herbal-infused whipped body butter (no heat)

hello loves! welcome back.

today we’re whipping up (i’m hilarious) another super easy diy – herbal whipped body butter!

it’s silky, it’s anhydrous (read: no preservatives), not so greasy, and easily customizable. we love that on this blog.

this recipe yields two 8 ounce batches of whipped body butter, with 4 ounce of infused oil left over to use as you please. please buy cosmetic containers accordingly.

as always, no links provided are affiliates nor do i benefit in any way. they are only provided to help you with trusted ingredient sourcing. 

picture from pinterest/diyideacenter ; formula mine

please note this is not for intended for use on the face. it can clog pores, so be wary. 

this recipe is so buttery smooth, thanks to mango butter. if you’ve never felt this butter on its own before, you’re in for a real treat. it’s SO SILKY. because of this, you cannot substitute the mango butter in this recipe. you can, however, swap your carrier oils and/or herbs. just keep the total % ratios and it should come out very similar to the original. 

because mango butter is so silky, you actually don’t need to mess with heating it up. score!

before you order or bring out your ingredients — this will require an herbal solar infusion lasting 6 weeks.

the carrier oil i suggest for this formula is marula. it’s pricey, and nearly any carrier of your choice will do. just be mindful of its oxidative stability. for example, argan oil and hempseed oil would unfortunately be poor choices for herbal infusions, whereas jojoba oil would be a good one. marula oil is very high in oleic acid* (~76%), deeply moisturizing, super fast-absorbing, and is one of the only oils that remains stable when exposed to light for extended periods of time. that will come in handy when we infuse our herbs in sunlight.

for our skin-supporting herbs, we’ll be blending in calendula and helichrysum, as both are incredibly soothing and skin-supporting, and anti-inflammatory. 

i’ve also chosen these 2 herbs not only because of their skin-supporting qualities, but because their constituents are fat-soluble. solubility is incredibly important in herbalism. if someone working with plants does not understand solubility, the end product could be ineffective. for example, an oil infused with horsetail will never help your skin and hair, because silica needs to be extracted in vinegar. as another example, marshmallow root is fantastic, but since the constituents you want for skin and hair are mucilaginous, it can only be extracted into hydrous bases. does that make sense? i wrote more on it before here.

let’s get into it. 

UTENSILS

• mixing bowl
• electric hand-held mixer
• 8 oz mason jar (“jelly jar”) w/ lid
• large-mouthed glass jar w/ lid (or multiple to give as gifts, just adding up to 16 ounces total)
• 6 weeks time

INGREDIENTS

• 12 ounces mango butter
• 8 ounces favorite carrier oil  or a blend of your favorites, summing to 8 oz
  • for this recipe, i really recommend marula 
• 1 tbs calendula flowers 
• 1 tbs helichrysum flowers

HOW TO

1. in your 8 ounce glass jelly jar, put your dried herbs inside and pour the carrier oil over top. gently swirl/shake to get air bubbles up and out. 
2. seal jar tightly and store in a warm, dry, sunny area. let sit for 6 weeks, but gently swirl/shake daily. 
3. after the 6 weeks are up, strain oil/herb mix. keep the infused oil in jelly jar, sans herbs. 
4. in a mixing bowl, add 12 ounces mango butter and 4 ounces of your infused carrier oil. 
5. whip for 5 minutes. check the consistency. then keep whipping 3 minutes at a time until you get the consistency you want. 
6. transfer to sterilized cosmetic jars (wide-mouth is best). 

store in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight. 

best used on damp skin. 

please leave your customizations for this formula below.

have fun and enjoy!

XO, ALEXRAYE