Body butter is a luxurious skincare product known for its ability to hydrate and nourish the skin deeply. However, one common complaint about store-bought body butter is that it can feel greasy or heavy on the skin. So instead of buying lotions or butters at the store, you can easily learn how to make your own custom-made body butter at home that is moisturizing without being greasy. By carefully selecting the right ingredients and following a few simple steps, you can create a light, non-greasy body butter that will leave your skin soft, smooth and smelling delicious.
1. Choose the Right Butters
The key to a non-greasy body butter starts with the butters you choose. While traditional body butter recipes often use thick and rich butters like shea or cocoa butter, these can sometimes feel too heavy for some skin types. To avoid this, you can combine these thicker butters with lighter alternatives that provide moisture without leaving a greasy residue because it counters the heavy butter.
- Shea Butter: Shea butter is rich in fatty acids and antioxidants, making it perfect for deep hydration. However, it’s dense and can leave a greasy feel if used in large quantities.
- Mango Butter: Mango butter is a great option because it’s lighter than shea butter, and it absorbs easily into the skin without a heavy or greasy feel.
- Cupuacu Butter: This butter is known for its ability to hydrate the skin while still feeling light and non-greasy. It has a smooth texture and helps lock in moisture without weighing the skin down.
- Cocoa Butter: This butter has antioxidants and nourishing hydrating properties that moisturize the skin deeply. But it is a very thick and heavy butter that needs to only be used in small quantities or paired with a lighter oil to balance the richness of cocoa butter.
By combining a small amount of shea butter with a higher proportion of lighter butters like mango or cupuacu butter, you can create a balanced body butter that hydrates without feeling heavy.
2. Incorporate Lightweight Oils
Another crucial step in creating a non-greasy body butter is choosing the right oils. Oils are great for adding moisture and nourishment to the skin, but certain oils can leave a greasy residue if used in excess. Opt for lightweight oils that absorb quickly and don’t leave an oily finish.
- Jojoba Oil: Jojoba oil is similar to the natural oils produced by your skin, which makes it a perfect choice for a non-greasy body butter. It absorbs quickly and helps balance oil production without leaving a greasy residue.
- Grapeseed Oil: This oil is light, non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores), and quickly absorbs into the skin. It’s great for balancing moisture without making your skin feel slick.
- Sweet Almond Oil: This oil is light and moisturizing, with a non-greasy finish that leaves your skin feeling soft but not oily.
- Coconut Oil: This oil is very good for treating dry, cracked skin and eczema. Its also good for antibacterial uses and anti-inflammatory. However, its high in fats and very rich so be sure to balance it with a lighter oil to not be so greasy once made.
When blending oils with your butters, use them sparingly—just enough to add moisture and smoothness without overpowering the recipe.
3. Use an Emulsifier
To prevent your body butter from feeling greasy or separating over time, consider adding an emulsifier to your recipe. Emulsifiers help bind the oils and butters together, creating a smoother, more even consistency that absorbs quickly into the skin.
- Beeswax: Beeswax is a natural emulsifier that helps thicken the body butter while also providing a protective barrier for the skin. Just be sure to use it in moderation so that the body butter doesn’t become too thick or heavy because butters and oils are already thick enough on their own.
- Lecithin: Lecithin is a plant-based emulsifier that is lighter than beeswax. It helps create a silky texture without making the body butter too greasy.
4. Add Arrowroot Powder
Arrowroot powder dissolves quickly in oils and aids in making the oil less greasy. It balances out the greasy feels on the skin with a smoother and easier absorbing oil. Once the oils are melted down, you can add it directly to the oils and butter. You can use 2–5% of the total formulation or add 1 tbsp at a time until you get the desired texture and oiliness you are looking for. Arrowroot powder alone contains vitamins and minerals such as zinc, iron, potassium, and Vitamin B6. Arrowroot powder can also help calm skin irritations like acne and rashes. (This is also the step where you’d add your desired scents and fragrances in which you would add that along with the arrowroot powder in the desired dosage to see how oily it comes out to adjust the amount of powder needed).
5. Whip Your Body Butter
Whipping your body butter is one of the best ways to create a light, airy texture that absorbs quickly into the skin. After melting the butters and oils together, allow the mixture to cool slightly and then whip it using a hand mixer or stand mixer. This process incorporates air into the mixture, creating a fluffy texture that will feel lighter on your skin. Be mindful not to whip too long, just like actual whip cream, if you whip too much it starts turning into thicker consistency to be actual butter. You want to mix just the right amount of time to get some air into it, but not too long so it doesn’t start to harden or dry out. Remember the butter is going to go into a jar to sit on the counter or shelf so it will have plenty of time to set into the new whipped form and harden just in room temperature.
Whipping also helps the body butter absorb faster into your skin, as the airiness of the whipped texture allows it to glide on smoothly without leaving behind a greasy residue.
6. Test and Adjust the Recipe
Finally, test the consistency of your body butter after mixing and whipping. If it feels too greasy, you can tweak the recipe by reducing the amount of oil or butter. If it feels too thick or heavy, you can add a bit more lightweight oil or an extra emulsifier to achieve the perfect balance.
Conclusion
Making a body butter that’s nourishing without being greasy is all about finding the right combination of ingredients. By using lighter butters like mango or cupuacu, pairing them with quick-absorbing oils like jojoba or grapeseed, and incorporating an emulsifier, you can create a non-greasy body butter that will leave your skin feeling soft, hydrated, and smooth. Whipping the mixture will further enhance its lightness and ensure it absorbs quickly. With just a few adjustments, you can customize your body butter recipe to achieve the perfect texture and moisture level for your skin. Once you get the foundational recipe down, you can then customize and play around with color additives, scents, and designs when jarring or bagging.
