TUTORIALS
DIY Body Butter
Shea Butter Balm for dehydrated & cracked skin
In this video I'll show you how you can make your own quick & easy body butter.
What you need:
1/2 teaspoon shea butter
2 teaspoons coconut oil
2 pipettes of marula oil
2 drops of essential oil (I use bergamot & sandalwood)
I use unrefined shea butter. It has a characteristic smell not everyone likes. If you have a sensitive nose, you can use deodorized shea butter which is odorless. The same applies to coconut oil.
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Melt coconut oil and shea butter in a double boiler. Both melt at low temperatures which means all delicate ingredients remain.
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As soon as everything is liquid, stir in the marula oil and the essential oil of your choice. Mix it again, close it and put in the fridge. Here you can let it set for a couple of hours or over night.
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Don't forget to label it and to include all ingredients you have used plus the manufacturing date. And ready is your all natural, homemade rescue balm.
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Ps: that we wash our hands and work with clean, sterile containers and working materials goes without saying;)
DIY Body Butter
with mango butter
For those of you who don't likle the "stickiness" of shea sutter, here is a great alternative with mango butter instead.
What you need for appr. 50ml:
2 teaspoon mango butter
2 teaspoons grapeseed oil
2 pipettes kalahari melon oil
2 drops of essential oil (I use bergamot)
Melt mango butter in a double boiler. It melts at low temperatures, which means all delicate ingredients remain.
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As soon as everything is liquid, stir in the kalahari melon oil, grapeseed oil and the essential oil of your choice. Stir well, close it and leave it in the fridge until it changed into a firm state.
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Don't forget to label it and to include all ingredients you have used plus the manufacturing date. And ready is your all natural, plastic free skincare balm.
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What I like most about this recipe is how it leave some sort of dry feeling on my skin, as I don't like the "sticky" feeling. Exactly this sticky feeling is what others love about the shea butter.
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Here is no right and wrong, choose what works best for you.
ALTERNATIVEN
Alternatively, you can of course also use other oils and butters.
Here are a few of my favourite oil options:
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GRAPE SEED OIL (rich but light oil)
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COCONUT OIL → is liquid above 23 degrees (light oil)
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MARULA OIL (rich but light oil)
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BLACK CUMIN OIL (medium oil, especially good for acne-prone and combination skin)
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RAPESEED OIL (rich)
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SAFFLOWER OIL (medium oil)
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You can replace the shea butter with:
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unrefined COCOA BUTTER (low melting point and less waxy)
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I love the delicious chocolaty smell of it. If you prefer a natural scent you can go for refined cocoa butter instead.
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→ the more butter you use, the harder your body balm becomes.
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There is no right or wrong! It is important that you make a note of which components you have used. On one hand to replicate your recipe, and on the other hand, to swap ingredients you are not convinced about.
Here you can find out how you can mix my carrier oils with other oils and essential oils in order to make them last longer and to add a little variety.
Blend:
Jojoba oil + Baobab oil + Rosemary Essential Oil
You need an empty and clean pump container. I'm blending a 50/50 mix of jojoba and baobab oil. My bottle holds 30ml, so I blend:
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15ml jojoba oil (light and regulating oil)
15 ml baobab oil (rich and full of omega fatty acids)
3-4 drops of rosemary essential oil
Mix everything once. Et Voila - your DIY body oil is ready.
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After you've mixed everything, write a short note of what you've used, including the date, and you're good to go.
DIY Body Oil
with essential oils and carrier oils of your choice
ALTERNATIVES
Other great carrier oils that are full of essential fatty acids, vitamins & minerals that you may already have at home are:
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GRAPE SEED OIL (light oil, rich care) → antioxidant effect
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COCONUT OIL (light oil) → anti-inflammatory | BUT keep in mind: it becomes firm and hard below 23 degrees.
So rather use it in a container instead of a pump bottle.
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RAPESEED OIL (rich) → rich in omega fatty acids
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SAFFLOWER OIL (medio rich) → rich in vitamin E.
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Black Seed Oil (medio rich) → antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
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MARULA OIL (light oil, rich in nourishment) → rich in Omega-6 & Omega-9 fatty acids
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Passion Fruit Oil (light oil) → rich in vitamin A & omega fatty acids
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All oils, with the exception of coconut, passion fruit and black cumin, have hardly any characteristic scent and are therefore suitable for sensitive noses.
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As we don't add water and since oil is a natural preservative, we save ourselves the chemical additives.
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If you store it in a dry and cool place, you can use it within 1 year.
If you make small portions you can even worry less regarding batches going to waste.
CARE INSTRUCTIONS
how to properly maintain your soap dish
In order to enjoy your handmade soap dish for a long time, I recommend cleaning it on a regular basis (1-2 times a week) under warm water to remove any soap residue.
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Then let it dry well. When the wood has dried thoroughly, rub in some oil, for example rapeseed oil, olive oil, safflower oil or fluxseed oil. The choice of oil is yours, these are my personal recommendations.
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Let it sit to dry. Afterwards your bowl is ready to use again.