Homemade Coconut Body Butter

Year round, my body moisturizer of choice is organic, unrefined coconut oil. It’s all natural, anti-bacterial and one of the most nourishing things you could put on your skin. What I love about coconut oil is how soothing it is on sensitive skin, and having dealt with sensitive skin for as long as I can remember, coconut oil has been a godsend.

So what makes coconut oil so superior to commercial moisturizers? Well, to put it simply, most commercial moisturizers are made up of mostly water, which, by nature, absorbs rather quickly. While the water in lotion can make your skin feel moisturized initially, the minute the water in the lotion dries out, your skin dries out along with it. Unlike commercial moisturizers, coconut oil is able to actual penetrate the skin, providing deep moisture that strengthens underlying tissue, resulting in deep hydration that actually lasts.

While I typically just use the hard coconut oil out of the jar (I buy a designated one for my body and a separate one for cooking), sometimes I want something a little more luxurious and creamy, and that’s where my homemade coconut body butter comes in. This homemade body butter could not be easier to whip up, and it only takes 3 ingredients to make. This recipe yields about 8 oz. of body butter that will last several months in a sealed container such as a mason jar, with no refrigeration necessary.

To make the body butter, you will need virgin, unrefined coconut oil, 100% natural shea butter like the jar listed below, and 1 teaspoon of vitamin E oil. You can also use the gel of 3 vitamin E capsules if that is what you have on hand.

In a large mixing mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of coconut oil, 3 tablespoons of shea butter and 1 teaspoon (or 3 gel capsules) of vitamin E oil. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip all three ingredients until smooth and fluffy. This will take around 3-5 minutes.

If you want to add in a few drops of your favorite essential oil, feel free to do so! I typically put a few drops of lemon oil into mine as I just love the way it smells with the coconut. It smells like a baked good of some sort that I can’t put my finger on, but the combination is so good, I almost want to eat it. Almost.

***DISCLAIMER*** A little bit of this goes a LONG way. It is oil-based after all, so it doesn’t take much. If you slather this on thick like regular body butter, you will be a big ball of grease. I use this very sparingly at night, preferably with comfy clothes that I don’t mind getting a little greasy.