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Here is a collection of 24 easy shea butter recipes you can make in your kitchen that I have created over the years. One of the best natural skin moisturizers, shea butter is nothing short of a miracle for all homemade beauty recipes. You’ve bought some shea butter and wonder what to do and make with it? Well, you have come to the right place to can get those crafty juicy wheels turning!
Shea butter is called “Mother Nature’s Conditioner” because of its deep moisturizing and softening properties. Also nicknamed “women’s gold” because it has been used by African women to trade for many goods like goods, clothes, or other necessities and is also a very important ingredient that provides income for African villages.
I’ve also included a bunch of frequently asked questions on shea butter at the bottom of this blog post. There is so much to learn about it!
How to use shea butter?
The easiest and best way to reap the numerous benefits of shea butter is by incorporating it into your skincare routine. Simply take a pea-sized amount into your hands and apply it directly to your face, making sure to massage it in. Of course, you can use it in many DIY beauty recipes and this is what we are going to talk about today!
What kind of shea butter recipes can I make?
There’s no end to what you can make with shea butter. Here are some Homemade beauty recipes with shea butter I’ve created over the years:
Lip balm, lip gloss, lotion, body butter, whipped body butter, face cream, lotion bar, soap, hair conditioner, hand lotion, healing balm, DIY deodorant, solid perfume, bath bombs, sunscreens, eye cream, exfoliating scrub, lipstick, massage bar, beard balm recipe, anti-aging face cream, and DIY make up remover.
Key Shea butter benefits
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Deep Skin Moisturizer
It contains essential fatty acids like linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids that provide a long-lasting nourishment to all skin types, without making it feel greasy. This can help treat skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis and even dandruff.
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Antioxidant properties
It helps soothe and calm irritated skin and also has high vitamin A and E content. This helps prevent dull-looking skin and slows down the aging process.
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Helps fight acne
Skin application of shea butter can help fight acne-causing bacteria.
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Anti-aging properties
Shea butter helps to prevent fines lines, boost collagen production and new cell regeneration which helps you achieve younger, plumper skin.
There are many other benefits and if you are curious to learn more, I suggest you read this article.
1/DIY Whipped Shea Body Butter
This is one of my favorite shea butter recipes! When body lotions just don’t seem to be able to revive your parched skin anymore, you know it’s time to bring out the big guns – an ultra-hydrating body butter. But of course, nourishment and much-needed moisturization should not have to come at the cost of slathering chemical-laden products on your skin. This is where my DIY whipped shea body butter comes in. It has shea butter, arrowroot powder, vegetable glycerin, and a blend of heavenly smelling essential oils that will be sure to provide a powerful dose of nourishment to your skin.
2/ How to make lotion with shea butter in 5 minutes and with only 2 ingredients
One of the simplest shea butter lotion recipes you’ll ever find, you can whip up a batch of this lotion in under 5 minutes using only 2 main ingredients – organic shea butter and organic safflower oil. The latter’s light, non-greasy consistency nicely complements the former’s creamy texture and helps create a lotion that has a smooth and thin consistency.
3/How to make shea body butter less greasy
One of the biggest struggles with creating your own body butter is the heavy, greasy feeling that often accompanies the homemade butter. Luckily, there are ways to avoid just that – with this simple, non-greasy body cream recipe, you can create a body butter that absorbs quickly without leaving any annoying, greasy residue. And the best thing? You need only three ingredients – shea butter, safflower oil and arrowroot powder.
4/Anti Aging Shea Butter Face Cream
Combat the effect of those pesky wrinkles and fine lines with this shea butter face cream recipe meant especially for mature skin. While you can’t totally eliminate the natural signs of aging, you can minimize them to a great extent with this recipe that uses shea butter, jojoba oil, evening primrose oils and argan oil. Plus a blend of essential oils that have great anti- aging benefits thrown in for extra measure.
5/ Anti Aging Shea Butter Face Cream Without Beeswax
Another great anti- aging face cream with shea butter as the star ingredient, this recipe incorporates the additional effects of uccuba butter, argan oil, and camellia seed oil. All of these ingredients work together to keep the fine lines and wrinkles at bay, while promoting an even, smoother complexion. It’s also really great for acne-prone and sun-damaged skin. Oh and the best part? It’s vegan friendly, with no beeswax used.
6/ Homemade Eye Cream with shea butter
There really is no end to the wonders of shea butter, is there. This next recipe uses shea butter, plus a bunch of other natural ingredients to target your under eye area troubles. Apart from shea butter, this recipe calls for evening primrose oil, chamomile hydrosol, beeswax and green tea leaf extract. The last ingredient is especially great if you have puffy eyes and dark circles.
7/ DIY Face Cream with shea butter For All Types Of Skins
This vegan friendly recipe is one of my most versatile ones to date. The ingredients used in this recipe make it highly suitable for all skin type – be it dry, oily, sensitive, or any skin type in between. The ingredients used are St john wort oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, lavender essential oil and German chamomile essential oil. I’ve also included a lot of substitution options for essential oils that suit all skin types. All of these ingredients make for a soothing, nourishing skin moisturizer with rich antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
8/ Homemade Shea Butter Hand Lotion
Our hands often end up bearing the brunt of our constant neglect and frequent hand washes, especially during the cold winter months. If you have dry and sensitive hands, this next DIY recipe is especially for you. Whip up your own homemade batches of moisturizing hand lotion with this easy, 4 ingredient recipe. The ingredients used are beeswax, almond oil, rosewater and of course, shea butter. This hand lotion will leave your hands feeling pampered and well taken care of, giving them the care that they deserve.
9/ Pink Homemade Exfoliating Body Scrub with shea butter
Body scrubs are a great way to indulge your body and get super luscious feeling skin. But of course, all good options on the market come with a hefty price tag – not to mention a boatload of chemicals and synthetic additives as well. Ditch all of that and try my exfoliating body scrub recipe instead. This non- comedogenic, cruelty-free, vegan recipe is a 100% natural and uses ingredients like coconut oil, sugar, pink clay and shea butter to deliver the same luxurious goodness to your skin as any high-end brand. Oh and the icing on top? It’s pink!
10 /Homemade Sunscreen Recipe Without Titanium Dioxide
Sunscreen is a must-have essential all year round. But the store brought versions of it tend to include a dangerous cocktail of chemicals that you do not want to be slathering on something as sensitive as your face. Instead, try this homemade sunscreen recipe alternative, that’s created using only natural, organic products. The ingredients used for this recipe are pure, cold- pressed jojoba oil, 100% organic red raspberry seed oil and raw shea butter. Since the ingredients naturally contain SPF, you don’t need to add chemicals like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
11/ How To Make Chapstick With Shea Butter
Another extremely simple and quick recipe, this shea butter chapstick recipe will take you less than 10 minutes to make. Regular use will leave your lips feeling deeply hydrated, soft, supple, and utterly kissable. This recipe calls for only two main ingredients – shea butter and beeswax. You can also add essential oil of your choice to the mix. Peppermint essential oil, for instance, is a great option because of its healing, cooling and soothing properties. For a vegan-friendly alternative, you can replace beeswax with candelilla wax.
12/ DIY shea butter Matte Lipstick Without Beeswax
Once you’ve mastered the lip balm recipe, you’re qualified to advance to this shea butter matte lipstick recipe, which is a little higher on the difficulty level and also requires more ingredients than my average DIY recipe. This matte lipstick recipe doesn’t use beeswax so it’s vegan friendly and also doesn’t use any toxic chemicals, which is obviously a huge plus. The ingredients used in this DIY recipe include jojoba oil, candelilla wax, mica- mica, zinc oxide and oryza sativa flour. The lipstick comes with a nude, matte color that (here comes the fun part!) can be customized to any color of your liking.
13/ Homemade shea butter Deodorant Without Baking Soda
Next on the list is my homemade shea butter deodorant recipe. What’s great about this recipe is that it doesn’t rely on baking soda, which can cause skin irritation for sensitive skin and nor does it completely block your body’s natural detoxification process – sweat. Instead, the recipe incorporates the nourishing power of shea butter, the gentle drying formula of arrowroot, and a blend of anti- bacterial essential oils that will keep your armpits feeling fresh.
14/ Lotion Bars for Eczema
This 3 ingredient recipe for homemade lotion bars helps treat not only eczema but also work to provide relief from other conditions like dry skin, flaky elbows and cracked feet. It’s an amazing all-organic alternative to the chemicals available in the market and it’s also super quick to make. The ingredients used in this recipe are coconut oil, beeswax and raw shea butter.
15/ DIY Shea Butter Lotion For Dry Skin
Dry, parched skin can be a nightmare to deal with. To combat dryness during the approaching winter months, try my shea butter lotion recipe. It makes use of three highly effective emollients – shea butter, organic cocoa butter and camellia seed oil – to deeply nourish, hydrate and lock in your skin’s moisture. Regular use will have you flaunting smooth, well hydrated skin in no time at all.
16/How To Make Pink Lip Gloss With Beetroot
Another favorite shea butter recipes of mine! This next lip product recipe helps you achieve the ultimate glossy luster to your lips with a pop of bright pink color. The lip gloss gets its shine from white beeswax, shea butter, coconut oil, and sunflower oil whereas the color is added through either beetroot powder or juice. You can also add peppermint essential oil gives to give it a nice cooling effect.
17/ DIY shea butter Massage Bar For Sore Muscles
Similar to the best-selling massage bar from Lush, this shea butter massage bar recipe packs all the punch of a high-end brand while avoiding unwanted synthetics, and of course, being easy on your wallet too. The main ingredients are aduki beans, shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil and beeswax as its main ingredients. You can also use peppermint/ cinnamon leaf essential oil for their cooling/warming properties.
18/ Beard Balm Recipe With Beeswax
This shea butter recipe makes use of beeswax and a few choice oils (namely castor oil and sunflower oil) to help soften, repair and condition dry or coarse beard hair while also promoting new hair growth. To make it even better, I’ve also added a blend of essential oils that help give this balm a masculine scent. Simply rub the balm between your hands to soften it up and then work it through your facial hair to see the results.
19/ DIY shea butter eye makeup remover
Perfect for sensitive eyes, this next recipe is the perfect, all-natural and organic alternative to commercial makeup removers that can contain a ton of drying chemicals – definitely not something you want to be putting anywhere close to your eyes. The recipe includes 3 simple ingredients – shea butter, camellia seed oil and chamomile flower water – and can be prepared in just 5 minutes.
20/ Shea Butter Lip Balm Recipe
By this point, you probably have an idea about how much I love creating my own DIY beauty recipes with shea butter, and lip products is no different. I’ve created this moisturizing shea butter lip balm recipe using deeply nourishing ingredients like beeswax, refined organic shea butter, apricot kernel oil, coconut oil and castor oil. The last two oils I use to give this balm some extra shine, but if you’re not much of a shiny lips gal (or guy), you can just switch it with another carrier oil blend like apricot kernel oil or sweet almond oil.
21/ Natural Body Shea Butter Cream
Spoil yourself with this rich and luxurious feeling body cream made using only 4 ingredients – shea butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil and chamomile hydrosol. The oils and shea butter provide deep hydration to the skin, whereas the chamomile hydrosol’s floral scent is the perfect fix to calm and ease you after a stressful day. Super moisturizing and soothing, this body cream is actually suitable for use on both body and face.
22/ Shea Body Butter Recipe
One can never have too many body butter recipes in their arsenal, now can they? Next on the list is another one of my creations that can be an absolute lifesaver in the winter months (or all year round, if you suffer from dry skin). This shea body butter recipe helps replenish and lock in your skin’s moisture and balances out sebum levels. Apart from shea butter, I’ve used hydrating and vitamin-rich ingredients like mango oil and grapeseed oil (you can substitute the latter with any other carrier oil as well). To take this body butter recipe to the next level, I’ve also used chamomile flower water and lavender essential oil, both of which are amazing at soothing anxiety and inducing a calm, relaxed state of mind.
23/ Vegan Lip Balm Recipe With shea butter and Candelilla Wax
The market doesn’t have nearly enough vegan beauty options. And the ones that they do have are usually on the expensive side. Which is why it’s a great (and low cost) idea to whip up your own 100% cruelty free, vegan lip balm using this simple and quick recipe. You can use any vegan wax like candelilla wax, rice bran wax, soy wax or carnauba wax to form the base of the lip balm. Once that’s done, you move on to the fun part – creating different scents and flavors using essential oils. I tend to go for peppermint or coffee essential oil because of their soothing and invigorating properties.
24/ How To Make shea butter Lotion Bars Without Beeswax
Here is the last but not least of my shea body butter recipes. Your body’s a temple and it deserves to be treated as such! Pamper yourself with this super silky and buttery lotion bar recipe that will just melt on your skin. It’s made without beeswax so it’s vegan friendly and has a light and smooth texture that will remind you of lotion bars from high-end beauty brands. The only difference? It doesn’t come with any of the harmful chemicals. Create this moisturizing lotion bar using a few simple ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter, and safflower oil. You can also add essential oils like lavender or rose geranium essential oil to further enhance the effect of the lotion bar.
Shea butter FAQs
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Where is shea butter from?
Originating from the Shea tree that’s native to West and Central Africa, Shea butter is derived from the nuts of the tree’s fruit. After extracting the large, oil-rich kernels of the Shea fruit, they are then crushed, roasted, and ground into a thin paste. Finally, the paste is churned meticulously for about two hours by the local women involved in its production. This helps separate the Shea butter, which is then skimmed off, cleaned and cooled for sale. The process to make shea butter takes about 5 to 7 days and is a labor-intensive manual work.
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Can you put raw Shea butter on your skin?
Yes, you can apply raw Shea butter to your face. Not only is it easier to spread, but it’s also actually preferred to processed variations. Since pure Shea butter is extracted and prepared without the use of any harmful chemicals or preservatives, it retains all of its natural healing, nutritive and moisturizing properties. This makes it much more effective than the refined Shea butter, which has undergone chemical alteration to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
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What can I add to Shea butter to lighten my skin?
Apart from its moisturizing properties, Shea butter also offers skin whitening benefits. Raw, unrefined Shea butter contains high concentrations of Vitamin A, antioxidants, fatty acids, triterpene alcohols and cinnamate esters – all of which help even out your complexion by facilitating cell healing and renewal. Regularly using shea butter on your body, and especially your face will tone, soothe and condition your skin to always be at its best. To further enhance its skin lightening effects, you can use ingredients like papaya, rice flour, or aloe Vera gel.
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Is Shea butter bad for skin?
Certainly not! Shea butter is the only tree nut product that doesn’t trigger allergies. It’s completely safe to use, with no chemical irritants that might cause dryness or clog pores. This makes it the ideal moisturizer for all skin types.
Not only that, but it’s also full of healing goodness, thanks to its high concentrations of fatty acids and vitamins. Additionally, it’s been proven to have anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties as well.
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Can shea butter go bad?
Unfortunately, this product of wonders comes with a limited shelf life, usually 2 years. But fortunately, that shelf life can be pretty extended by storing the product in the right conditions.
While raw Shea butter doesn’t contain any added chemicals or preservatives, that’s not an issue because it naturally contains fatty acids that are generally very stable. Moreover, the antioxidants in it, namely Vitamin C, E and A act as natural preservatives and create long shelf lives for the product. Unrefined shea butter, stored in the right conditions, typically has an average shelf life of 2 years or even more, depending on how well it’s been taken care of.
Bear in mind though that it is possible for your Shea butter to expire or go rancid sooner than that too. This usually happens when it’s not stored in an airtight container or if it’s exposed to high temperatures. This can cause your butter to start oxidizing way before its actual expiry date.
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Can I leave Shea butter in my hair overnight?
Shea butter’s moisturizing properties also makes it an ideal hair conditioner. It doesn’t sit on the hair, but is actually absorbed deep into the hair strands and shafts. This helps your hair retain moisture and protects it from heat damage, while also soothing the scalp and softening your tresses.
Simply apply the Shea butter on to clean, damp, towel-dried hair and massage. You can leave it for 5-10 minutes or even overnight and rinse off in the morning.
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Why does my Shea butter stink?
Often times, Shea butter may start smelling rancid before its expiration date. This can be due to a host of different reasons, the most common of which is that the butter wasn’t properly stored in an airtight container. This exposes the Shea to moisture in the environment, thus accelerating the spoiling process of the product.
Other reasons that can cause Shea to smell pungent could be poor quality production—either the nuts were harvested too early or the Shea was chemically treated.
Note: Pure, unrefined Shea butter has a distinct, nutty (almost smoky) smell that might be off-putting to some. Don’t confuse it with the stench of rancid Shea – good, unprocessed Shea is supposed to smell natural and pleasant, not make you gag.
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Which shea butter is better?
Raw, unprocessed shea butter is the best kind there is. It’s usually an off white ivory or yellowish color and tends to have a nutty aroma.
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What’s the difference between 100% shea butter and organic certified shea butter
Organic certified shea butter means shea that was grown on trees that had no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides applied to them, making it a more environmentally friendly product.
100% shea butter is pure, raw and unrefined shea butter which is still in its original state, with no preservatives or chemicals added to it.
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Which is better yellow or white Shea butter?
The color of unrefined shea butter can vary from ivory, grey or greenish, to yellow. The color difference is due to the season and region that it is extracted from so it is not necessarily an indication of its quality.
Ivory, grey, green or yellow Shea butter is the pure and unrefined form of Shea butter. Because this butter hasn’t been filtered or chemically altered with bleaching, deodorizing, or additives, it’s in the original form and retains all the vitamin content of the Shea. It can have a strong nutty smell.
Pure white shea butter is the refined or ultra-refined the butter, that’s been bleached with chemicals, deodorized, and treated with additives. It’s much smoother and softer and still retains its moisturizing abilities, but doesn’t offer the same healing properties as unrefined raw shea butter.
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Which is better shea butter or cocoa butter?
They are both great butter for homemade beauty recipes but Shea butter is better for the skin than cocoa butter because it is non-comedogenic and won’t clog pores.
Cocoa butter helps strengthen skin barrier health, while also protecting your skin from premature damage and aging. Shea butter, on the other hand, has potent medicinal properties thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. It also helps in repairing the skin and boosting collagen production.
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Is shea butter better than lotion?
There is no comparison between shea butter and lotion. Shea butter is the raw natural ingredient that will deeply moisturize your skin, while lotion contains water and is diluted.
Shea butter has a thicker, heavier consistency which makes it super moisturizing and hydrating. This makes it a godsend for badly chapped or dry skin, which is why it’s such a popular choice during the harsh winter months. Another advantage that Shea butter has over body lotion is that it provides more long-lasting results.
Lotions, on the other hand, are often made with chemicals unless its certified organic. However, they have a more lightweight consistency and hence absorb faster into the skin. Moreover, you don’t get any of that sticky oily residue after using them. Lotion have water content so they need a preservative which is best to avoid!
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Can shea butter fade stretch marks?
Shea butter is a rich source of vitamin A which helps boost skin elasticity. Therefore applying Shea butter on stretch marks is an effective natural alternative to costly medical procedures. While it isn’t possible to erase them completely, regularly applying pure shea butter on your stomach can reduce the appearance of existing stretch marks. It also works to prevent the development of any future stretch marks.
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Should I refrigerate shea butter?
Shea butter starts softening up as the temperature reaches 75F. Continuous melting and solidifying will leave your Shea butter feeling grainy. While grainy shea butter is still useable, it might not feel or look as good. So if you live in a hot climate and regularly experience temperatures above 75F, it might be a good idea to refrigerate your Shea butter.
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Which is better – shea butter or argan oil?
Shea butter and argan oil are both great emollients – they lock in moisture, thus helping to nourish and soften the skin.
Both are equally effective in terms of moisturizing, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, brightening and smoothing complexion while increasing the skin’s elasticity.
The only difference between the two is in their textures and consistency. Argan oil is a liquid oil whereas shea butter has a thicker, creamier consistency. Since shea butter texture is more lightweight, it penetrates well into the skin, making it perfect for deep skin hydration. Argan oil, on the other hand, is harder to absorb because of its heavier consistency.
Please let me know if you have any questions on my Shea butter recipes in the comments below, I would be happy to answer them!
I hope you have enjoyed my recipe, please share the love and rate ***** in the comments below!
I’m Eve, a DIY organic skincare recipe creator since 2010 that loves to make a big mess in the kitchen!
I’ve embarked on a journey to empower women to ditch all the chemical-filled commercial beauty products and to share how to make your own organic beauty recipes at home towards a healthier lifestyle.
Homemade face & body creams, body butter, lips balms, face masks, shampoos, and all-natural perfume will have no more secret for you!
I am self-taught, read many books, and spend many hours in the kitchen creating brand new homemade beauty recipes. All my recipes are unique and are tested on humans!
In 2016, I studied Aromatherapy and became certified by the School of Natural Health Sciences.
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