Understanding Body Butters and How to Use Them in Skincare

Ah, butter. Sweet butter. Creamy, delicious, and nutritious, it is perfect for spreading on… your body! Glorious raw pasture butter is not our topic of conversation today, but although I DO love that kind of butter, that will need to be a completely different post for some other time. Using body butters are one of the best way to nourish your skin, from the inside out. For those looking for a really minimalist skincare routine, you can really use just a single body butter (depending on what kind you are using…some lend themselves to be used by themselves while some need to be combined with others butters, oils or other ingredients to be applied easily).

Today we are delving into understanding body butters; Discussing the different kinds, what they do, how they feel, and how to best use them!

Most will require more effort to rub in than a typical skin cream, but it’s totally worth it and since butters don’t contain water they do not dry out your skin, or require preservatives to stop spoilage.

It’s really a win/win situation. Plus they have a myriad of uses: hand, foot and face care, cuticle softening, dry skincare, massage, all over skincare and softening, and even makeup removal.

Different butters will benefit different skin types, and there truly is a body butter, or combination of, to suit pretty much any need.

These delicious butters melt upon contact, are absorbed quickly, and are amazingly hydrating and beneficial to our skin. If you are using butters in cosmetic creations such as lip balms, soaps, creams and hair care you will want to make sure that you know the major players out there; what kind of texture they have, what kind of benefits they have due to their antioxidants, vitamins, fatty acids and even their spf factor.

I have got you covered in my discussions below on the seven major natural butters available. I have split these into two categories: the first being butters that I have on-hand and have used (either singly or in a recipe), and the second being the more exotic butters that I plan to own, use, and love some day!

MY ON-HAND BUTTERS

Cacao (or cocoa) butter

Cacao (or cocoa) butter is an edible fat obtained from the cacao bean pod. One of the most popular and well known body butters, it is naturally high in vitamin E to help hydrate and soothe skin, and contains natural antioxidants. Because it is a fantastic thickening agent you will often find cocoa butter in lipsticks, lip balms, soaps and creams. It helps to create an amazing whipped body butter.

The texture tends to be creamy and yellowish in color and it has a heavenly light chocolate scent (1) and feels delicious on your skin. As always be aware of where you are purchasing from, but a high quality cocoa butter will be suitable for both cosmetic and culinary uses. There will naturally be little pieces of sediment that will appear on the surface once melted. If that is something you do not want in the overall texture of your recipe, you’ll want to strain thoroughly prior to combining with your other ingredients.

I used cocoa butter to help combat my stretch marks from my twin pregnancy (aka A LOT of stretch marks!), and I am going to bet most women equate this butter with stretch mark and scar relief. Do you need more reasons to use cocoa butter? Then read this post on cocoa butter. Shelf life: 2 years

Shea butter

Shea butter is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. Another one of the most popular and well known body butters, shea butter is high in vitamins a, e and f, provides collagen (to assist prevention of skin aging & wrinkles), and contains essential fatty acids. Unrefined shea butter will have a noticeable nutty aroma with a creamy faintly yellowish color. You can apply this directly to your skin, or choose to combine it with other ingredients in a skincare recipe, such as a DIY deodorant with great results.

This is an “intense” moisturizer, and I was blown away to discover you can even use this on your scalp for dry skin! (2) Another awesome fact about shea butter is that is has a natural SPF factor (of about 6) so it is a natural choice to incorporate into homemade sunscreen recipe. And, like other butters, it forms a natural barrier on the skin to keep moisture in, so it’s a great choice to apply either before or after sun exposure to keep your skin moisturized.

I have found that I really like to apply straight shea butter to the sides and soles of my feet in the summertime, especially after a trip to the beach. Sand and water have an extremely drying effect on my feet, to the point they will start to peel from dryness if I let it get to that point. So, I just don’t let that happen anymore. I slather on the shea butter and put socks on for a little while (or sometimes overnight), and it keeps my feet soft and moisturized. Shelf life: 1 year

Mango butter

Mango butter comes from the kernals of the tropical mango tree. The texture and composition resembles shea and cocoa butter yet it contains more fatty acids making it a more intense moisturizer. This butter provides skin softness, soothing and moisturizing properties, and is a natural emollient. Mango butter tends to be rich, white in color with a mildly sweet scent and is hard at room temperature. (3)

Due to it’s texture it’s best to combine it with other butters or oils to make it more pliable for use on the skin, or if you are choosing to use it by itself it is best to warm and melt it a bit. Of the butters that I have and use, this is one of my newer ones so I have not yet played around with it in recipes yet. But I will say that I was recently given a lip balm made from mango butter which has become one of my favorite lip moisturizers. I have also read that you can melt it down and add it to your favorite hair conditioner to get extra moisture (this is something I need living in a dry climate in the Northeast US), which I plan to experiment with soon. Eek! So exciting! I love experiments. For now, I have been pleased with using it on my legs after shaving as a moisturizer as-is (it goes on easy in a warm bathroom, on warm, and moist skin). Shelf life: 2 years

Kokum Butter

Kokum butter comes from the Garcinia tree. This is a highly prized and healing butter that can help revitalize skin cells while supporting elasticity and flexibility. It is rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin e, and is non-comedogenic (meaning, it won’t clog your pores), making it a perfect choice for dry, cracked, rough, damaged and calloused skin.

Like cocoa butter it has a uniform triglyceride composition, so one can be easily substituted for the other in skincare recipes. Kokum is naturally a very dry and hard butter; it will appear flaky and cracked, although it will melt upon contact with skin. It is best to use this butter in combination with other oils and/or butters to make it more pliable and easy to use. Note: Anyone with a nut allergy should not use this product.

You will find kokum butter in our DIY kokum butter sugar scrub and our DIY kokum butter body wash. In the skincare shop you’ll find kokum butter in our Beard Balm.

Shelf life: 1 year

Coconut Oil

Now, the only reason I bring this up here is simply because every time I have researched butters, coconut oil inevitably comes up on the list. Although coconut oil is not an butter, it is a carrier oil and I discuss it in this detailed article, which I highly suggest you read. This is a go-to oil that you will find yourself using in many DIY skincare recipes, combining it with various butters mentioned here.

MY WISH-LIST EXOTIC BUTTERS

Shorea (Sal) Butter

This butter is extracted from the seeds of the Shorea Robusta tree native to India. It has little scent, is off-white in color and is naturally pliable, making it a great choice for skincare creations. It can be used to treat both dry skin and damaged hair. Sal butter has similar properties to cocoa butter, and will soften and spread easily on skin. It’s composition makes it a great choice to use to stabilize formulations. (5) Shelf life: 2 years

Cupuacu Butter

Cupuacu Butter comes from a cupuacu fruit tree of the chocolate family, native to the northern Amazon. This sounds like an amazing butter, incredibly creamy and hydrophpllic (which means it has a great ability to retain water and prevent moisture loss) (6), boosting both your skin and your hair’s natural moisture. It has an earthy cocoa scent and contains high levels of fatty acids. Due to it’s texture it can be used by itself for skincare needs. Shelf life: 2 years

Illipe Butter

Illipe butter comes from the Illipe tree in the forest of Borneo in the South Pacific.This exotic butter is extremely moisturizing and can restore elasticity to hair and skin, and is perfect for treating dry or overly processed hair. (7) It doesn’t have a strong scent and is has a harder consistency, so it is great for use in cosmetics and soaps and well as skincare items that you want to holds it’s shape easily. Shelf life: 1-2 years

So there you have it. Details on the different major body butters and what they can do to benefit your skin and hair.

xo,

Not feeling particularly DIYish?

Simply not enough hours in the day? No worries. I have got you covered. Please, head on over to my Pronounce Skincare Shop where I sell all of my skincare creations. I love making them for my family and for you!

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Comments 29

Fran

January 17, 2020 at 5:02 am

Hi. I’ve just tried 100% Shea butter. I find it stays on top of my skin like Vaseline overnight and doesn’t absorb in. Is this normal for shea?

Jess Healey
January 17, 2020 at 9:52 am

Hi Fran. Interesting, I don’t find that to be the case. It does take a bit of time to absorb, but it will absorb. Shea butter is the only ingredient? What is the brand. Feel free to head over to email, if you like. jessATpronounceskincareDOTcom 🙂

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Alaysia Lewis

December 4, 2019 at 7:45 pm

Hi I hope you reply i need advice on how to measure my ingredients for body butter like how much butter to use and how much oils to use because i am planning on making a big batch for an occasion and just want to make sure i have my measurement of my ingredients right

Jess Healey
December 5, 2019 at 10:14 am

Hi Alaysia! I have a couple of recipes for body butters that you could follow…
Vanilla Cinnamon Body Butter
Herb-Infused Butter
I hope this helps. Happy DIYing!

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Deborah Douglas

October 1, 2019 at 8:18 am

What other butters other than mango and kokum can you make lotion bars

Jess Healey
October 14, 2019 at 12:13 pm

Hi Debbie! You could also use shea butter or cocoa butter. Happy DIYing!

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NAOMI PATTON

August 1, 2019 at 7:29 am

Hey thanks for this wonderful article. I had never thought I’d be going back to the natural body butter so much! This product is an incredible, soft, smooth, light and most importantly, hydrating . No aluminium and chemicals are added to this butter.Only Organic shea and coca butter are used. I use it at night on my hands and arms and on my legs . It doesn’t clog pores or cause ingrown hairs and is long lasting! People have asked me why my hands feel so soft, this product is one I’ve had for years, and is a definite love of mine! It also has a nice, soothing scent to it! I will highly recommend the naural body butter. Give it a a try!!

Judy

June 22, 2019 at 10:32 am

Should you thoroughly wash the skin before applying a second layer of butter to it after 5 hours?

Jess Healey
July 1, 2019 at 12:50 pm

Hi Judy. I don’t think I understand your question. Can you explain further, please?

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Camelia

February 25, 2019 at 9:42 am

Thank You for the recipe 🙂 !!

BETTY DAVENPORT

January 12, 2019 at 6:32 pm

wondering if it is safe to use homemade body butter, that is 3 years old?

Jess Healey
January 22, 2019 at 12:20 pm

Hi Betty~ That is a bit old and some of the oils might have gone rancid. Without knowing the ingredients I can’t say for sure. How does it smell? I wouldn’t be too terribly concerned with mold or anything (so long as it has no water, and if it does I would not use it!), but again…it could smell off if the oils &/or butters have expired. I hope this helps.

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Jacqueline

July 13, 2017 at 10:16 pm

It’s best to apply butters after your skin has been moistened like after a shower. The butters than seal the moisture into the skin and prevent further moisture loss.

Jess Healey
August 10, 2017 at 9:42 am

Right you are! My Pronounce Body Butters are UhMaaaZing right out of the bath or shower. While still a bit damp and with open pores, your skin is in prime condition to soak up all of the organic, buttery goodness.

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Amaryce

March 3, 2017 at 11:30 am

I love mango butter! I make a whipped body butter with mango (and babassu, grapeseed, and meadowfoam) that my 13yo slathers on every day and is obsessed with! Moisturising but not comedogenic. Wonderful!

Melanie

November 7, 2016 at 3:09 pm

I make a mango body butter using mango butter coconut oil and a little bit of vitamin e oil, After imelt it down in my crock pot I allow it to cool till it becomes thick, but not hard and all my essential oils to it and whip it with my hand mixer. It become velvety soft and I use it regularly in both the winter and summer, especially on my feet. I love love love this butter.

Michelle reese

October 14, 2016 at 8:48 pm

I don’t know if your website is still running but I love this tutorial and I would like to share this link with my post about making handmade soaps and lotions. Awesome article

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Jessica Healey
October 14, 2016 at 9:15 pm

Hi Michelle! Thank you, and yes…you can share this link with your post. 🙂

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Marcia

June 1, 2016 at 4:39 pm

Thank You for this information. I have combined these butters with great results for a number of skin problems.

Tiffany

June 10, 2015 at 12:06 am

I’m new to making my own whipped body butter. I am looking for recommendations for the best carrier oils that will combat/moisturize my dry skin. I have tried coconut oil, sweet almond oil with cocoa butter and coconut oil, jojoba oil and glycerin oil with shea butter and neither one of these whipped body butters truly felt like my skin was moisturized. It felt more like it sat on my skin without providing moisture to my skin.

Thanks!

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Jessica Healey
June 10, 2015 at 1:57 pm

Hi Tiffany! We have a post that you *must read*! You can learn all about carrier oils in this post. I’ll also suggest organic tamanu oil as a fantastic carrier oil (used in small amounts). Hemp seed oil also penetrates very well and provides a great deal of moisturizing. Hope this helps. 🙂

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mayara

May 23, 2015 at 8:13 pm

I love Cupuaçu! It’s an indigenous word meaning “amazon fruit which taste strong”. I’m Brazilian and back home there’s a brand called “natura”, they work with distant communities, sustainable ingredients, biodegradable, all of that. Their catalogues (works like avon) not only show their products but their work with the community. Anyway, they have Cupuaçu body butter and it is crazy good but making your own still the safest choice. And also Cupuaçu fruit taste amazing 🙂

T.Ruth

April 28, 2015 at 8:15 am

I wondered what would be the best butter to use for crepe paper like skin?
Thanks

Flavia

April 18, 2015 at 12:11 pm

This is going to be helpful to me . I hope to make a wonderful skin care butter for myself. Right now I use a mix of lanolin and cocnut oil, but I still feel I need more help with my super dry skin.
I want to use the MOST moisturizing mix on my skin . any further tips would be so appreciated. thank you

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Amanda Lopes
May 6, 2015 at 9:18 pm

Hi Flavia. Thanks for your comment. My own skin tends to be very dry certain times of year and coconut oil just wasn’t cutting it for me. I found that making a whipped body butter in a combination of shea butter (higher amount), coconut oil (lower amount) and essential oil (I used myrrh, which is great for the skin) was a great combo for me personally. Kokum butter is also great for very dry skin, just remember it will need to be combined with other butters / oils to be spreadable and effective. Have fun experimenting and I would love to hear back when you find the perfect combination!

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Stephanie

April 17, 2015 at 9:55 am

This is so helpful, thank you! I use mango, kokum, and illipe in my homemade deodorant. It’s so easy on delicate skin. It has been my favorite for a couple of years now. I can’t wait to dive into other homemade cosmetics with these tips!

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Amanda Lopes
April 17, 2015 at 10:04 pm

Hi there Stephanie! I love reading comments like this, and it makes me so excited that the tips you read are inspiring you to dive into other homemade cosmetics. And I just love that you use three amazing butters in your homemade deodorant…it sounds divine. You should share your recipe and tips sometime in our Life From Scratch Facebook group! I bet it would benefit many other people. Thanks so much for your comment 🙂

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