Chamomile and calendula body butter
Merry meet all,
This week, I whipped up my very first batch of herbal body butter. Today this post will be about how I did it. When I began, I didn’t know what I was doing. I picked up a few pointers along the way. Now let’s get started!
To make your own body butter, you will need the following tools and ingredients:
- a saucepan
- a measuring cup
- dried herbs, chamomile and calendula
- essential oils such as lavender and roman chamomile
- Jojoba, grapeseed oil or sweet almond oil
- beeswax
- shea butter
- coconut oil
- a wooden spoon
- an electric mixer
- a spatula
- thermometer (optional)
- a jar to store the body butter in
- labels to adhere to the jar
- a double boiler
Ok, I would suggest you use dried herbs. Fresh herbs have too much moisture in them. If the dried herbs were stored properly, they will not make the mixture go rancid. I did a water bath to infuse the herbs into the oils and waxes faster. Add the chamomile and calendula to a clean dry jar and then add in the coconut oil. Let sit for about three to four hours. Add water to the lower pot. Use a double boiler for this step. Then add in the coconut oil. Be patient with this step. Eventually the waxes and oils and herbs will mix and blend. If you are really keen on infusing the oils with the herbs, you can let it sit overnight. Do not let water get into the mixture.
The herbs are brewing in the double boiler on the stove!
Remove from the heat and strain the herbs. Compost the herbs and store the oil in a jar. I loved the scent of the oil- it smelled so good! I added the herbal infused oil to a bowl and whipped the oils with my electric mixer. Ok it changed color. This is where the fun began, if that is what you could call it. Now we have to get the potion to mix or synergize, if you will. This is the hard part. I whipped for a few moments. The oils and waxes stubbornly refused to thicken. I put it in the fridge for an hour. When the time was up, I removed it from the fridge and whipped it again with my electric mixer. I kept stirring with a wooden spoon. It remained in a liquid form. I tried to reheat the mixture and the oils rose to the surface. I hit up google for tips on what to do.
I returned the mixture to the fridge where I let it sit for a few hours. I removed it from the fridge and was shocked to discover it finally thickened! Delighted, I set about to again turn it into a body butter. This potion making takes some stubbornness and insistence. So hang in there. I let it sit for five minutes then I plugged the electric mixer in and whipped it for a few moments. Success! I sprinkled in the lavender and roman chamomile essential oils. I didn’t reheat the mixture again after I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. Important tip there! The waxes, oils and butters take a few hours to thicken.
I spooned the body butter into a beautiful glass jar. I cleaned and sanitized the jar first. I don’t want to let any contamination into the jar. Every time you use it, ensure your hands or a spoon are perfectly clean to avoid it going rancid. So you can see how patience is a virtue when making whipped body butter. You don’t want it to be a liquid but you also don’t want it to go too hard. I added a lot more coconut oil, shea butter and two tablespoons of beeswax before I let it chill in the fridge. The mixture need more waxes than liquid. Clean up your workspace and test it on your skin.
Do not store it in the fridge. I store the jar in the bathroom and leave the window open a crack. I love the feel and scent of the body butter. It dries and absorbs into my skin immediately and leaves my skin silky soft! I know I will use it up so fast. The scent is heavenly! This is my first body butter but it will not be my last.
Do not store the bottles of shea butter and coconut oil in the fridge. They will harden and be no good. The tools and ingredients are no doubt expensive for you so be careful when you clean up to make sure you minimize the potential of something going moldy. I ran hot, like really hot water over the dishes I used to make the butter. I ran the hot water over the double boiler a long time. I ordered the shea butter online so safety is my first concern.
I hope this inspires you to make your own heavenly body butter potions. Let me know how it goes!
Blessings, Spiderwitch
