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When I started making my own body butter and cream 15 years ago, one of my struggles was to find out how to make body butter less greasy. Often my legs would end up looking way too shiny and greasy. Through the years, I learned tips to make creams and body butter less greasy and heavy on the skin, which I will share and discuss in this blog post.
As someone with dry skin, I cannot skip a day without applying body butter and body cream. They’re my only hope at keeping the dryness at bay, especially during the harsh winter months. A few years ago, I decided to make the switch from my store brought chemical-laden body butter to one that I made at home myself, using an easy DIY recipe.
While that amazing feeling of nourishment and moisturization is still there in this homemade version, it’s often marred with that sensation of being all too greasy. If you’re a fan of body butter yourself, you’ll know how there’s a pretty fine line between having your skin glow with a beautiful, healthy sheen—and feeling like you just rubbed a tub of grease on.
How to Make Body Butter
The whole process of making body butter is fairly simple and straightforward. Combine together butter (like shea) and good carrier oil. Add to the mix an oil-absorbing ingredient like arrowroot powder and mix, and voila! You’re done! You may add essential oils if desired.
If you are just starting your own journey towards a healthier lifestyle and want to ditch the chemicals, making your own body butter and body cream is a great first step. I am sharing a non-greasy body cream recipe down below which requires only 3 ingredients! Shea Butter, safflower oil and arrowroot powder. You will find this easy body cream recipe below!
By choosing the right ingredients and carrier oils, you can create body butter at home that absorbs quickly and moisturize your skin without a greasy feeling.
Tip #1 how to make body butter less greasy
Choose a fast-absorbing carrier oil
The trick to non-greasy body butter is to use a fast-absorbing carrier oil. These include the following carrier oils:
Each carrier oil carries its own skin benefits as well.
Camellia seed oil, typically sourced from Japan, is highly emollient, is rich in Omega-6 linoleic acid and antioxidants are known as polyphenols that fight aging.
Safflower oil contains about 78% of linoleic acid and helps to fight against acne problems. It has a very light texture and absorbs well into the skin.
Apricot kernel oil contains high amounts of gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), which helps to tighten and firm the skin. It also contains high amounts of vitamins A and E.
Grapeseed oil is a very light carrier oil that is rich in vitamins A, C and E. It contains both Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids that help to combat inflammation. Grapeseed oil has been used to normalize oily skin and to reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
Rosehip oil is high in antioxidants that have an anti-aging effect on the skin. Rosehip oil has a neutral pH that helps maintain the skin’s mantle and has been used to diminish scarring and combat damage from UV rays. The only thing is that it is a little bit expensive so its best to use this oil only on your face.
Tip #2 how to make body butter less greasy
Add natural ingredients that absorb grease
In addition to using a fast-absorbing carrier oil, you can add ingredients that absorb excess oil. Both arrowroot powder and tapioca powder help to minimize the amount of oil in your body butter.
Arrowroot powder is starch extracted from the root of tropical plants. In addition to absorbing oils, arrowroot powder is high in B vitamins, helps to improve circulation and can also improve your skin’s ability to absorb other nutrients.
What are the effects of arrowroot on body butter?
Quite a celebrity in the beauty world, arrowroot powder offers quite a host of skin and beauty benefits. Not only does it absorb excess oil and sebum (making it perfect for reducing the grease in body butter), it’s also rich in vitamin B, improves blood circulation, makes skin soft and heals blemishes.
Tapioca powder is another type of starch and is derived from the South American cassava root. While it is not nutrient-rich, it can help to thicken your homemade body butter. Tapioca powder is another oil-absorbing agent that you can use in place of arrowroot powder.
Cornstarch: Another alternative that you can use is cornstarch. Used in body butter, it helps with the absorption of the product into the skin. Personally, though, I try to avoid it on account of it being a GMO, unless you buy non-GMO certified cornstarch.
Tip #3 how to make body butter less greasy
Use Non-greasy butter for your body cream or body butter
In addition to or in place of your carrier oil, you can use plant-based butter to create a thick and luxurious feeling body butter. To create a homemade body butter that will not feel too heavy on your skin, use shea butter, cocoa butter or mango butter.
Shea butter is made from the fruit of the Shea tree, and is a veritable superfood for your skin! It contains high amounts of cinnamic acid, which helps to reduce inflammation. It also has a skin-smoothing effect due to its high fatty acid content.
Cocoa butter is another favorite, that is high in anti-aging fatty acids like oleic and palmitic acid. Its high antioxidant content helps to reduce the appearance of stretch marks, scars, and even skin tone.
Mango butter is made from the fruit kernel of the mango tree. It is very emollient and is often used to help soothe eczema, sunburn, rashes, insect bites and poison ivy. It is also high in antioxidants and can help to prevent UV damage.
Tip #4 how to make body butter less greasy
Avoid slow-absorption carrier oils
If you do not like your body butter greasy on your skin, you should avoid using the following oils:
These are rich oils and while many of them do contain important nutrients from the skin, it’s best avoided if your skin is not dry. Palm oil, neem oil, coconut oil, and macadamia oil should be reserved for especially tough and dry parts of the skin where their oiliness can help to form a protective residue.
By carefully selecting the ingredients that you add to your homemade body butter, you can create a light formula that has major health benefits for your skin!
Tutorial how to make body butter less greasy
Step 1
Add the oil and butter together in an aluminum or glass container.
Step2
Add the arrowroot powder
Step 3
No need to melt on a double boiler here.
Start mixing with a hand mixer like this one for 2 – 3 minutes until fully combined and creamy consistency.
Then, pour in pretty containers!
Non-greasy Body Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons of organic refined shea butter
- 6 tablespoons of organic safflower oil
- 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder
- Optional essential oils - Total 30 drops
- 10 drops Rose Geranium Essential Oil
- 10 drops Frankincense essential oil
- 10 drops Palmarossa essential oil
Instructions
- Add the oil and butter together in an aluminum or glass recipient that is deep enough.
- Add the arrowroot powder.
- Start mixing with a hand mixer for 2 - 3 minutes until fully combined and creamy consistency.
- Add the essential oils if desired and mix well.
- Pour in pretty containers!
Does your Body Butter Need a Preservative?
If you’ve only used oils and butter in your body butter, you don’t need to add a preservative to it. However, if you use water in your recipe, you’ll need to add a preservative, or it’ll go bad after a while.
How to thicken body butter?
One simple way of reducing the grease in body butter is by ensuring that your quantity of oil used is less than that of the butter used. For example, depending on the recipe, you could use 80% butter and only 20% oil. However, note that it’s important that you don’t melt the butter first. If you already have, then you need to wait until it has solidified in the fridge or freezer before you attempt to mix it in with the oil.
How to fix body butter that is too hard?
If you went a little overboard with thickening the body butter, and find that after some time it becomes too hard to use, you can still make it soft enough to apply. The key to keeping the right consistency is to not over mix your ingredients. You can also increase the amount of oil relative to the amount of butter used.
If an existing batch becomes too hard to apply, you can salvage the situation by melting it down again and adding more oils and whipping it again so that it’s not a total loss.
An important piece of advice here: if you’re using Shea butter to fix the consistency, you can save time by cold-whipping it instead of melting it, which will achieve the same, if not better, results.
How to Keep the Body Butter from Melting and How to Fix Runny Body Butter?
If you find that you’ve added too much oil into your body butter mixture and now its consistency is a little too runny, you can fix it by adding a wax such as a beeswax.
You can also reformulate your recipe by increasing the amount of hard butter used in the concoction, such as mango butter or cocoa butter.
Can You Use Body Butter on Your Face?
While you may be tempted to apply some of that rich goodness of body butter to your face, too, we’d advise that you first look at the ingredients. Contrary to how it’s commonly advertised, you can, in fact, apply body butter to your face, but only if your recipe doesn’t contain a comedogenic ingredient. Coconut or cocoa oil, for instance, would be a huge no-no, since they’re rated comedogenic 4 and will clog your pores and cause breakouts. Click here to check out the full list of oils. On the other hand, a body butter made from butter like Shea butter is safe to use on your face since it’s rated comedogenic 0. If you personally do not like shea butter, here is a recipe you can use for your body butter that contains cocoa butter.
I’ve love to hear from you about this DIY beauty recipe, do you think this was helpful to learn how to make your own body cream or body butter?
Please take two minutes of your time to let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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.
Hi there, Just to note that oils do not contain Vitamin C, as Vitamin C is only water soluble. You can add synthetically made esterified forms of Vitamin c however. Also, you state that Rosehip Oil is pH neutral. Whilst oils are regarded as neutral, until they turn rancid, they do not actually have a pH, as this requires the presence of Hydrogen in the form of H2O (water) in order to present a pH reading. So, in short, oils do not have a pH.
Have you ever used vegetable glycerin as an ingredient? I have some organic that I’ve used to sweeten tea, it’s also for skin. I’ve never tried it for the skin tho…not sure how to use it. Wondering if it could be incorporated in this body butter?
Thank you!
I love this recipe, however, with summer quickly approaching and living in a very hot climate, I am really worried about shipping these whipped body butters. I understand that I can add beeswax to this recipe to help increase the melting point so I am wondering if anyone had a recommendation as to how much beeswax I should add to keep the fluffy consistency when shipping across the US. I increased the recipe to yield 64 oz so currently, from this recipe, I am using 32oz of shea butter, 32oz (or less) of Safflower oil, and around 6oz of Arrowroot powder.
If anyone has any recommendations that would be great because I want to make sure that whoever receives this whipped body butter is satisfied!
I made this with a little tweek. I didn’t have safflower oil on hand so used sweet almond oil. I had never thought to use arrowroot powder to lessen the greasiness. That is so awesome. I divided it in two and made some spearmint and some lavender, but I also would like to try it with infusing some spices to the soft oil. So next time….. loved this!!
Where do you get your essential oils ? ??
I just made this beautiful recipe and it turned out wonderful!!! I do find that if I follow your recipes they all turn out!!!! thank yo for explaining in detail the benefit properties of oils and butters used. I always wondered what the real difference was in shea butter (thought the grainy feel was due to overheating it.) Interesting to read in the comments that the grocery aisle products are on par with your health food stores at a much lower cost.
Thank you very much for all your time spent on research it sure is appreciated by all of us.
Yvonne
I tried making this. My Shea butter is hard and leaves lumps in the lotion. I tried to soften in the microvpwave but it always melts then, which is not good for consistency? Please help. Thank you!
Rayna
Author
Hi Rayna, shea butter must be soft, like a butter. If it is really hard I would advise adding more oil slowly while mixing with a hand immersion blender like this one: https://amzn.to/3bXMGqX
You have to continue mixing until it is smooth with no lumps like a cream. Melting would not work here.
I am looking forward to trying this recipe for my first trial! I appreciate that you have shared the “don’t” list as I am such a noob.
I do have a question about the powders. You gave great info for arrowroot powder and tapioca powder. I have non-GMO cornstarch and wondered if you will expand on how it helps with absorbing the oils, please?
TIA!
Author
Cornstarch works fine and absorbs the excess of oil but I do prefer using arrowroot!
This recipe absorbs nicely into the skin as promised! I often don’t add any essential oils for scent and it still turns out perfectly:)
Author
thanks Danielle, glad to hear!
I’ve made body butter before but no matter what I use I CANNOT get the mixture to solidify even a little bit. I live in Arizona so it’s pretty hot, but even at 80° F in my house the body butter is still runny. I keep going back and forth between mixing and putting it back in the freezer but it’s so tiring. Any tips? I’m not the biggest fan of beeswax but I’m open to other ingredients (mine is anhydrous but I use a preservative anyways).
Author
Hi zari, did you follow the instruction of my recipes for body butter? This recipe is not a body butter but a cream. I’ve never had any issues making body butter even when its 100C in my kitchen.
Please try this recipe https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/diy-whipped-body-butter/
If your body butter is still runny, then you need to freeze it for longer just before it becomes too hard to whip.
Once its whipped, then keep it in the fridge if its really hot.
Hope this helps!
Love this recipe! I thought I lost it so I made something else. This one is the best!
Author
thanks Renee <3
Thank you for this wonderful recipe, I have very dry skin. I used Shea butter, rosehip oil, cornstarch and rose oil diluted in jojoba. It has a wonderful consistency and is absorbed well.
Author
awesome, thanks for sharing Bianca!
I can not edit my original post -here I added technique.
I used Pure African Shea butter, meadowfoam oil (which is quick absorbing) and arrow root, used a hand mixer at room temperature. Needs the 30 drops of EO to make the consistency perfect-which it is!
Would adding more arrowroot make it less greasy?
Author
you could add a little more arrowroot yes. You could also decrease the amount of shea butter or add more oil.
Hi, thanks for the recipe.
I have used: Shea, Apricot combination.
A Solution to the grainy Shea is to melt it down, the grains go away.
The issue is the thickness. It´s SO hard it can´t be used. I mostly use the cream to my face after I apply a self-made Hyaluronic gel.
If the cream was a little warmer, the consistency would be perfect. But once it cools down, it hardens too much. What can I do?
thanks!
I’ve made this several times. I use essential oils that are lovely and “bug friendly” in the summer. The graininess comes because the different fats in it solidify at different temperatures. The solution is to get it cold, fast, and stir once or twice as it’s solidifying. I use my freezer and set the timer. This made it silky smooth. If it melts and solidifies then the graininess can come back. I simply put it in an insulated lunch bag in the sun to melt it fast then “refreeze” it. Thanks Eve, I keep coming back to this one and your cocoa butter one(for winter).
I made body butter with a different recipe (equal parts olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, cocoabutter) but it is far too oily for me. Is there anything that I can do to salvage it? it’s already been whipped.
Author
You could add arrowroot powder but olive oil to try is very oily and I don’t use it on my body.
I used cornstarch instead of arrowroot, as I couldn’t get the latter where I live, but it just made the whole thing very lumpy. I didn’t use the mixer, melted it instead, and now, after settling, it’s almost chunky. I tried to make it more solid to use as a hand cream rather than a lotion consistency.
Any tips how to improve it?
Author
You need to mix with an electric mixer before it starts to solidify to ensure there are no lumps.
I used the shea butter from the Now brand. I used almond oil (meant to use grapeseed oil) and arrowroot. It was real liquidy so I added more arrowroot and a little cocoa butter
I was so excited to use and found it extremely grainy. I was so bummed, was hoping for a more smooth texture. I got the shea from a health food store not from on line. I have no idea what type I was suppose to use. Help!!! Thank you!!
Author
Hi Sue, you probably added too many arrowroot, unfortunately. Keep in mind that the body butter will slightly thicken and harden as you let it cool. Another potential reason why your body butter is grainy is because of your seah butter. If you use raw shea butter you can end up with a grainy feeling. I used refined shea butter to avoid this problem. Hope this helps!
I am a little confused. You said in the comment above to use REFINED shea butter, but your link in the recipe takes me to an UNREFINED shea butter.
I tried this and within 5 min of placing in yhe jar it started to melt. It was very greasy. I used sunflower instead of safflower and I stick to your recipe. I pop them in the fridge to stop it from melting. I live un the tropics. Any suggestions?
When ever I have or had an issue with homemade lotions, creams and or butter felling greasy or sticky and just did not absorb fast enough I would add or if already added them would add more of the ingredient called arrow root powder it works every time 🙂 hope this helps
Hello,
Thank you for sharing this recipe – some seriously great info too!
I’ve just made my first batch, with shea butter & apricot kernel oil + arrow root as per the quantities above. I have excluded the essential oils. Blended with electric blender as instructed.
But its come out crazy oily, I’m not sure what I’ve done wrong?
I have tried to remedy it by adding more arrow root a bit at a time, which has helped the oiliness but think it’s now gone the other way and feels very odd when being applied, almost drying.
Any ideas what might have caused this? Or what I could do differently next time?
Hi Eve, I regularly use shea with apricot CO and am exploring arrowroot as have had issues with oiliness. I’m concered about ending up with an even oilier mix as @Nat did (see above). How can I/we avoid this?
I really wanted this recipe to work, but it turned out super grainy. I followed the recipe to a T, and mixed the mixture for several minutes. Oh well.
Author
use refined shea butter to avoid the grainy feeling.
Hi! Just made this today and I am very pleased–have had problems finding body lotions/creams
without chemical smells and other things. Tried Lush–well it seems fine; but it isn’t–not pure and organic. Also costs too much. This recipe is everything I had hoped; and will be trying more of your other
ones too. Hope you are still monitoring this site.
Thanks so much!!
Hi! I just made this and following the recipe exactly. It’s still pretty greasy. Any idea why or anything I can do to make it less greasy? I’m not sure why this would have happened. Thanks!
Tried your receipt and now I am trying to refine it for a specific senior male need. When I used equal amounts of safflower oil I got a very watery liquid. So I have been reducing the amount of oil and I end up with a final that looks like the unrefined shea butter. My goal is to achieve a lotion that is like Viva Shea Butter 12oz jars, but thin enough that I can place them in tubes. So it is plain that I am hooked on making some of these products. Sure beats baking bread all winter long. I quite fell into your site and am very glad I did. Thank You So Much James
this article was super helpful! I spend my evening making body butter to only find that it was very greasy. Now I understand why this is the case.
Hi Eve!,
This recipe looks great, I can’t wait to try it! I’m new to making body butters, but, seeing as I want to use this one more on just my face than my entire body, do you think there is any way that I could incorporate aloe vera into this recipe, as I know it is also very moisturizing and it helps my skin a lot.
Eve,
I’m wondering what the affect would be if aloe gel was added. How would it affect the texture and how to blend it (water soluble). If used, what adjustments would be made to oil, butter or powder?
Thanks!
Erin
Just made this and it’s really such an easy and beautiful recipe.
(what is the shelf life like with arrowroot added? never even thought of adding that to creams, was just wondering)
Thank you for sharing.
If I have already made a butter that is greasy can I add the arrowroot after
I had to put my mixture in the fridge until it hardened up a bit. I used my hand mixer for about 6 minutes and it never did whip up. Did I do something wrong?
Hi. I made your recipe but I cut in half. I used organic ex. virgin olive oil infused w/ Calendula flowers. I used equal amounts of it and the Shea Butter. Also added 1/2 tsp. vitamin E oil and a few drops of lavender EO. It was more greasy than I wanted so I added extra Arrowroot powder ( approx. 3 tbsp. ). I thought I might be overdoing it with the arrowroot, but the end result turned out great for me. I have mild psoriasis on the back of my neck that can get very itchy and the skin is very dry. The amount of arrowroot powder I put into the recipe helps it to absorb really well, leaving a real silky feeling on my skin, which is a pleasant surprise. As I am just going to use this on my neck, I think it will work well for me.
Thank you for this recipe. I was looking for a lotion to make without water in it and this one is it.
how can I make non greasy facial cream without adding arrowroot powder or water?
Hi Eve,
I was wondering how does this compare to the Mango Body Butter Recipe in terms of greasiness and moisturizing??
Thank you and looking forward to your reply. 🙂
I’ve been making DIY body butter for a couple of years, and though I’ve liked the fact they didn’t have chemicals, I hated the greasiness. I just made this one a few minutes ago and loved how easy it was and not greasy. Fortunately, I have a lot of arrowroot on hand. I didn’t use a hand mixer but instead used my kitchenaid mixer and the wire whip. It turned out nice and smooth. I added Doterra essential oils for health and scent. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Hi Eve. Lovely recipe you have here. I have one question. Recently I tried to make a shaving cream from the hundreds of recipes found on the net. Most of them use shea butter and coconut oil. I found these recipes to be very greasy. So much so that you have to wash your face afterwards with hot water and soap to get rid of the greasiness. What carrier oil can I use together with the shea butter that is the least greasy. Kind regards.
Hi Eve
Can you please advise on how to get the texture custard or butter like texture.
Regards
Had a question about swapping some ingredients:
Does it matter if you use cocoa butter or mango butter instead of shea (allergic) ?
Also, does it matter if you use arrow root or tapioca? I have tapioca on hand but ill get the arrow root if better.
Thanks! Cannot wait to try !
Author
read this post about substitution, it does matter which ingredients you choose but some swaps have limited impact on the end product. https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/substitutions-in-diy-beauty-products/
Hello
I will be trying this soon! I wanted to know is 1 cup of avocado oil too much for the body butter, will that make it too greasy?
would you ever add a bit of beeswax to this recipe? also can it be used as a face cream?
Author
The beeswax is not needed and can add some greasiness. yes you could use it on your face!
thanks so much. have you ever figured out this recipe in weight rather than volume?
By far the simplest recipe I’ve come across to date (3 ingredients and no melting? YAY!). Do you think I will be able to use this same recipe for a hair butter? I actually found this blog from a “non-greasy” Google search. I’m fed up of all the greasiness and need a non-greasy pomade. Can your recipe work? Thanks.
Author
Hi ayana, it depends on your hair type, if they are thick and dry and you use a small amount of the butter on your hair, applying when they are wet, yes that would work!
Made my first ever body butter last night and followed your recipe to the letter, came out amazing! By far the simplest recipe I found online, so thank you so much for getting me started.
Just wanted to echo previous commenters who requested the measurements in grams and ml. Please would you update the recipe? I really want to be sure I’ve got the proportions right and like to place a bowl on my scales. 6 tbsp oil varied from one batch to the next by 20ml depending on how much I poured in to the spoon. The same goes for the shea butter which is hard and difficult to compress into a tablespoon.
Really appreciate your blog and will be moving onto hair care next! Thanks
Author
Thanks Diva, I understand what you mean regarding measurement. I am taking this into consideration but keep in mind that as long as you keep the proportion the same, the recipe will yield similar results.
Eve well done ma, this really help me a lot thanks .
Hello,
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I’m quite new to making DIY body products. The first one I tried was really greasy (another site’s recipe) and so I’m looking for a less greasy alternative. However, I’ve followed your recipe, and actually currently mixing it now and it still won’t thicken. The only thing I’ve done differently to your recipe is I’ve halved all of the ingredients and mixed half camellia seed oil and half safflower oil instead of only one. I’m not sure if it makes a difference but I melted my cocoa butter at the start because it was in a hard chunk which couldn’t be mixed…do you think that may be where I’m going wrong?
Thanks in advance for all your help!
Author
there is no need to melt it and you have to use a hand electric mixer to make everything smooth.
if you already melted it, put it in the freezer for 10 min and then mix with an electric hand immersion blender.
That will make a fluffy body butter.
I made this lotion last night, it is a lotion instead of a body butter, which is fine. I subbed cornstarch and added 1tsp vitamin E oil and it left my hands dry after fully absorbed!? If I use just the shea butter I’m not dry? Could it be the cornstarch? Or do I need to use a sugar scrub first to get rid of the dead skin and nourish the skin underneath? My exact mix was 10T yellow shea butter, 10 T sunflower oil, 1tsp vitamin e oil, 1tsp cornstarch, and 20 drops p&j brown sugar oil. Thanks in advance for the advice!
Author
Your culprit is probably the 20 drops p&j brown sugar oil, its not natural and synthetic which can dry skin.
I prefer using arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. It does not dry skin, on the opposite, it is a very good moisturizer.
Hello Eve,
two questions. I’m goig to try this recipe. It looks so easy. I’m so excited, this recipe looks so easy and I don’t have to melt any of the ingredients! I’m Making it for my daughters, and myself as well. I wanted to know, can I substitute sunflower oil in place of the safflower oil? If so, do I use the same amount as in your recipe or less. My next question, I have a body butter recipe I found in my files, and tried it. This was before coming across your recipe. The body butter I made came out very greasy. Can I add more arrowroot powder, if it’s already whipped, and how much do I add? or do I have to make a new batch? I think that was 3 questions:) Any suggestions would be appreciated. I hope I entered the correct info where it says Website. I put your website. I hope that is what it means. I’m not blog savvy.
Author
Hi Em,
so yes you can substitute sunflower oil instead of safflower oil in the same amount.
For the body butter, you could add arrowroot powder but make sure you use a hand blender to mix it well. I don’t think you need to make a new batch but keep in mind that depends on the kind of oils and butters you used, as they also have an incidence on the oily feeling.
Hi,
The recipe calls for “refined” Shea butter but some of your comments say “unrefined”. What is the difference as it relates to the recipe, and which do you recommend? Excited to try this! Thanks
Author
I prefer using refined shea butter because there is almost no smell and usually there are no grainy feeling in the end product. Personal preference!
This is a great improvement from other recipes I have tried. I used grape seed oil and reduced by a bit the amount of oil to shea butter in the second batch and was more pleased.
Author
thanks 🙂
hi there… is it ok to sub the shea butter with mango butter? I like the idea of a couple of ingredients for the less greasy feel. thanks for sharing all your recipes!!!
Author
yes but it will change the texture of the recipe! More solid with he mango butter.
Hi! Can you clarify how much Arrowroot to use? Recipe says teaspoon but picture says tablespoon. Thanks
Author
Hi! its one tablespoon that I used but it would work with 1 teaspoon.
I’ve made this exactly per your instructions however I find that it has granules in it. Is this because it is not blended enough or is that the consistency I should expect. It is rather foamy also which is fine but I thought it would have more
of a body butter texture.
Author
Hi Kathy, if you have lumps its because of the arrowroot powder that is not mixing well. You need to use a hand mixer like this one to get rid of the lumps!
https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/hand-mixer-chef
I click on your link for the hand mixer and nothing happens. Can u tell me if it a hand mixer or an immersion blender. Thx.
Author
my favorite hand mixer is here: https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/hand-mixer-chef
The unrefined Shea butter will cause grittiness. Mine batch is a bit thin, so I’m going to add a bit of mango butter.
Eve,
What a site you have. Amazing recipes. Thanks for all the time you have put into this!!
I am trying to make a salve that is fairly solid but absorbent when applied to the skin, but less greasy than what I have come up with so far. My main ingredients are beeswax, extra virgin olive oil, a few drops of comfrey and essence of lavender or eucalyptus for fragrance, although the comfrey isn’t bad.
1/2 cup oil
1/8 cup of beeswax.
Would another oil and shea butter be better?
I don’t want a cream so I would rather melt it down
Thanks!!
Author
Hi Jim! glad you like the content I am creating 🙂
I suggest you take a look at my new blog post that talks about substitutions and carrier oils https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/substitutions-in-diy-beauty-products/. Olive oil is pretty greasy and takes too long to absorb, I recommend you switch it for safflower oil or apricot kernel oil instead!
I added a little more shea butter to thicken it up, and used tapioca starch as I couldn’t get hold of arrow root.
Organic vanilla and sweet orange oils for fragrancing.
The shea was a little grainy as it’s cold here, so after mixing I microwaved the whole lot for 30 seconds or so.
Then freezered it for 15 minutes, let it stand for an hour and half (I was just busy so had to go away and come back).
This happy accident left the mixture a perfect texture for whipping with an electric whisk.
A couple minutes of whisking and I have a gorgeous whipped body cream that smells of Terry’s chocolate orange!
Thank you so much for your recipe!!!!
Author
Nice Elly! looks like you made a beautiful whipped shea butter 🙂
I used almond oil as the carrier. Not sure if that makes it too heavy for most people? Works for my dry skin but I guess I should use the ones you suggest above if I make it for gifts
So grateful to you for sharing your recipes!
Author
Thanks Elly! Almond oil is more greasy and has an average speed absorption in the skin. It does not make it a bad body butter, it makes it richer and therefore a bit more greasy. If you want a light texture, its best to use Camellia seed oil, Safflower oil, Apricot kernel oil, Grapeseed oil or Rosehip oil.
I don’t have time to go buy arrowroot powder or tapioca starch, is corn starch an okay substitute, in terms of function?
Author
Yes but make sure your cornstarch is organic and non GMO.
Thanks Eve! I’m just embarking on making my own natural Shea creams for myself and daughters. I have always had dry,irritated skin,and have worked a lifetime outdoors. Not to mention way too much of this wonderful Florida beach time!! And salt water,cause I like it! Anyway,just made second batch,and consistencey was easily pourable into containers. O nite tho, resolidified. Soft,but surely unpourable. Any suggestions? Thanks
Author
Hi Terry, yes this recipe will solidify overnight. If you want a cream and not a body butter then you need to use another recipe like this one: https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/shea-butter-lotion-recipe/
I don’t want to use essential oils if I can avoid it, as they are really concentrated and not recommended as I’m a transplant recipient. I’m wondering if I could use something else that would still provide a scent but is less concentrated? Thanks a lot 🙂
Author
Hydrosol are less concentrated but the smell is faint and subtle. Would not necessarily work in this recipe though but you could use them as a body mist.
I really like this recipe! One thing I notice though, is that my skin doesn’t seem to be absorbing the lotion. I’m wondering if adding beeswax would be beneficial to locking in moisture? Also, do you think this addition would make the lotion feel greasy?
Author
Beeswax does add a waxy feeling to the body butter. To increase absorption, you could add 1 tablespoon of a hydrosol of your choice. (rose, lavender flower water for example).
Adding arrarowt powder wl not decrease the shelf life of product n do we need to add preservative?
Author
no need for preservatives as there is no water content. I don’t believe arrowroot decreases shelf life.
Hi I’m wanting to add breastmilk into a cream like this to use on my bub is there any way that I can get the milk to stop separating though?
Author
if you had milk to a cream, it will go bad really fast, not recommended!
Hi! I made this the other day and I found that it’s not as smooth or creamy I should say…because the shes butter is predominant in the the recipe. Any suggestions on making it creamier or at least more buttery/not so firm? (Especially now that it’s made, is there a way to alter this batch?
I used orange and ylang ylang essential oils. Smells very pretty. I probably should’ve added more orange and a touch more of ylang ylang.
Thank you SO much for this recipe 🙂
Author
If you want a cream, try this recipe: https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/body-cream-recipe-with-beeswax/
Hi Eve, great mix and website. I am trying to make the same thing but with color, like a light self tanner. Any thoughts on what I can change or add to make it darker? I was thinking raw cocoa powder and raw black tea powder with cocoa butter instead of Shea butter. Is cocoa butter more greasy than shea?
Thanks!
Author
Hi Charles, If you want a natural tan look, i would add small amounts of carrot seed oil or rosehip oil in your cream. (not more than 5%)
cocoa butter is not necessarily more greasy.
I definitely want to try this. I have two questions:
1. Can you please give the butter by weight — it’s easier to weigh it (rather than a volume measure) when I use cocoa butter instead of shea.
2. Will this work with kokum butter too?
Thanks!
Yes please!! Weights are more accurate too.
Amazing recipe… which essential oil I can add to it to make it work as a hand sanitizer as well.. do you think that that oil will increase the stickiness?
A fan from India…
Author
thanks for being a fan! you can add Tea Tree essential oils or eucalyptus essential oils. It will not make the cream more greasy.
Author
I use unrefined shea butter (because of the smell and texture) – its best to use arrowroot and it does remove the greasy feeling, I suggest you to try!
Not all oils are greasy, some are a lighter texture. example: jojoba oil is a wax, rosehip oil is pretty dry and absorbs right away.
Hi Eve.. How can I vet those receipes? Tnx
Author
sorry but I don’t understand your question, all my recipe are available free on my website, you can access it anytime.
Hi Eve, the non greasy body oil recipe can i add Argan oil, Glycerin and Vitamin E oil? If yes how many drops or table spoon do i need. I will be using 100ml pump bottle. And can this body oil recipe be used on the face as well. Can children from 10years and above too use it?
Author
Hi Ticia, argan oil is expensive and can be a bit oily so I would not use in a body butter. Keep it for a face cream or directly to use neat on the face.
No need to add glyceryn amd vitamin e.
The cream will be too thick for a pump bottle. And yes children can use, just avoid essential oils.
I used arrowroot and it worked well. Not slipping and slidding on my sheets……or my hubby. Thanks for your invested time and great diy body butter recipe w/ sxs pics!
Author
Thanks Cheryl 🙂
Hi eve!
I’m making a whipped body cream and found what love in making it. The only thing is that I’m trying to figure what is the right ingredient to use in helping the oil not break separate; so you don’t get that greasy or oily feeling. What is your recommendation for that and also, what is the difference in letting it sit in the frig till harden once it’s all been mixed or not put in frig at all? Once I take it off the stove, I was always told to put in the frig until completely harden, then blend for 10 minutes or so. Just seeing your thoughts on that as well?
Thank you
Author
Hi Jessica, if you want to make a whipped butter then yes you need to put it in the freezer and then whip. But this is not needed here, follow the exact steps that are on my recipe, you will be fine.
I’m interested in trying this recipe. I’d like it to be more of a salve. Can I just melt it and have it set up in containers? When would I add the arrowroot? Would I need to add beeswax to help it set up and if so, how much? I hope to use shea and mango butter in equal amounts with apricot kernel oil.
Hi Vicki – If you want more of a salve then you don’t need to add arrowroot and whip – just melt the ingredients and pour. They will be a salve consistency. Arrowroot and whipping makes it a butter. By the way – I LOVE mango butter, and combined with shea & apricot kernel is heavenly!
Hi thanks so much for this. I am curious what would the measurements be in grams? Thank you!
What is the shelf life? Does it need a preservative or kept in the refrigerator?
Author
Up to a year depending on the shelf life of the shea butter you are using.
You don’t need a preservative if you are using all oils/waxes/butters. Preservatives are only needed if there is water or a water-based ingredient like rose water included.
I’ve already made a shea – coconut body butter for winter as my skin and hair gets so dry conventional lotion or moisturizer doesn’t help plus since discovering I have advanced heart failure it caused severe asthma (something I never had before) so I was forced to either use a very small and expensive line of unscented hypoallergenic products or make my own. I don’t use anything but the butters I’ve made for my hair and body with amazing results! My question to you is this, can you send me a recipe that include some or all of the following ingredients: shea butter, mango butter, sweet almond oil, coconut oil, argan oil, and I have access to grapes end oil as well. Also I plan on trying to use eucalyptus oil as a mosquito deterrent as I am allergic (deathly) to about every single spray on the maket, any info there? Thanks a million, for me this discovery is a game changer and a life saver. In fact I’m going to try to “manufacture” some of my own essential oils this year as I have a garden and greenhouse and Only grow organically, it’s more work but worth it. Thank you, Feeling Blessed and Grateful, Angie.
Author
Thanks angie, good idea about the natural anti mosquito, I will share my recipe, i use lemon eucalyptus and citronella and it works like a charm.
For the recipe with shea butter, mango butter, sweet almond oil, coconut oil, argan oil, let me see what I can make up but look at this one https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/mango-body-butter-recipe/
you can replace safflower oil by sweet almond oil.
I just made the body butter with raw shea butter and added eucalytus and speariment essential oils. I read all comments so far and was wondering if I could use it in a pump bottle instead of a glass jar (or will the butter harden over time) and if it is ok to use a pump bottle, would you suggest glass over plastic option? Thanks
Author
it will harden so best to use a glass jar.
I’m new to your site as well Eve, and already I love love love it. I had just made a batch from another blogger that included ground oatmeal which quickly came out of suspension. I was then on line researching and found your blog and decided to try to revive this recipe by adding the arrow root, I took both batches and put them in a bowl and used the immersion blender to hopefully smooth out the oatmeal, but the next batch I make will be from your blog. Thank you for all these interesting tips and recipes.
Author
adding oatmeal would give a gritty texture I would think unless its a very fine flour. thanks for your kind words 🙂
Hi.!
I was wondering if I was to add a few drops of fragrances oil, would I have to adjust the recipe at all?
Thanks Sarah
Author
No, but I would not use fragrance oil as they are synthetic and using chemicals. Opt for essential oils instead.
The word “fragrance” or “parfum” on the product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants such as diethyl phthalate. Fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system.
Ok thanks so much fir that Eve xx
Hi Eve! The recipe calls for 6tbsp of oil. Can i use 3tbsp of rosehip oil and 3tbsp grapeseed oil? And if im adding essential oil how many drops should i add? Thank you! Looking forward to making this butter!
Author
HI Jessica, you can replace the 6 tablespoon of safflower oil with any of the oils listed below and yes you can do 3 tablespoon each as long as total is 6 TBS.
Camellia seed oil
Safflower oil
Apricot kernel oil
Grapeseed oil
Rosehip oil
I`ve update the recipe to add 30 drops of essentials oil total. Take a look!
Hi Eve,
Thanks so much for your blog-just the diy cream types I was looking for. I’d prefer to use my aloe plant for those recipes that call for it? Is it possible or Is there anything I should add to prevent it from going bad? I’ve removed some from my plant, put it in a container on it’s own and it turns brown.
Thanks and keep being awesome!
Author
Hi Angela, you would need to keep it in the fridge and it only would keep for a week. For aloe vera, i prefer to use it direcly on my face or hair. It does not keep otherwise.
Eve, I’ve been told by a beautiful all natural shop where I buy all my lotion making supplies and essential oils that grapefruit seed oil or vitamin e oil are both natural preservatives. I use a few drops in my Shea butter and rose water lotion to keep the rose water from turning!
Hi Eve!
I just tried the recipe and I was wondering how it would alter it if I also added cocao butter to go along with the Shea butter
Have you tried this?
Author
Hi Elise, I have done cocoa butter creams before with shea butter, take a look at this recipe: https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/shea-butter-lotion-recipe/
I have Shea butter what other oil do u suggest I use , I don’t like greasy what Soo ever. Thanks
Author
Hi Holly, just follow the recipe above, its all explained.
Hello, I just found you and I’m in love. I’d like to ask you is it okay to use agar agar instead of arrowroot?
Author
agar agar is a thickener and I am unsure it will help make body butter less greasy. You could try on a small batch and let us know?
I found tapioca in my local store so I used that. I used cocoa butter, apricot oil and tapioca. It’s an excellent recipe. Thank you again for the recipe and the quick response. All the best to you!!
Author
thanks so much Georgia 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if I can use cornstarch instead of arrowroot?
Author
arrowroot is more appropriate here. Never tried cornstarch yet but it may work as well.
Love the simplicity of this recipe. Thanks for posting. How long would it last without going “off” or flat?
Author
its depending on the shelve life of your ingredients. Take the shorter shelf life and there you have it1
If you make 3/4 of a batch the result fits perfectly in a 125ml canning jar. The measurements for this are:
4.5 Tbsp shea butter
4.5 Tbsp carrier oil
3/4 tsp arrow root powder
Perhaps because I used grapeseed rather than the suggested carrier oil I found resulting body butter too oily for my taste. To fix this, I added arrowroot powder 1/4 tsp at a time until it was a more pleasant consistency and a tiny amount tested on my skin felt nice. I ended up using 1 1/4 tsp arrowroot powder, but everyone’s skin is a bit different so adjust to your liking! Good base recipe.
Author
thanks for sharing anne marie!
I can’t wait to try your recipe for non greasy body butter. I noticed you do not add bees wax to prevent it melting in the summer. Is it not needed in this recipe?
Author
beeswax is not needed Gina!
hello Eve, I wrote you yesterday, and now have a question again. I went to Sprouts, and also looked online, comparing the liquid oils. Is there a huge difference in oils that are located in the cooking aisle vs the cosmetic aisle? Seems they charge a HUGE amount more for those that are considered skin care. I found a full 16 oz bottle of pure NON Gmo cold pressed safflower oil, that was only 6.50, and then Organic Grapeseed oil about the same price, but when I looked in the beauty aisle, WOW, for an 8 oz bottle they wanted 10.99, and for a tiny bottle about 6.00. Can you comment on this?
Author
I do have a comment 🙂 the beauty industry has one of the highest markup/profits and that’s because consumers associate high cost with high quality. Sometimes, it is just marketing.
I buy my organic certified wholesale grapeseed and safflower oil online on amazon and when I cannot wait two days for delivery, I go shopping on the cooking aisle for carrier oils, never the beauty section…!
Just remember, food grade oils have to go under scrutiny and more certifications than most beauty aisle oils and if they are organic and cold pressed, they are the highest quality.
your tip to not melt the sheabutter and oils is great. The heat might alter the nutrients.
This turned out great but I may add a bit more Arrowroot flour to lessen the greasiness. Its nourishing and soaks up quickly.
Author
fantastic!!
Looking to use this as a face moisturiser for oil rich skin.Thoughts please?
Author
Try this: https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/diy-face-serum-recipe-anti-wrinkles-with-essential-oils/
Hello,
What different oils can I use to replace safflower oil
Thank you
Author
Hi angela, you can replace safflower oil by sunflower oil.
Wondering about using olive oil instead of almond or jojoba. Allergic to almonds, & olive oil easier to find.
Author
Hi Robin, I would not use olive oil, its way too greasy to use on the body. You could replace by sunflower oil.
Hi there,
I’m trying this recipe for the first time, and am having the same problem as a few other readers. After melting and mixing the butter, oil, and powder, the lotion is staying in liquid form. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Author
Hi Sharon, if you are using shea butter, you actually don’t need to melt it. Just combine the shea butter and oil and start mixing with a hand blender and it will turn into cream.
If you have melted your shea butter (or cocoa butter) then put it in the freezer for 5-10 or 15 minutes until it has solidified a bit but is not completely frozen. Then, you can mix with your hand blender. Have fun!
Hello, I’m new to your site, and was just playing with making body butters today. What I made definitely ended up too greasy, I used some Orange butter plus Avocado butter, mixed with a bit of Shea & Coconut. Probably the coconut made it all too greasy, so I went searching for info on this. I like the simplicity of your recipe, however I find it interesting why you choose REFINED shea butter??? I am one who typically wants the item as raw as possible. I will likely be choosing Cocoa Butter as my base just because I Love the fact I can use it in an edible recipe too, and I love the smell. But if I DO use Shea, I’d like to better understand your perspective on refined vs unrefined. thank you
Author
Hi Katie, I agree, Raw and organic is the way to go. It’s just that the raw shea butter has a nutty smell that bothers me so I prefer organic refined shea butter. Its just personal preference. It also does help by removing graininess. (if any) and makes a smoother body butter.
Hi! Do you add any essentials oils to your body butter for scent?
Author
Hi Lia, yes you can but always optional. One of my favorite blend is lavender, frankincense, howood and rose geranium with a few drops of chamomile.
Hi, I was wondering if I could use mango butter instead of shea butter?
Author
Yes you can but it will be a harder body butter.
I can not wait to try your recipe. Am I able to 3 tbspn of shea & 3 tbspn of mango butter (instead of just using one type of butter)
Of course I’d use the rest of the recipe as is.
Author
yes, you can do that but the body butter will be thicker as mango butter is harder.
we have no problem with greasy out here, we are soooooo dry here in the desert, that it just absorbs into skin at a very high rate, and most of my clients and customers love it, because all the commercial based products don’t work for them.
So we love OILS out here, the more the better… Janice
Tucson, Arizona
I’ve just made the body butter but unfortunate it’s not thickening up or creamy. It’s still in liquid form even after I used the handblender. I put in rosehip oil shea butter and arrowroot as receipe given. What am i doing wrong?
Author
very weird…its an easy recipe. did you use the exact same amounts? if you change the amounts of shea butter and safflower (not rosehip) it will not have the same results.
Author
Hi irene, if you are using shea butter, you actually don’t need to melt it. Just combine the shea butter and oil and start mixing with a hand blender and it will turn into cream.
If you have melted your shea butter (or cocoa butter) then put it in the freezer for 5-10 or 15 minutes until it has solidified a bit but is not completely frozen. Then, you can mix with your hand blender. Have fun!
If I am melting my butters and then chilling them in the refrigerator before whipping, do I use my Arrowroot after the melting process?
Author
you can use the arrowroot powder after you take it out of the fridge and before you start whipping.
Thank You!
I already whipped it before finding your recipe. Can I add Arrowroot and whip it again?
Author
yes, that should work!
First off, this is a recipe I found on Pinterest before running across yours that I’ll try next. I have a question about making the body butter less greasy. If I used 1/2cup of coconut oil, 1/2cup of Shea butter, 2tsp ground ginger, 1tsp cinnamon, and 2tsp vanilla extract. How much of one of the powders you recommended should I put in this? It made about 8 1/2oz of body butter.
Thanks for a lovely recipe. Would you be able to guide me with the percentage of oils to butter please?
Author
Hi tanya, yes, its 50% butter, 50% oil.
Hi Eve! I’m excited to try this on my daughter’s eczema. Can I use coconut flour in place of the arrowroot powder? I don’t have tapioca powder or arrowroot but I have coconut flour or corn starch. I’m thinking the coconut flour would be a step above corn starch in benefits? But not sure if it will affect the recipe negatively. Thanks!
how do you measure the cocoa butter? melted or not melted. I made some and melted it but its not setting up. 6 tablespoons of melted cocoa butter and 6 tables spoons reship oil and 1 teaspoon arrow root powder. how can i fix it?
Author
Hi amy, I measure the cocoa butter NOT melted.
Pls try again with the non melted quantities.
Author
Hi Amy, if you are using cocoa butter 9and not she butter like on the recipe), you need to melt it.
Once melted put it in the freezer for 5-10 or 15 minutes until it has solidified a bit but is not completely frozen. Then, you can mix with your hand blender. Have fun!
hi, i just made this recipe but still find it a bit too greasy. if i add more arrow root powder will the greasiness decrease?
Author
thanks sarah for your comment, yes you can add more arrowroot powder.
i love sweet almond oil and jojoba oils. Wil they work as well?
Author
Hi Christy, yes but I find almond oil a bit greasy.
Hi Eve, I am new to DIY body essentials. I relocated resently to a dry climate State and can not find favorable lotions and body soaps. So I woke up this morning and serouisly giving thought to making my own body butters. Thank you for your blog. I will let you know how things turn out.
Author
that’s fantastic Kaz! have fun and let me know how you like the recipes 🙂
Hi Eve,
Thanks so much for sharing!!
I was wondering if you knew what the shelf life is for the body butter?
Author
Hi Jamilla, it can last up to a year but check the expiry date on the shea butter and oil you are using. Take the shortest expiry dates or max 1 year.
You can also freeze most butters. I know for certain mango, cocoa and shea butter can be frozen up to a year incase you have too much and know it won’t get used!
Can I replace the shea with the same amount of Cocoa butter in this recipe? Will the consistency be different?
I heard that some shea butters have a strange smell, is this the case for you?
Thanks!
Author
Hi Gee, it will change the consistency if you replace by cocoa butter but should be just fine. I use organic refined shea butter since it does not have smell.
Could this recipe be used on the face also?
Author
hi venus, yes 🙂
Thanks for sharing your recipes!!!! A lot of useful information for beginers!!!
Totally agree with Olena, this was very helpful, especially for a beginner, like myself. The entire post was informative and recipe was so easy. This has been one of the most helpful post I have read and makes me look forward to read more of your posts and recipes.
Author
Thanks Shana 🙂 pls share the love!!
Hi Eve, thanks for sharing Body butter recipe.
Can I use Guar gum in place of Arrowroot powder or Tapioca starch to make my body butter less greasy?
Author
yes you can use tapioca flour. Guar gum is a food additive and thickener, I never tried and I don’t think it would help making the body butter less greasy. If you give it a go, let me know how you like it!
Can I use cornstarch instead of arrowroot?
Author
yes you could.
So ik this is years old lol but i was about to use guar gum to add to a hair moisturizer i am about to make with mango butter and kokum butter and i came across your comment by searching. You may not remember but how did the guar gum work for you?
Hello Eve,
I’m new to DIY body products. Due to hypothyroidism and the price of products which are adding unhealthy elements to my body I’ve decided I can do better.
Thank you for your website. As soon as possible I plan on using your recipes.
Keep up the great work!
Author
Thanks Kristine and sorry to hear about your health problems. Please let me know if you have any questions on the recipes!