There is nothing that feels quite as luxurious to the skin as an airy, whipped body butter. Its texture is light and fluffy so application is smooth and easy while the skin literally drinks in all the nourishing moisture these butters contain. Treating your skin with whipped body butter is like giving food to your skin.

There are many commercially available whipped body butters, including our own products which we love; Unscented, Vanilla and Lavender (currently not available) -but nothing beats making your own custom body butter creation! So, we recently did just that and are more than pleased with results.

Using Cocoa Butter lent the whip a yummy cocoa fragrance. At times I found myself having to withstand the temptation to taste the whip especially toward the end when it began to look like a rich icing for cake and even smelled that way too!

You can use an essential oil to lend the whip a custom fragrance, according to your preference. Well-known examples are:

• Vanilla
• Ylang Ylang
• Frankincense
• Rose
• Lavender Blue
• Chamomile
• Geranium
• Bergamot
• Wild Orange

We opted to use Bergamot which pairs well with both the earthy base of Tamanu oil we used and the slight nutty fragrance of cocoa butter. Bergamot is a member of the citrus family and provides a vibrant energy to the whip which feels absolutely invigorating.

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup Shea Butter
2. 1/2 cup Cocoa Butter or Mango Butter
3. 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
4. 1/2 cup light oil (such as Tamanu, jajoba or olive)
5. Optional: 10-20 drops of essential oils of choice

Instructions:

1. Set up a double boiler and get the water boiling. This is generally a saucepan with a detachable upper compartment that is heated by boiling water in the lower one. Alternately, you can suspend a bowl over a pot of boiling water. I used a ceramic fondue bowl which has a wide lip, perfect to be suspended over the boiling water.

2. Combine all ingredients except any essential oils. These will be added after everything is incorporated and the mixture begins to cool.

3. Stir gently as the mixture begins to melt until everything has been incorporated. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

4. Add essential oils of your choice and stir.

5. Place mixture in the refrigerator until it begins to harden (approximately 1 hour).

6. Whip using a hand mixer for approximately 10 minutes. Then, return mix to the fridge for another 1-2 Hours. You want it to look quite firm before you remove it again.

7. Whip for another 10 minutes using the hand mixer. If the mixture has set sufficiently, it will begin to develop stiff peaks as you whip it. Otherwise, return to fridge. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the container using a spoon and incorporate any hardened bits into the whip using the mixer. The mixer will even out the final texture.

8. Transfer Body butter to a jar of your choice and enjoy!