Do you get dry heels, or dry elbows during the winter months? Are you looking for something to moisturize your skin? Having a recipe for body butter will help!

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Body butter is thicker than lotion and works well to soften dry spots. I’ve gathered some body butter recipes which you can easily make yourself. These recipes are all-natural – meaning they don’t contain nasty chemical ingredients.
DIY body butter typically contains soothing ingredients such as shea butter or cocao butter and oils. When using any skin care product, you want to make sure you use safe products with natural ingredients instead of ones with synthetic chemicals.
Our skin absorbs what we put on it. Just as I wouldn’t want to eat chemical filled foods, I also don’t want to absorb chemicals through my skin.
That’s why DIY body butter is so much better for you. You can moisturize your skin with natural ingredients which can also provide nutrients to your body.
What is the Difference Between Body Butter and Lotion?
Body butter and lotion are similar in that they both moisturize and hydrate the skin. However, body butter is thicker than lotion and can last longer.
The other difference is that lotion contains more water. Since it has more water, lotion doesn’t last as long.
Body butter can typically last for many months stored in a glass container out of direct sunlight. If you are concerned that the butter may melt, feel free to put the jar in the refrigerator.
What is Body Butter Good For?
Body butter provides many benefits. It also can be used for many things. Consider the following:
- It rejuvenates dry skin by providing essential nutrients
- It moisturizes skin and keeps it soft. It provides a protective barrier over skin that locks in moisture
- It softens hair
- It reduces stretch marks
- It removes calluses
- It hydrates cuticles
- It prevents signs of aging skin
- It can be used as a hand cream
- It can be used as an aftershave lotion
- It can be used as a makeup remover
How Do You Make Homemade Body Butter?
Homemade body butter is easier to make than you might think. Making body butter combines liquids (oils) with solids (butter).
If you like, you can also whip the body butter to make it more light feeling.
Common Ingredients in Natural Body Butter
Since body butter contains both solids and liquids such as butter and oils, the ingredients typically include:
- Shea butter – naturally rich essential fatty acids and vitamins A and E
- Mango butter – rich in fatty acids and vitamins A and C
- Cocoa butter – contains essential fatty acids
- Coconut oil – high in vitamin E and has anti-fungal properties
- Olive oil – contains antioxidants, fatty acids and vitamins E and K
- Almond oil – contains proteins, vitamins A, B and E, and fatty acids such as omega 9, 6 and 3
- Avocado oil – contains vitamins A, D and E along with fatty acids, proteins, and beta carotene
- Jojoba oil – contains anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties
As you can see, each of these ingredients is nourishing for your skin! In addition, some of the butter ingredients offer UV protection.
When purchasing a butter, make sure it is raw. and unrefined. As Micaela from Mindful Momma explains, “unrefined shea butter is extracted from the nut of the shea tree without chemical solvents and contains natural healing properties that would be lost during the refining process.”
You can tell the difference between refined and unrefined shea butter by its color. Refined butter is white whereas unrefined butter has a yellowish color.
If you choose to use cocoa butter, there are different forms it can come in. In the video below, Stacy from No Fuss Natural describes the common varieties of cocoa butter and why you might want to choose one form over another.
Natural Care Body Club
The Natural Body Care Club with Stacy from No Fuss Natural is the ultimate resource for learning to create natural body care products with confidence and ease.
If you want to scent your body butter, you can add some essential oils. Different essential oils have their own qualities which can also benefit your skin.
Body Butter Recipes
Without further ado, the following are some DIY body butter recipes to help nourish and moisturize your skin.
Cocoa Butter Body Butter Recipe
This whipped body butter recipe by Micaela at Mindful Momma is the bomb! With cocoa butter, shea butter and sweet almond oil you’re getting a powerful moisturizer.

Homemade Body Butter
This body butter recipe by Tracy at Food Wine Sunshine can be created in less than 10 minutes! Plus, it only has 3 ingredients.

Whipped Body Butter Recipe
This whipped herb and citrus body butter recipe from Katie at The Homespun Hydrangea gives body butter a nice twist by using various essential oils.

Fast Absorbing Body Butter
This fast-absorbing body butter recipe from DIY Beauty Base provides a non-greasy body butter option with mango butter. The mango butter is also fast-absorbing once you put it on your skin.

Homemade Skin Soother
This homemade skin soother recipe by Melissa at The Happier Homemaker has the same ingredients as body butter recipes, but she gives it a twist. She places the mixture into different containers such as lip balm tubes or empty pill containers so you can easily take it with you to use as needed.

There you have it! These are are some great body butter recipes that you can make for yourself or give as a gift. Body butter makes a great, easy natural gift for someone who doesn’t want to use toxic skincare products. It looks nice in a glass jar with a label and a bow on it.
In the comments below, be sure to let me know which recipe for body butter you chose and how well it worked on your skin.

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Read Next: Relieve Itchy, Dry Skin with These Simple Hydrating DIY Moisturizers
Raia Todd says
Thank you so much for the recipes! So much better than the toxic store-bought ones. 🙂
Teresa says
Thanks. Yes, so much better than absorbing all of those chemicals from store-bought body butters!