DIY Growing Baby All-Over Butter (6-24 Months)

Last updated: August 2026

Once your baby starts crawling, cruising, and eventually walking, their skincare needs shift too — more exposure, more friction, more opportunities for dry patches to show up. This whipped body butter, drawn from Baraka's DIY recipe books, combines shea butter with baobab oil for a lightweight, everyday formulation that keeps up with an increasingly mobile baby. It's part of the same care approach covered throughout our Mother & Baby DIY Skincare Hub, and comes together in about 25 minutes with a hand mixer.

In This Recipe:

• What This Recipe Helps With
• Ingredients
• Directions
• Application Tips
• Customisation Ideas
• Storage & Shelf Life
• Voice Search FAQ
• Try These Next
• Disclaimer

What This Recipe Helps With

• Providing daily, all-over moisture for babies 6 to 24 months old
• Supporting dry patches and minor irritations as skin adjusts to new mobility
• Offering a fast-absorbing formula that won't leave skin slippery during active play
• Creating a simple after-bath and preventative-care ritual

Why This Is a Great DIY Recipe

This butter uses 5 ingredients and involves one melting step plus a quick whip with a hand mixer. Skill Level: Beginner. It's forgiving — the whipping step is fairly tolerant of timing, and the arrowroot powder just needs to be added gradually to avoid clumps. Commercially, body butters formulated specifically for the growing-baby stage with a fully transparent ingredient list are hard to find; this version is entirely traceable to a Baraka cooperative. Yield: approximately 90ml. This recipe is expanded from our Shea Butter for Babies guide, which covers additional formulations for newborn and infant skin.

Why These Ingredients Work Together

Shea Butter creates a flexible moisture barrier that moves with an increasingly active baby, protecting against environmental stressors without impeding skin's natural functions. Traditional Coconut Oil lightens the texture for faster absorption during busy days. Baobab Oil adds antioxidant nourishment in a lightweight format suitable for daily use. Arrowroot powder helps the whipped texture feel light rather than greasy, so it absorbs quickly and won't leave hands or feet slippery during active play.

Hero Ingredient Benefits

• Shea Butter: Creates a flexible moisture barrier that moves with an active baby, protecting skin without impeding its natural functions.
• Traditional Coconut Oil: Lightens the texture for faster absorption, preventing slipperiness during active play.
• Baobab Oil: Adds lightweight antioxidant nourishment suitable for daily, all-over use.

Ingredients

• Shea Butter — 60 g (1/4 cup)
• Traditional Coconut Oil — 30 ml (2 tablespoons)
• Baobab Oil — 15 ml (1 tablespoon)
• Vitamin E Oil — 1.25 ml (1/4 teaspoon)
• Arrowroot Powder — 5 g (1 teaspoon)
• Lavender, Sweet Orange (daytime only), or Roman Chamomile Essential Oil — 2–3 drops total (optional, for babies over 6 months only)

Directions

1. Create a double boiler with a heat-safe glass bowl over a pot of simmering water.
2. Add the shea butter and coconut oil to the bowl.
3. Melt completely, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat and refrigerate for 10 minutes, until the edges begin to solidify.
5. Add the baobab oil and vitamin E oil.
6. Using a hand mixer, whip the mixture until fluffy.
7. Gradually add the arrowroot powder while continuing to whip.
8. Add the optional essential oil, if using and baby is over 6 months.
9. Transfer to a clean jar and allow to cool completely.

Application Tips

Apply to your baby's entire body after bath time and as needed throughout the day. Perfect for dry patches, minor irritations, and general preventative care as skin adjusts to more active play. The fast-absorbing texture means little wait time before dressing.

Customisation Ideas

• Skip the essential oil entirely for babies under 6 months or if you prefer an unscented routine.
• Use Sweet Orange only during daytime application, since citrus oils can increase sun sensitivity.
• Keep a small jar in the diaper bag for quick touch-ups on the go.

Storage & Shelf Life

Store at room temperature in a sealed jar for up to 6 months, away from direct sunlight and heat.

The Impact of Your Purchase

When you make skincare with Baraka ingredients, you're supporting women's cooperatives who earn fair wages and preserve traditional processing methods. According to Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report, this direct trade model provided income for over 1,000 women and prevented 47 metric tons of CO2 emissions. You also gain complete transparency — knowing exactly what touches your skin and your family's skin, without hidden synthetics or uncertain supply chains.

Meet one of the women behind these ingredients in this short film: Your Impact: Issahaku Kubura.

Shop the Baraka Ingredients in This Recipe

Pure. Natural. Ethically sourced. Hand-crafted by women's cooperatives. These are the ingredients trusted throughout Baraka's DIY guides and recipes.

• Shea Butter — Shop Now — Rich and deeply moisturising, a versatile base for balms and butters.
• Traditional Coconut Oil — Shop Now — Lightweight and versatile, softens formulations and absorbs well.
• Baobab Oil — Shop Now — Fast-absorbing and nutrient-dense, ideal for improving softness without heavy residue.

Voice Search FAQ

What's a good DIY body butter for an active baby?
A whipped shea butter and baobab oil formulation provides daily, fast-absorbing moisture that won't leave skin slippery during play. Apply after bath time and as needed throughout the day for dry patches or general preventative care.

Is this butter suitable for a 6-month-old?
Yes — this formulation is designed specifically for babies 6 to 24 months old. The optional essential oils are also intended only for this age range; for younger babies, simply omit them entirely.

Why does this recipe include arrowroot powder?
Arrowroot powder helps create a light, non-greasy texture that absorbs quickly, which matters for an increasingly mobile baby who needs to get dressed and moving without slipping on wet hands or feet.

How often can I apply this butter?
It's gentle enough for daily use, typically after bath time, and can be reapplied as needed throughout the day for dry patches or minor irritations. There's no strict limit on frequency.

Try These Next

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like:

• DIY Baby Eczema Balm — a more targeted option for skin that needs extra calming support.
• DIY Baby Sleep Balm — a complementary formulation for winding down after this butter's daytime use.
• Shea Butter for Babies — a deeper look at how shea supports newborn and infant skin.
• Baby Skincare Essentials Every New Parent Needs — useful if you're building out your baby skincare routine.
• From Kitchen to Nursery: Essential Tools for DIY Mother & Baby Skincare — useful if you're just getting your DIY setup started.

About These Ingredients

This recipe is expanded from DIY Formulations for the Motherhood Journey, one of Baraka's recipe books, which explores additional formulations for supporting newborn and infant skin.

Disclaimer

The recipes and ingredients on this page are intended for cosmetic use only — for application to the skin, hair, and nails to cleanse, condition, and beautify. They have not been evaluated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or any other regulatory authority. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition. If you have a medical condition, skin condition, or known allergies, consult a qualified healthcare provider before use. Always patch-test new ingredients before full application. Keep all products away from eyes and out of reach of children. Results will vary between individuals.