Vanilla Whipped Body Butter: Shea and Cocoa Butter Recipe

Vanilla body butter is shea and cocoa butter melted with a little virgin coconut oil, scented with a split vanilla pod, chilled until just firm and whipped until fluffy. This one uses Baraka shea butter, made by hand by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana.

The recipe below is by weight, ounces first. After it you will find how to keep a whipped butter from feeling greasy and what you can use to scent body butter naturally.

How do you make vanilla body butter?

Melt the butters and coconut oil together on low heat. Infuse a split vanilla pod in the melted fats, chill until the edges just firm, then whip with a spoon of cornstarch until pale and fluffy. The recipe makes about 7 oz (207 g), enough to fill a couple of small jars.

Each fat has a job. Baraka shea butter is the base, because it is unrefined, strained and filtered only, so it keeps its natural colour and mild nutty smell. It is solid at room temperature, melts on contact with skin and is traditionally used on dry skin, lips, hands, feet and hair.

Cocoa butter gives the whip its structure. It is harder than shea and melts at close to body temperature. Unrefined cocoa butter also keeps the chocolate smell of the bean, which refining removes, and that smell pairs well with vanilla.

Virgin coconut oil is the only soft fat here. It is pressed, unrefined and keeps its fresh coconut aroma. It absorbs quickly rather than sitting on the skin, which helps the finished butter feel lighter.

Ingredients

• 4 oz (113 g) shea butter
• 1.5 oz (43 g) cocoa butter
• 1.5 oz (43 g) virgin coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise with the seeds scraped out, or, instead of the pod, vanilla absolute: up to 0.07 oz (2 g), about 40 drops

The vanilla absolute amount is about 1% of the batch, half of Baraka's recommended limit of 2% for scent in a leave-on product used on the body.

Directions

1. Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Add the shea butter, cocoa butter and coconut oil. Melt on low heat, stirring, until just liquid. Keep water and steam out of the bowl.
2. Add the split pod and the scraped seeds to the melted fats. Keep the bowl over the lowest heat for about 20 minutes so the vanilla can infuse, then take it off the heat. If you are using vanilla absolute, skip this step.
3. Lift out the pod pieces. Leave the seeds in for tiny specks, or pour the fats through a fine sieve into a clean, dry bowl for a smooth finish.
4. Chill the bowl in the fridge for about 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes. It is ready when the edges are firm and the middle is soft and cloudy.
5. Sift in the cornstarch. If you are using vanilla absolute, add the drops now. Whip with a hand mixer, low speed first and then high, for 5 to 8 minutes, until pale, fluffy and holding soft peaks.
6. If the butter stays soft or looks glossy, chill it for 10 minutes and whip again. Spoon it into clean, dry jars and put the lids on.

Storage

This recipe is water-free, so keep it that way. Use clean, dry jars, a dry spoon and dry hands. Store the jars in a cool place away from heat and direct sun. Shea butter keeps 2+ years when stored properly, and virgin coconut oil keeps far longer than most oils. Write the date you made the butter on the label.

Whipped butter softens in a warm room. Coconut oil is solid below about 75°F (24°C) and turns to clear liquid above it, so a jar left somewhere warm may lose its fluff. This does not affect quality. Chill it and whip it again.

Cocoa butter can develop a pale surface bloom after a change in temperature. This is a change in crystal structure, not spoilage, and it disappears when the butter melts.

How do you make whipped body butter not greasy?

Use less liquid oil, add a spoon of cornstarch and whip longer. Those three changes are built into the recipe above.

• Less liquid oil. The more liquid oil in a whipped butter, the softer it is and the longer it sits on the skin. Here the coconut oil is only about a fifth of the fats, and the rest is shea and cocoa butter. If you swap in a liquid oil such as baobab oil or shea oil, keep to the same weight and expect a softer whip.
• A spoon of cornstarch. One tablespoon (8 g) gives a drier, silkier feel. Sift it in before whipping so there are no lumps.
• Whip longer, and keep it cool. Whipping adds air, and air makes the butter feel lighter. Warm fats whip into a loose, oily cream, so chill the bowl first. If the butter warms while you work, put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
• Use a small amount. Whipped butter melts on contact with skin, so a pea-sized scoop warmed between the fingers goes a long way.

If the butter still feels heavy, the usual cause is too much coconut oil or a warm room. Make the next batch with 1 oz (28 g) of coconut oil and add the 0.5 oz (14 g) you took out to the cocoa butter.

What can you use to scent body butter naturally?

A vanilla pod infused in the melted butters is the simplest option. Vanilla absolute, the chocolate smell of unrefined cocoa butter and a little sweet orange essential oil also work.

• Vanilla pod. It adds scent without any extra oil. The pod is gentle and builds slowly, so give it the full infusion time.
• Vanilla absolute. It gives a stronger, rounder vanilla. In this batch use up to 0.07 oz (2 g), about 40 drops, which keeps you under Baraka's recommended limit of 2% for the body. The limits are 1% for the face and 0.5% for the lips, so use less for those.
• Cocoa butter's own smell. Unrefined cocoa butter keeps the chocolate smell of the bean, so you may need less added scent than you expect.
• Coconut and shea. Virgin coconut oil keeps its fresh coconut aroma. Shea butter has a mild nutty smell and its colour varies from ivory to pale yellow. Both are normal, and both blend quietly into vanilla.
• Sweet orange essential oil. This is a bright note that works with vanilla. Use it in place of some of the vanilla absolute, not on top of it, so the total stays at up to 0.07 oz (2 g), about 40 drops, for the batch. Leave bergamot and lemon out of anything you leave on the skin, because they are phototoxic.

Do not use vanilla extract. It is a liquid that will not blend into a water-free butter and would bring moisture into the jar. Leave scent out of anything made for babies and young children.

Making it as a gift

A jar of vanilla whipped body butter suits gift season. Choose a clean, dry jar, label it with the date and tie on a ribbon. For more ideas, see our guide to homemade Christmas gifts you can make.

If you want classic, non-whipped versions or other whipped variations, our body butter guide covers both.

To make more whipped butters, our whipped recipe kit is a good place to start, and the recipe book bundle has more DIY recipes to try.

This recipe is DIY advice, not medical advice. See a doctor or pharmacist about any skin condition.

Quick answers

How do you make vanilla body butter?

Melt 4 oz (113 g) shea butter, 1.5 oz (43 g) cocoa butter and 1.5 oz (43 g) virgin coconut oil on low heat, then infuse a split vanilla pod in the melted fats. Chill until the edges firm, then whip with 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch until fluffy. Spoon it into clean, dry jars.

How do you make whipped body butter not greasy?

Use less liquid oil, add 1 tablespoon (8 g) of cornstarch and whip longer. Keep the liquid oil to about a fifth of the fats, and chill the bowl again if the butter warms while you whip.

What can you use to scent body butter naturally?

A vanilla pod infused in the melted butters is the simplest way. Vanilla absolute also works, at up to 0.07 oz (2 g), about 40 drops, in a 7 oz (207 g) batch, and unrefined cocoa butter brings its own chocolate smell. Sweet orange essential oil is another choice; keep the total scent within 2% for the body.