If you ask me, slathering a dollop of whipped Shea Butter onto dry skin is one of life’s great pleasures. This is especially true during the long cold months of Winter when dry air seems to constantly draw moisture out of our skin. Shea Butter is just the thing to replenish and protect parched skin, and the natural anti-inflamatory benefits of Tamanu Oil are excellent for soothing any itchiness or redness that may have resulted from prolonged dryness.
This recipe includes a pinch of Beeswax to help keep the butter stiff despite the heavy dose of Tamanu Oil. Arrowroot Powder and Silk Powder contribute to a smoother, less greasy slip. I scented my batch with a Wintery mixture of Rose, Vanilla, and Sandalwood, but this recipe would smell very nice if left unscented. You could also try using one of our new Plant-Based Fragrance Oils.
Whipped Tamanu & Shea Butter
Makes about nine ounces, by volume
Ingredients
- 3 ounces Tamanu Oil
- 2 1/2 ounces Shea Butter
- 1/2 ounce Beeswax
- 1 teaspoon Arrowroot Powder
- 1 teaspoon Silk Powder, Superfine
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Essential Oil (or Oleoresin or Fragrance Oil)
- 1/4 teaspoon Rose Essential Oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Organic Royal Hawaiian Essential Oil
Directions
- Heat the Shea Butter in a double boiler over medium heat until it has melted completely. Set the burner to low, then allow the Shea Butter to remain over the heat for twenty minutes.
- Add the Beeswax, and let it melt completely. Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside.
- In a small bowl or container whisk the Arrowroot and Silk Powder with the Tamanu Oil.
- Add the Tamanu mixture to the Shea Mixture, followed by the Essential Oils.
- Whisk the mixture continuously as it cools and thickens. To speed the process, try placing ice water into the lower half of your double boiler and using an electric hand mixer to whisk.
- When the butter has thickened to the consistency of buttercream frosting it can be either spooned or piped into jars. Let the butter cool and set completely before use. About thirty minutes in a refrigerator will do the trick.
Usage & Packaging
Whipped butters look lovely in clear jars. Try packaging Whipped Tamanu Shea in 4 oz. Flint Glass Jars or in 4 oz. Flat PET Jars.
To use, simply apply generously to your hands, feet, arms, legs and torso. The butter will sit on your skin for a little while before being absorbed.
I’m definitely trying this recipe.
Thanks! Please let us know how it turns out for you. If you take a photo we would love to see your batch.
How long will the butter stay good for and do I need to store it in the fridge? Thanks!
Hi Michele. This formula doesn’t contain any water or water-based ingredients so it should remain fairly stable as-is and will remain fresh as long as the ingredients hold up. It should do just fine at room temperature, though in warm weather the butter may soften or melt. In really hot weather it may help to keep it in the fridge. Shea Butter and Tamanu Oil both have an estimated shelf life of around one to two years. If you’d like to reinforce the stability of the formula, try adding 0.04% Vitamin E T50. That would work out to about two drops in this formula.
I need to make bigger batches of body butters but my Kitchenaid mixer will not handle the amount I need to prepare.
Would a souped up immersion handheld blender do the trick? I don’t need a lot of air in the mixture because I want to be able to get the correct amount of product in the container.
Thank you for your help.
You could certainly try using an immersion blender to mix a whipped butter but the result won’t be exactly the same as what you would achieve with a whip attachment. I would recommend trying it out with a small batch to see how you like the finished texture. If it doesn’t turn out how you expected you might want to consider using a handheld mixer with a whip attachment as an alternative. Or, you could split the batch into smaller portions to make it easier to work with.
Could I use any other powder if I can’t find silk or arrowroot?
Hi Khadeeja. Most starch powders work well. If silk powder or arrowroot powder aren’t available, you can try using cornstarch or oat starch instead. We have all four of these products available for sale on our web site at http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com. You can use the code NBWS4277 to save an extra 7% on your online order.
hi, first let me say that FNWL and its blog are my bible!!! I have a question about body butters/lotions etc. I have been trying to formulate a product which includes magnesium oil. I think that I have settled on a combination of apricot kernal oil and cocoa butter for a deeply penetrating but quickly absorbing product. But something seems off about the texture. I have seen mention of silk powder and arrowroot and I’m wondering if that could be the missing link? Any input and advice would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Vanessa. Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m so glad that we are helping you! You can definitely try adding a powdered ingredient to enhance your butter’s texture. Starches like Arrowroot or Cornstarch can help make the texture less greasy while Silk Powder can help give the product a soft, slippery slip. Any of these can be added at a rate of about 1 teaspoon to every 1-2 ounces of butter you are making. You can find out more about these tips (and more) at the following link: https://naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/2013/02/how-to-make-whipped-body-butters-1.html