DIY Whipped Body Butter Recipe – Non-Greasy
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This non-greasy whipped body butter, built around cocoa, shea, and coconut butters, has picked up years of real reader Q&A about substitutions, yields, and troubleshooting along the way.
This DIY whipped body butter not only nourishes skin during the winter months but is also non-greasy. It makes a lovely addition to a Christmas gift basket too.
With dropping temperatures, skin dries up quicker than in summer — a good nourishing body lotion becomes a must by autumn. There are many reasons for dry skin. According to Ayurveda, winter and autumn are Vata time, with a tendency toward dry and cold humors. Skin reflects the state of overall health and the weather conditions around it, with digestion and body humor combination as additional factors.
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Why Homemade Cosmetics
The first reason for making homemade creams and potions was to avoid harmful substances. Commercial cosmetics are usually laden with chemicals and preservatives, many containing hormone disruptors like parabens, paraffin, and EDTA. These chemicals extend shelf life but mimic estrogen, contributing to endocrine and reproductive issues — some are even carcinogenic. Only natural, organic, chemical-free cosmetics have been the standard for years now. A daughter’s skin reacts immediately to any disturbance because of her eczema, and she’s extremely sensitive to toxins, gluten, and dairy too — all of which made the decision to go fully homemade an easy one for the whole family.
Another reason was to cut out plastic and packaging entirely, and the third was simply to cut costs. High-quality natural body lotions run genuinely expensive in Switzerland, and staying cost-conscious has mattered more with a changing lifestyle and finances — those expensive body lotions started feeling like a real luxury.
Ingredients for Whipped Body Butter
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Skin is the largest organ in the body, and it absorbs everything applied to it — which is exactly why using only all-natural ingredients for body butter makes such a difference. Cocoa butter brings a genuinely delicious chocolate scent, and lavender and sandalwood oil pair beautifully with that combination.
How to Make DIY Whipped Body Butter
Ingredients List
- ½ cup cocoa butter
- ½ cup shea butter
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup jojoba/olive oil
Cooking Instructions
Melt the Butters:
Melt the coconut oil, cocoa butter, and shea butter in a double boiler — or use a glass bowl set over a pot of boiling water.
Add the Jojoba Oil:
Add in the jojoba oil and mix well into the melted fats.
Freeze Until Firm:
Keep the liquid in the freezer until it’s firm — not completely hard, just firm enough that a fingertip pressed into it leaves a dent that stays.
Add Essential Oils:
Add in favorite essential oils once the mixture has cooled, so the scent holds through.
Whip:
Add the arrowroot powder and whip the butter using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer — a Kitchenaid stand mixer works well here, since it whips faster without needing to hold it the whole time.
Store:
Store in sterilized, upcycled glass jars to avoid waste.
Storage and Skipping Arrowroot Powder
Stored unrefrigerated, this body butter keeps for 3 to 6 months. Some body butter recipes use aloe vera gel for a less greasy finish, but that requires refrigeration because of the gel — arrowroot powder avoids that trade-off entirely.
Skipping the arrowroot powder is possible, but expect a greasier after-feel on the skin — personally, a very greasy lotion isn’t preferred, which is exactly why arrowroot powder gets used here.
Tips for Your Homemade Whipped Body Butter
Exact measurements aren’t essential: the recipe still works even without them.
No need to refrigerate: keep the body butter in airtight jars instead.
Scale up easily: increase the quantities freely, just keep to the same basic ratios.
A great Christmas gift: ideal for natural-loving friends.
Watch citrus essential oils: they’re photosensitive, so avoid the sun after using them — the body butter is still fine to use at home.
Any essential oil works: use whichever scent you prefer.
Reader Questions on Substitutions and Yield
A batch like this typically yields about 6 to 7 IKEA-size 130ml clip bottles plus a couple of 250ml bottles — plenty to give away as gifts, especially since whipping adds some air to the mix. Coconut oil can be swapped out entirely for another carrier oil like almond oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil. Cornstarch works as a substitute for arrowroot powder with similar results, though wheat flour isn’t recommended, since it’s not as soft. If the shea butter scent is too strong even with essential oils added, sandalwood oil tends to mask it well — or mango butter can replace shea butter entirely for a milder base.
Ingredient Weights, If You Prefer Grams
Roughly 60g each of shea butter and cocoa butter works well as a starting point — shea butter tends to weigh out easily since it’s almost paste-like, while cocoa butter usually comes in cubes and can run a little heavier than 60g depending on how it’s measured.
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Recipe Card
DIY Whipped Body Butter Recipe – Non-Greasy
- Total Time: 60
- Yield: 1 batch 1x
Description
A non-greasy, nourishing DIY whipped body butter made with cocoa butter, shea butter, and coconut oil — built to see skin through the driest winter months.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cocoa butter
- 1/2 cup shea butter
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup jojoba oil (or olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil (optional)
- 3 tablespoons German chamomile hydrosol (optional)
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder (optional, for a non-greasy finish)
- 40 drops essential oils (20 each lavender and sandalwood)
- Sterilized wide-mouth glass jars
Instructions
-
Melt the Butters:
Melt the coconut oil, cocoa butter, and shea butter in a double boiler — or use a glass bowl set over a pot of boiling water.
-
Add the Jojoba Oil:
Add in the jojoba oil and mix well.
-
Freeze Until Firm:
Keep the liquid in the freezer until it’s firm — not completely hard, just firm enough that a fingertip pressed into it leaves a dent that stays.
-
Add Essential Oils:
Add in your favorite essential oils once the mixture has cooled, so the scent holds.
-
Whip:
Add the arrowroot powder and whip the butter using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer.
-
Store:
Store in sterilized, upcycled glass jars to avoid waste.
Notes
Stored unrefrigerated, this body butter keeps for 3 to 6 months. Skipping the arrowroot powder is fine, but expect a greasier after-feel on the skin.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Natural Skin Care
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 200
- Fat: 20
Frequently Asked Questions
Your feedback is valuable
Did you like our Homemade Whipped Body Butter? Leave me a comment, I’d really love to know! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below! Thank you so much for visiting Vital Fair Living – we’re so happy you’re here! and thanks for taking the time to read this post. I would love it if you can share this recipe using the social media buttons you see next to the post and give this recipe a 5 star rating.
22 Responses
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Hello 🙂 I am very excited to try this recipe! Quick question – what is the yield of this recipe? Thank you
When I made this butter, I got about 6 to 7 bottles of IkEA size 130 ml clip bottles and a couple of 250 ml bottles different brand. It was plenty enough to give many people as gifts. Since we whip, there is also air in it. But its really nice and cheap in the long run.
can you omit the coconut oil from the recipe?
Yes, you can, instead use some other carrier oil like almond oil (if you are not allergic), grape seed oil is also good, even avocado oil works. Let me know how it worked.
Great read. I plan to make this. Can I use wheat flour as an arrowroot substitute?
You can use corn starch instead of arrowroot powder. Similar results. Wheat flour is not as soft. Not sure how it will work.
Wow. Great article. I am so thankful for this info. Trusting that it will help. Will def share it with my audience of 350K followers on Insta.
Thanks for taking the time to read. Please share it. Enjoy Advent and the coming Holidays. LOL Chitra
Any ideas on how I could incorporate magnesium oil into this? Since it’s a really a brine and I’m new to this, I’m not really sure on what to do. Would I need to add something to help it emulsify better?
I never really tried it. You will probably need an emulsifier. I have done body lotion recipe which is water based and I added an emulsifier to it. And it works and shelf life is also long.
How long are you suppose to use the hand mixer?
It usually is done within 5 minutes depending on the quantity.
I’m going to try this, don’t like lotion it feels heavy and I have very sensitive skin.
Please let me know how you like it. You can always adjust as per you needs.
This sounds heavenly. Does it work as a base for other recipes? I use this: https://www.bulkapothecary.com/categories/raw-ingredients/waxes-and-butters/ and I am wondering if yours would work as well if I made it.
I have got good feedback from this recipe so far. It should work. All the butters are the base for most homemade cosmetics in this recipe.
Is there a way to completely cover the smell of the shea butter? I added essential oils (a papaya scent) and it still smells strongly of the shea.
Try sandalwood oil. It masks most smells. Next time, you can omit shea butter and use mango butter instead. It will work also.
Do you have the measurement for the two butters in grams?
Sorry for the delay in answering. It is roughly 60 gms. The shea butter I had was easier to weigh, its was almost like a paste. The cocoa butter was in cubes. It was a little more than 60 gms.