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whipped body butter

Homemade Body Butter with Rosemary & Shea Butter (with video tutorial)

Benefits of Rosemary

Rosemary is a very easy herb to get a hold of, it smells earthy and soothing, and when used in skin care products, it can help protect your skin from damage caused by the sun. The other awesome property of Rosemary is that it helps decongest acne and oily skin types without drying it. Some even claim that applying a lotion that contains rosemary extract can prevent future acne breakouts.

We have a few recipes and tutorials showing how to infuse an oil like Jojoba or Almond with dry flowers: rose petals, lavender buds, chamomile or calendula are our favorite dry flowers and you can find them all here.

In this recipe though, we decided to infuse Shea Butter with Rosemary.

A note about Body Butters vs Lotions

When people are first introduced to water-free skin care creams and butters, they are surprised at how little they need to use to moisturize their skin as opposed to an off-the-shelf lotion.

Lotions usually contain 70% – 80% water and about 5% – 10% of moisturizing butters and oils. Because lotions are mixing water and oil they usually require an emulsifier and a preservative to keep consistency and to prevent them from going rancid, most of the time man-made chemicals are used for this though there are some natural ingredients that can be used. In terms of consistency, lotions are lightweight and generally soak into the skin very quickly.

Body Butters, on the other hand, are a mixture of butters, oils and botanicals. They are concentrated moisturizers, loaded with nutrients and always denser in consistency. They can be whipped to make them light and fluffy. Body Butters are preferred by people who are looking to handle dry skin, repair damaged skin or simply maintain a healthy glow.

Why Shea Butter

Nobody likes breakouts, and Shea Butter is the most non-clogging and non-comedogenic cosmetic butter you can find.  With its high content of antioxidants, vitamins and fatty acids, it really is the go-to butter for our favorite Body Butter recipes.

Our Unrefined Shea Butter is particularly beneficial as it is imported from a trusted, fair-trade women co-op in Ghana, Africa that has been making shea butter for many years. It contains no chemicals or additives so is pure, soft and rich, perfect as a base for a body butter.

shea butter

Homemade Rosemary Body Butter Recipe

Let’s get back to business and show you how to make this awesome Rosemary Infused Body Butter Recipe.

Ingredients

1 Cup of Unrefined Shea Butter  

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil 

1/2 Cup Almond Oil 

the leaves of two medium Rosemary branches 

Optional: 20 Drops Rose Essential Oil

How to make  it

1. Place Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Almond Oil and rosemary leaves in a double boiler system on low heat, let the butters melt and stir occasionally to submerge the rosemary in the butter and oils mixture

2. Once melted, keep the mixture on low heat for 2 hours to allow the butters and oils to fully absorb the nutrients from the rosemary

3. Strain the rosemary from the oil & butter mixture using a strainer, cheese cloth or coffee filter

4. Place in the fridge, freezer or a bowl of ice for 1-2 hours, until it is firm but not completely solid (soft to the touch)

5. Optional: add in a few drops of Rosemary Essential Oils, or leave without any essential oils, it will smell nice and earthy

6. Using an electric blender, whip the mixture for several minutes until it is light and fluffy

7. Scoop into your jars or final containers

Uses and Benefits

The best way to use these wholesome body butters is after a bath or shower, when your skin is moist and ready to get nourished. Start by using a pea size amount, melt is between the palms of your hands for a couple of seconds, then apply to your body as needed.

This Rosemary infused butter can be use on face and body alike. If you have particularly dry or cracked skin, or have eczema flare-ups, use it twice a day for at least 2 weeks.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do, leave a comment below with your feedback and any questions you have.

body butter recipe

Homemade Body Butter Video Tutorial

As promised, here’s the video version of this recipe. Enjoy!