer butter, replace 1 oz (28 g) of the shea with cocoa butter. Change one thing at a time to find the texture you prefer.

How do you make whipped shea butter?

Melt the shea butter fully, chill it quickly until soft-set, then whip it for 5 to 10 minutes. A little oil, such as 1 oz (28 g) to every 3 oz (85 g) of shea, makes it softer and easier to whip.

Why is my body butter grainy?

Usually the shea butter cooled unevenly or was not fully melted. To fix it, remelt the butter completely, cool it quickly in the refrigerator, and whip it again. Keeping finished jars away from heat helps keep it smooth.

How long does homemade body butter last?

A water-free body butter lasts about as long as its shortest-lived ingredient. Shea butter keeps 2+ years when stored properly, away from heat and direct sun. Keep the jar dry, use a clean spoon, and throw it out if it smells or looks off.