We are proud to announce that we just published our very first video on the new From Nature With Love YouTube Channel! Emmy and Kibby have been hard at work recording videos featuring step by step instructions on making recipes from our popular line of Body Care Craft Kits. The first video features our Cocoa Almond Whipped Body Butter, a moisturizing body butter made with Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, and a touch of Almond Fragrance. We hope that you enjoy this video while we work on creating more!
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Hello! love the video, good job guys! I had a question though, what would be a good substitute for the jojoba esters? How are those different than regular jojoba oil? Thanks for your help!
-Sarah
Hello,
I just watched your video. I would like to know what the shelf life is and did you use any preservatives in your body butter.
Hi Sarah. Jojoba Esters are made from hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, so they have a very hard texture, similar to wax. You could use Beeswax in place of Jojoba Esters in this recipe, but you may have to adjust the proportion a little bit to get it just right. I would recommend trying using Beeswax at the same rate as Jojoba Esters, than seeing how you like the texture. You can remelt and add more wax or more Cocoa Butter to adjust it. The only thing you may lose during remelting is Fragrance. Fragrance Oil can burn off or morph if it is heated too much or too often. Have fun experimenting!
Hi Sky Captain. For personal use, you can expect a whipped body butter such as this to remain fresh for about three months. I didnt add any preservatives to this recipe, but you could include an antioxidant, such as Vitamin E T50 to help keep the oils fresh. If you plan on selling any products, a professional lab should be used to determine a true shelf life. To learn more about preservatives, check out the links on the following page from our blog: https://naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/preservatives.html
Thanks for the help! I will try that. what is the consistency of the body butter after it has sat in the containers for a little bit? It is harder or is still pretty creamy? Also how’s the greasiness? I’ve used arrowroot powder instead of dry flo, in your experience does dry flo seem to work a lot better?
I know I’m asking a lot of questions but is there a good substitute for cocoa butter? I love cocoa butter but I don’t have the deodorized kind so everything smells like chocolate (which I love) but it makes it hard to make any other smells. Instead of just getting deodorized cocoa butter is there another alternative that you might suggest?
Thanks!
Hi Sarah,
There are a lot of ways that you can change a recipe like our Cocoa Almond Whipped Body Butter. Changing the type of Butter, the type of slip ingredient, and the wax will change the recipe so much that your end result could be a bit different, but, it could very well be different in a good way! It never hurts to try, so yes, I would be happy to recommend some alternatives for Cocoa Butter. The easiest substitute would be Ultra Refined Cocoa Butter, which has no aroma. You can also try using Mango Butter, Shea Butter, Murumuru, or Illipe Butter. These all very in texture, so the softness or hardness of the recipe will change as you change Butters. The texture of the original recipe is hard, but fluffy, meaning that the Cocoa Butter mixture sets up completely, but the air pockets whipped into the mixture make it soft and spreadable. This is the same kind of technique used to churn ice cream. Dry Flo is a great ingredient for reducing greasiness, but Arrowroot or Corn Starch are also fine choices. Arrowroot may give the butter a little bit of grittiness, but it may or may not be noticeable. Body Butter us much greasier than lotion, or water based body creams, but the natural ingredients should soak into the skin pretty easily. Choosing a different butter shouldnt affect that aspect too much.
Im going to give you a link to another whipped butter recipe that weve posted on The Natural Beauty Workshop to give you an alternate recipe to try working with. This recipe is lighter and fluffier in texture than the Cocoa Almond Butter, but is a little more flexible as far as scent and color go. Blissful Body Mousse: https://naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/2008/08/blissful-body-m.html
Is the recipe shown in the video available in printed format anywhere on the site? I’d love to add it to my Pinterest board. Thanks!
Hi Marti. This is our only article that features the recipe for our Cocoa Almond Whipped Body Butter, but we do have still photos of the product on its kit page. Heres a link: http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/product.asp?product_id=KITCOALMBUTTER That page should be suitable for use on Pinterest.
Hi! I love your website and am excited to try your recipes. I have been making my own body butter for a while now, but I’ve noticed that the day I rub it on (after a shower or bath) my skin feels rather tight and itchy in certain places. The ingredients I use are: beeswax, shea butter, almond oil, coconut oil, water, vitamin E oil, lavendar essential oil, chamomille essential oil, and ylang ylang essential oil. Which of these could be affecting my skin?
Hi Juliana,
Thanks for visiting The Natural Beauty Workshop. Unfortunately, the answer to your question would be that any of the ingredients in your recipe could potentially irritate your skin, if you have a sensitivity to it. First, I would consider other clues in your diet and lifestyle to see if you can find a connection. Do you ever experience food allergies to nuts, soy (vitamin e is soy-based), or coconut products? If so, it would stand to figure that these ingredients could cause a reaction topically as well.
After that, the best thing to do would be to perform a patch test. Try using each ingredient alone on a small patch of skin, and see if you have a reaction. Start with the almond oil, shea butter, and coconut oil first. Each of these ingredients can be used alone, at full strength. If none of these cause a reaction, you can use the almond or coconut oil to dilute the essential oils and vitamin e. Dilute the essential oils in the almond or coconut oil, then do a patch test with each. Then do the same with the vitamin e oil.
If the patch tests do their job, you should be able to identify which ingredient is causing trouble for your skin. If not, you might want to try talking to an allergist, or simplifying your body butter recipe to just one or two ingredients.
I hope my response will be helpful, Juliana. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.
You did a Beautiful job on this tutorial. As a professional skin care manufacturer I am impressed
Thanks! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the tutorial!
I’m currently formulating my own magnesium oil body butter with a base of deodorized cocoa butter and apricot kernel oil, after confirmation from your blogger that this would be a deep penetrating, fast absorbing formula. Magnesium oil, however isn’t actually an oil, but a solution of water and magnesium flakes. Since this is a water based addition, do I need an emulsifying wax? If so, do you have any advise on how to do so? Also, what about the addition of arrowroot for a silkier feel?
Hi Vanessa. If you are incorporating a water-based ingredient than you will definitely need an emulsifier. Check out our article on emulsion to give you an idea of where to begin. https://naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/2011/05/emulsion-the-magic-trick-of-creams-and-lotions.html As for making the slip silkier, adding a starch like Arrowroot, Corn Starch, or Oat Starch is a great option.