A good lotion or moisturizer is a girl’s best friend. During the colder months, I find my skin needing some serious moisture. So I present to you this week’s body butter.

The ingredients in this week’s recipe are great moisturizers by themselves and they work even better together to make amazing body butter. Coconut, almond, olive and jojoba oils are great for using on your face. For my particular skin type, olive oil doesn’t help with my acne prone skin, so I prefer almond oil (but others have had success with olive oil). I haven’t experimented much with coco or mango butter, but they do play an important role in this recipe.

Did you know that lotion not only contains parabens, but often contains BHT or BHA? BHT and BHA are preservatives often found in moisturizers, creams and cosmetics. These preservatives are suspected to cause cancer, liver damage and disrupt hormones. BHT is a respiratory irritant and can cause allergies. How’s that tube of moisturizer looking now? Here’s an alternative to store bought moisturizer from the natural living blog, Wellness Mama:

Body Butter
½ cup Shea Butter
½ cup Cocoa Butter or Mango Butter
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup light oil like almond, olive or jojoba
Optional: essential oils for scent- 10-30 drops depending on the essential oils used.

1. In a double boiler or glass bowl, combine all ingredients except essential oils.
2. Bring to medium heat or microwave and stir constantly until all ingredients are melted.
3. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4. Move to fridge and let cool one hour or until starting to harden but still somewhat soft.
5. Use a hand mixer to whip for 10 minutes until fluffy. Return to fridge for 10-15 minutes to set.

Store in a glass jar with a lid and use as you would regular lotion or body butter. A little goes along way. If your home stays above 75 degrees, it may soften and need to be kept in the fridge, but it will stay whipped at a temperature lower than that.

This recipe is not recommended for use on the face. You can find a list of moisturizers by going to the Recipe page under the Alternative’s tab page on freshfaceforward.org. Need help finding the ingredients? You can find this guide at the bottom of the recipe page.

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