Homemade whipped shea butter is smooth, light and so nourishing to the skin. It smells great and has only 3 clean ingredients- shea butter, extra virgin olive oil, and the essential oils of your choice. Make this body butter in 15 minutes without any heating required!
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My family has pretty much always used clean skincare products, my favorite being Burt’s Bees, but recently I have started to make my own.
I am pretty sensitive to smells, and most products are highly scented, mostly with artificial scents. I like making my own products because I can control the amount of scent as well as the quality.
A few drops of pure essential oil smell way better than the artificial smells used in many skincare products.
Making your own homemade body butter is easy and only requires a few natural ingredients, that will leave your skin feeling soft and nourished.
Why This Recipe is so good!
No heat required! Many whipped shea butter recipes require you to first melt the shea butter in the microwave or use a double-boiler before whipping it with a hand mixer. This recipe totally skips the melting and cooling steps and instead we go straight to the mixing step! The shea butter is just as light, fluffy and smooth as any other and it takes so much less time!
It’s customizable! Whether or not you are sensitive to smells you can easily customize the body butter to include the essential oils or carrier oils you love. My skin loves olive oil but you could use sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, a bit of castor oil, grapeseed or coconut oil.
It’s made with only 3 ingredients! Unlike many store-bought containers of whipped shea butter, this homemade body butter is made with only 2 or 3 ingredients – shea butter, olive oil(or your favorite carrier oil), and essential oils(optional). There aren’t any artificial scents, stabilizers or unnecessary ingredients in this recipe, just simple good-for-your-skin ingredients.
Ingredients and Tools You Will Need for Whipped Shea Butter
Raw Unrefined Shea Butter – I use unrefined ivory African Shea Butter. The unrefined shea butter doesn’t have any additives and the texture is very firm. You don’t have to only use the ivory shea butter, you could also use yellow shea butter or even a different type of butter entirely. Just make sure it is unrefined, and you are good to go! Note: yellow shea butter has a stronger scent than the ivory. If you don’t love the smell of raw shea butter substitute with refined shea butter.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – In order to make the shea butter into luxurious body butter, you need an oil to mix with it. I love to use extra virgin olive oil on my skin. You could also use grapeseed oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil, etc. Note: If using grapeseed oil make sure to store your body butter in the fridge because this oil is prone to becoming rancid at room temperature.
Pure Essential Oils – You want to use 100% pure essential oils. That way you are only getting the pure essential oils and not any fillers or additives. When people think of essential oils they often think of very expensive oils from MLM companies, but they don’t have to be expensive to be effective. You really just want something that is pure, preferably organic, and from a reputable company.
Some of my favorite essential oil companies are – Now Foods essential oils, Plant Therapy, Aura Cacia, and Mary Tylor Naturals.
Food processor, Electric whisks, or Stand mixer – To whip your shea butter into body butter, you can use a food processor, hand-held electric beater, or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk or beat the mixture for 30 seconds to 1 minute to mix everything together.
Storage containers – You can put your body butter into whatever container the shea butter came in or you can put it in a glass mason jar. I love to split the batch of body butter in half, add different essential oils to each, and put them in mason jars. Use the wide-mouth jars for easy use!
How to Make Whipped Shea Body Butter
- Step one. In a stand mixer or food processor, add in the raw shea butter, and olive oil. Mix everything together for 30 seconds to 1 minute to achieve a smooth, light, and airy consistency.
- Step two. Split the body butter into two different bowls to create different scents.
- Step three. Mix in 10 – 20 drops of your favorite essential oils into each bowl. I used 15 – 20 drops of peppermint. And 10 – 15 drops of bergamot (be careful with some citrus essential oils, because they can be phytotoxic in the sunlight. Research which oils to use before using).
- Step four. Lastly, transfer your body butter into plastic containers or glass wide-mouth mason jars. Store in a cool area.
Essential oil ideas
We use pure organic(whenever possible) essential oils. They give the shea butter a very light scent which is perfect if you are sensitive to smells or don’t want your butter overly fragrant. If you are looking for a stronger scented body butter use fragrance oil blends.
Here are a few essential oil ideas that would smell lovely in your shea body butter!
- Frankincense
- Clary sage
- Jasmine
- Peppermint
- Blue tansy
- Bergamont – be careful with citrus essential oils because they are photosensitive meaning they can cause skin irritation in the sunlight.
Storing instructions
Store whipped shea butter in an air-tight container out of direct sunlight in a cool environment.
Frequently Asked Questions —
In this case, try using refined shea butter. It is more processed than the unrefined shea butter but it doesn’t have a strong shea butter smell. I would also try using an all-natural fragrance oil if you want a more fragrant body butter.
Unrefined shea butter naturally has a gritty texture. Add more oil to your body butter if it’s still a bit gritty even after whipping. Start with a 1/4 cup of oil then add a bit more until it reaches your desired consistency!
These body butters are made with unrefined raw oils and pure essential oils. They can last for several months without any problems.
I have never had a problem with my body butters melting. This shea body butter recipe is thick and creamy and doesn’t require melting the butter before whipping it. They shouldn’t easily melt unless you store your butters in direct sunlight or in a very warm environment. I usually store them in a relatively cool area, in indirect light.
If you have a problem with them melting, try storing the body butters in the refrigerator before using them.
Totally! If you are going to use it for both your body and your face I would store the body butter in two separate containers.
I hope you give this homemade whipped shea body butter a try soon! If you do, leave me a star rating, a comment, or tag me on Instagram (@themidwestkitchenblog) so I can see! Thank you for reading, and enjoy!
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How To Make Whipped Shea Butter
Materials
- 8 oz raw unrefined shea butter
- ¼ – ½ cup olive oil*
- 30 drops essential oil divide if making two different scents
Instructions
- In a stand mixer or food processor add in the raw shea butter, and olive oil. Mix for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the shea butter has a smooth, light and airy consistency.
- Mix in 30 drops of the essential oil of your choice. Store in a plastic container or mason jar in a cool area. Enjoy!
If making two different scents:
- Add 15 – 20 drops of peppermint essential oil to half of the body butter. Mix and transfer to a plastic container or mason jar.
- For the second one, add 10 – 15 drops of bergamot oil or your favorite essential oil. Mix and transfer to a plastic container or mason jar.
- Store your body butters in a cool area. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Citrus essential oils. Be careful with using citrus essential oils because they are phototoxic meaning they can cause skin irritation in the sunlight.
- If using grapeseed oil make sure to store your body butter in the fridge because this oil is prone to becoming rancid at room temperature.
- Shea butter options: Yellow shea butter has a stronger scent than the ivory. If you don’t love the smell of raw shea butter substitute with refined shea butter.
- Use fragrance oils if the smell of essential oils is too light for you.
- If your shea butter is melting, try keeping it in the fridge. It will stay fresher for longer and the cool butter will feel so nice on your skin.
Super simple and easy to make. Smells great with my Lilac Essential Oils and goes on smooth… Like butter!
That sounds heavenly, Sequoia! Thanks so much for trying it out!
Hi Tonya,
I have a question regarding the clean up of the food processor. I don’t have a dishwasher and I used it for making a shea butter magnesium lotion which turned out great but I cannot for the life of me clean the food processor without it still having not only residue but I worry about using the processor for food? Do I have to buy another processor? What can I do to wash it so it can be food safe again? Thank you so much
Hi Nia! Yes, in that case, it would be a good idea to get another food processor especially for food. You could also try using Dawn dish soap or Dawn Ultra power wash. It works wonders at removing oil and residue. Hope that helps!
Hi, I whipped up some of your shea butter recipe and I loved it. I didn’t measure anything and added frankincense oil to it, Used OVOO. Still had a small amount of grits to it, so next time ill try mixing it longer, and measuring things out. What are your thoughts on using organic caster oil? Ps: I also added it to my face and neck! Now waiting for it to absorb into my skin. I think my whole body is loving it!
Yayayay! I’m so glad to hear it Jackie! Ooooh frankincense is a lovely choice! I recently made a batch with it and started putting it on my face as well. 🙂 Castor oil is great for the skin, but I would personally mix it with olive oil or some other carrier oil because it might make your shea butter too thick. Thank you so much for your comment!
Nice Article Thank You for Sharing Information
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hey Tonya! So I don’t have a food processor, but I tried to mix everything the best I could. However, my shea butter came out oily and the smell isn’t great. Even with a bunch of essential oils added. Is there any
way I can get my butter to come out creamier and with a better fragrance?
Hey Bree! It’s really hard to get the shea butter to whip into a smooth and creamy consistency without a food processor or mixer of some sort. Try using refined shea butter instead to avoid the smell! You could also try using an all natural fragrance oil as well if the essential oil smell is too light. Hope this helps!
Hi,
I want to infuse my shea butter with dried arnica flower at low temperature ( 160 f). Have you tried this? If so, how well does it work once the shea butter has been melted and then whipped?
Thanks,
paula
Hi Paula! I haven’t tried infusing the shea butter with anything before, but I have tried melting it and then whipping the shea butter and it works great. Let me know how everything works out for you!
Hi Tonya – My raw shea butter is quite grainy… should I melt it together with the oil first and then refrigerate overnight before whipping? Or does the graininess dissipate after whipping? I’ll be using sweet almond oil. Thank you!
Hi Alison! Yes, raw shea butter is usually grainy at first. Once it’s whipped with the oil it shouldn’t have a grainy texture anymore!
I tried this but still had clumps of shea butter so I ended up putting in a double boiler but then it melted completely 😅 so, now I have it in the fridge fridge hoping it will solidify some so I can try whipping again! Any solution for the clumps of shea butter otherwise? Should I heat it a little before whipping in the future
Hi Tina! I’ve never had lumps in my shea butter before, but in that case, yes, I would melt it first then allow it to solidify a bit before whipping it. Let me know how it goes!
I’m no expert but I’ve been trying for months to get a whipped shea butter! If it’s grainy, that normally means it’s coming from the manufacturer that way! Read the reviews before you buy! I love this one : Mary Tylor Naturals Organic Shea
What a lovely blend! I used almond oil because that’s what I had on hand. And lavender essential oil. It is luxuriously smooth and silky! Thank you!
Oooooh, that sounds wonderful Sarah. I’m so glad you liked the body butter!
Thank you for this tutorial. I followed your instructions and was able to make my raw shea butter into a soft, whipped, creamy application that has been very beneficial. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
Of course! I’m glad you liked it!
Do an article on nitolica the best shea butter if not the best all purpose butter or oil.
I’ll research it! Sounds interesting.
Made this today, only problem I have is no matter what essential oils I add, the Shea butter smell stays! What is the solution to that ?? Please advice
Hi Rose! If you don’t like the smell of raw shea butter, try using refined shea butter. It doesn’t have a fragrance so the essential oils are all you smell! Thanks!
Thanks you so much for the response ! Will try refined Shea butter, how about cocoa butter ?
Of course! Cocoa butter is excellent on the skin. It smells a little like chocolate so I would get refined cocoa butter too!
This is a great recipe!!!!!
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this!! This is a great idea!!
Thank you!